North Shore's Kailin Gochna advances to state girls tennis quarterfinals after two straight-set victories
Kailin Gochna of North Shore plays in the first round of the state girls singles tennis championship tournament in Schenectady, N.Y., on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. Credit: Tim Roske/Tim Roske
SCHENECTADY – If there was any chance that Kailin Gochna had the element of surprise on her side at the NYSPHSAA Girls Tennis Individual Championships, it’s certainly gone now.
The North Shore senior, back in high school tennis after skipping the past three seasons in favor of tournament play, posted a pair of straight-set singles wins on Thursday to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. In the second of them, she ousted big-hitting Suffolk County singles champion Anya Konopka of Smithtown East in a matchup of southpaws.
The 5-10 Konopka had her powerhouse forehand clicking when she broke serve for a 5-3 lead in the first set. That was the moment when Gochna realized that she’d been trying to go hit-for-hit against a stronger opponent. She won the last four games of the first set, broke serve twice to start the second set while Konopka gathered herself and then rode out a 7-5, 6-1 win at this city’s Central Park courts.
“I needed to stop going for the big shot because that’s her game,” Gochna said. “I had to start keeping balls in play, stretching out points and keeping it away from her really strong forehand. . . . After I [broke] to get to 4-5, I knew I had my game plan.”
Gochna’s triumph completed a very strong showing by Nassau players on the first day of the three-day tournament, with all three of its singles qualifiers and two of three doubles entries all reaching Friday’s quarterfinal rounds without dropping a set. County singles champion Nina Wiese of Garden City lost six games in winning her four sets and Angel Walia of Herricks dropped just four in her two victories.
Nassau doubles champions Kayla Castellano and Angelina Bravo of Garden City lost only three games over their two wins and sisters Andrea and Angelina Vases of Manhasset dropped just four in a pair of victories.
Castellano and Bravo won an all-Long Island second-round match over the Sayville tandem of Meredith Albertelli and Kylie Person, 6-1, 6-2.
Only two of Suffolk’ seven entries in singles and doubles survived into the second day; each was impressive in its own way. The Bayport-Blue Point sister duo of Emilia and Evie Romano scored a pair of three-set wins, battling back to victories after dropping the first set in each. The Westampton team of Julia Stabile and Matilda Buchen – the Suffolk County doubles champs – didn’t lose a game in the first round and just four in the second.
“The first match was really just nerves,” Emilia Romano said of a 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 first-round win over Brynn Hite and Sydney Lemieux of Northeastern Clinton. “But after winning these two matches like this, we go into [Friday] with a lot more confidence.”
The Romanos lost two ‘deuce games’ in the first set and then rallied to beat Brooke Reese and Amaya Grant of Monroe-Woodbury, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. They trailed 3-4 in the second set.
In the doubles draw, none of the four Long Island teams will face-off in the quarterfinals, making it possible the day ends with an all-Island semifinal. The Romanos face the biggest hurdle in the top-seeded team from Scarsdale and the Vases play a team from Edgemont that is seeded third.
Walia has a quarterfinal against No. 1 seed and defending state champion Victoria McEnroe (daughter of Patrick and niece of John) of Bronxville. McEnroe defeated Bella Spilotros of Smithtown West in the first round – a 6-1, 6-1 win that was tougher than the score suggests.
“As long as I play my game, I’ll be in it,” Walia said. “It’ll be whoever wants it more and I want it pretty bad.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
