Hills East takes Suffolk tennis crown
Half Hollow Hills East's Zain Ali competes against Ross in the first doubles match in the Suffolk boys tennis team championship. (May 31, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The title already had been decided, but Half Hollow Hills East's Chris Hunter still had work to do.
With his team up by four matches against Ross, the senior blitzed Richard Sipala in the third set en route to a 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-1 victory at first singles.
Hunter's win was the final blow in top-seeded Hills East's 6-1 victory over No. 2 Ross (17-2) Tuesday at Smithtown East, as the Thunderbirds won their second straight Suffolk team title. The winners of 40 straight Suffolk matches will play Nassau champion Cold Spring Harbor for the Long Island crown at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Wheatley.
"You never get tired of it," Hills East coach Tom Depelteau said. "Ross was certainly the second-best team in the county, but everything fell our way today."
The day began inauspiciously for Hills East (20-0) as regular first singles Zain Ali awoke with a throat infection that required a doctor's visit and antibiotics.
With Ali's health in question, Depelteau moved him to first doubles and Hunter, normally the second singles, into the flagship position. And though Ali and partner Sam Goldberg lost to Suffolk champions Henry Lee and Felipe Reis, 6-3, 6-4, the rest of the Thunderbirds secured victories.
Eric Bertuglia won the day's first match at second singles, defeating Louis Caiola, 6-0, 6-0. That set the tone for the dominant Thunderbirds.
"I think that it gave us the extra boost we needed to win," Bertuglia said.
Kyle Alper's 6-3, 6-0 win over Harrison Rowen at third singles and Brett Teplitz's 6-0, 6-0 win over Jack Brinkley-Cook at fourth singles gave Hills East a 3-0 lead.
Out on one of the far courts, the third-doubles team of Alex Schnapp and Jeff Cherkin beat Spencer Kuzon and Cole Katzter, 6-3, 6-3, to clinch the title.
At 5-1, that left Hunter and Sipala to finish their match, with pride and little else at stake.
"It's a team sport, and I'm glad the team won, but at the same time, I wanted to finish my match," Hunter said.
He won his match and joined in the team celebration.
All in a day's work.
