Three teams and three individuals from Broward and Palm Beach counties reached the pinnacle of the FHSAA state tennis championships at three parks in the Orlando area despite inclement weather that forced matches to be delayed or shortened this week.
St. Andrew’s boys won their fourth straight Class 1A state team championship, while St. Thomas Aquinas repeated as Class 3A girls’ state champions.
American Heritage-Delray’s boys, which have flirted with the nation’s No. 1 ranking all year long, cruised through the Class 2A postseason without losing a game. They obliterated the competition winning districts, regionals, and states to take their first boys’ state championship since 2013. The girls last won in 2017 and combined they have won 17 state championships, including nine by the boys.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the boys,” said American Heritage-Delray Director of Tennis Brian Schleifer, whose team blanked Satellite, 5-0 for the state title. “I would honestly say that they are the best team in the country. The top of our lineup with the twins Markus Ekstrand [UM] and Alexander Ekstrand [Purdue] are both ranked in the top 15 in the country and going to D1 schools next year.
“Our number three George Kosseifi is headed to Case Western Reserve, one of the top D2 programs in the country,” Schleifer added. “He made a sacrifice and dropped to No. 3 for us this year. I was happy we were able to help him win a state championship in his senior year after carrying us the previous three.”
Kosseifi won a state singles title in 2021 and took second last year in the state final. Markus Ekstrand won the triple crown winning the team championship to go along with the overall singles and doubles titles.
“It was great to win the state championship,” said Markus Ekstrand, who also won the overall singles championship with a dramatic 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory over Calvary Christian Academy junior James Adler Germinal. “It was such an awesome team and I felt honored to play number one.
“It was a great experience, especially since I got to share it with my brothers [Alexander] and seventh grader [Karl],” he added. “I really liked the team aspect and for sure, this will; give me a lot of confidence.”
In the doubles, Markus Ekstrand and Kosseifi defeated the Pine Crest duo in junior Kenneth Chan and senior Krisztian Meszaros, 6-1, 6-3, for the overall doubles championship.
Coral Springs Charter junior Juhnyee See, Grandview Prep eighth grader Abby Gordon and American Heritage-Delray senior Markus Ekstrand won overall singles championships.
Pine Crest’s girls’ doubles team composed of senior Michaela Landry and eighth grader Natasha Jerkunica defeated American Heritage-Delray junior Jackie Daynovsky and sophomore Kristina Despotuli, 6-4, 6-3 for the overall 2A championship.
“This is a great memory to share with my doubles partner,” Jerkunica said.
Both the St. Thomas Aquinas girls and boys’ teams reached the Class 3A championships with mixed results.
St. Thomas Aquinas freshman Chloe Fouhety helped the Raiders win a second consecutive Class 3A girls’ team championship as she won her No. 1 singles match against Auburndale’s McKenna Battilla, 5-3, 3-5 and 10-3 in the tiebreaker. St. Thomas Aquinas blanked Auburndale 5-0 for the 13th title in school history.
Fouhety, along with senior teammate Sasha Cartegena, lost in the overall doubles final to Lacanto’s Mirabelle Tahiri and Nandini Karanam when the Raiders duo was forced to retire due to injury. Fouhety also fell in the overall singles final against Lyla Messler (Osceola), 6-0, 7-5.
“I was really nervous because they had shortened sets [due to the weather],” Fouhety said. “I realized I had the potential, and my team gave me a big boost when I was down. I tried to change up my game and remain most efficient.”
The Raiders’ boys team, making its first appearance in the state finals since 2008, came up short 4-1 against Wireglass Ranch (Wesley Chapel). Auburndale swept through the state tournament without dropping a single game as it defeated Seabreeze 4-0, Ponte Vedra 4-0, and St. Thomas Aquinas 5-0.
The Raiders’ boys split the doubles matches and won at No. 3, 4, and 5 singles with freshman Phillip Paun capturing the decisive match at No. 4 to send the Raiders to the finals with a 4-3 victory over Baron Collier. St. Thomas Aquinas’ boys’ has won three state championships in 1989, 1994, with the last one coming in 2008. It also marked the first time since 1994 that both teams reached the state final in the same year.
In the individual competition, the St. Thomas Aquinas boys doubles team of junior Blake Edwards and sophomore Lucca Freitas fell in the semifinals to Baron Collier’s William Freshwater and Jonas Bauer, 8-5 in a pro set. Edwards also fell to Freshwater in his individual No. 1 singles match in a tiebreaker, 11-9. They split the first two sets with each winning 4-1.
The St. Andrew’s boys’ tennis team won a fourth straight championship as it defeated Pensacola Catholic 4-1. The girls’ team saw its six-year stranglehold on the Class 1A state championships come to an end when they fell 5-0 to eventual state champion True North Classical Academy. The Scots had edged True North 4-3 in last year’s state semifinal.
“We beat three really good teams to win the boys’ title,” said Scots coach Reid Rafter. “Our boys were really strong from top to bottom. We are really deep, and we have five guys who have similar abilities.”
“The girls ran into a really tough team,” Rafter added. “We had won six [championships] in a row and really wanted to win for our two seniors. The score wasn’t as bad as it looked as we lost in two super tiebreakers and if they had gone the other way, it may have been a different outcome.”
Gordon believed she had a chance to win the Class 1A overall championship and those beliefs were realized when she topped Pensacola Catholic’s Gabriella Goyins, 6-3, 6-2 for the championship. She is the first girl to win a state tennis championship in school history.
“It was really a tough tournament,” said Gordon, who entered the tournament as an unseeded player and took out top-ranked Heidi Bulger, of cross-town rival Boca Raton Christian, in a tiebreaker (5-3, 3-5, 10-3) in the round of 16. “I was challenged a lot and I mean I like playing against older players. My first match was a real tug of war. There were a lot of long rallies, and I didn’t change my game style.”
Another local won the Class 2A state overall singles championship when See successfully defended the title with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Gulliver Prep’s Sophia Varabyev.
“It felt amazing to be able to win again, especially since it was the same situation as last year with testing and playing my matches,” said See, who like last year was taking exams during the tournament. “I am so proud that I was able to transition between taking my exams and playing my matches.”
The Spanish River girls’ doubles team composed of seniors Blanka DeMitchell and senior Delanie Tribby won the Class 4A overall doubles title with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Doral Academy’s Patricia Palencia and Payton Seidle-Lubowitz.
Boca Raton’s boys fell in the Class 4A state quarterfinals; Benjamin’s girls lost in the Class 1A state semifinals; while the Cypress Bay’s boys, Spanish River’s girls, and the Stoneman Douglas boys and girls each lost in the Class 4A state quarterfinals.
American Heritage-Delray’s girls also lost in the Class 2A state quarterfinal, 4-3 to eventual champion Miami Gulliver Prep. Spanish River’s 4-3 loss came against eventual state champion Miami Palmetto.
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