New Albany Sweeps Division I state titles; Cincinnati Indian Hill and Columbus Wellington Win Division II state championships
MASON, Ohio — The 99th annual OHSAA Boys Tennis State Tournament concluded Saturday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center and Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Mason.
Division I
New Albany won the Division I singles and doubles titles, marking the 20th time in OHSAA history that a school has swept both areas of competition and only the second time it has happened in Division I.
Junior Robert Cash defeated Mason’s Niraj Komatineni, 6-3, 6-1 in the singles final. This was Cash’s third time qualifying for the state tournament with a fourth place finish last year and a third place finish in doubles in 2016. He became only the second boys tennis singles state champion in New Albany history after Peter Kobelt’s title in 2009.
Two-time state qualifier, Canfield senior Tim Cianciola, won the third place match, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 over senior Stu Brdicka Lewis Center Olentangy.
The New Albany doubles team of junior Nathan Jose and freshman Devin Boyer defeated senior Jack Dabek and freshman Reese Yakubov of Columbus St. Charles in the final, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Due to inclement weather, the final set was played indoors at the Five Seasons Family Sports Club. Jose, now a three-time state placer in doubles, and Boyer are the first doubles team from New Albany to win a Division I state title. Peter Kobelt and Sylar Engel were the Eagles’ first doubles state champs in 2007 but they competed in Division II that year.
After a state runner-up finish in doubles last year, Cincinnati Sycamore senior Nathan Zhang and his sophomore partner Sam Marcus defeated seniors Shashank Reddy and Aneesh Zutshi of Mason in the third place match, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Division II
In Division II singles play, Cincinnati Indian Hill senior Andrew Pregel raced through the field, ending in a 6-0, 6-0 win over Columbus Wellington sophomore Trevor Ball in the singles final. Throughout the two days of action, Pregel only lost three total sets. Pregel is the fifth singles state champion in school history.
Dayton Miami Valley School senior Colton Morehart, a two-time state qualifier, won the third place match, defeating Ada senior Zachary Beaschler, 6-2, 6-2.
After qualifying for state in singles the previous three years, Connor Biernat teamed up with freshman brother Griffin in doubles play for Columbus Wellington this year and the rest was history. The Biernat brothers claimed Wellington’s second boys tennis doubles state title in school history, defeating senior Maanas Pisati and junior Mack Ellis of Cincinnati Indian Hill, 6-2, 6-3, in the state championship match.
Junior Stephanie Shulman and senior Sauren Khosla of Gates Mills Hawken finished off a second-straight state doubles appearance as a team with a 7-6, 6-3 win over senior Makul Sharma and junior Reece Quigley of Dayton Miami Valley School in the Division II doubles third place match.