Hewlett's Stephan Gershfeld captures state boys tennis singles title
Stephan Gershfeld from Hewlett reacts after winning the match in the singles finals against Emil Grantcharov from Mamaroneck in the New York State High School boys tennis individual singles championships at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday, June 4, 2022. Credit: Louis Lanzano
The battle of wills in the state boys singles championship match arrived in the sixth game of the second set. And Stephan Gershfeld wasn’t about to lose it.
The Hewlett junior had already taken the first set from top-seeded Emil Grantcharov and had just gone up a break. It was a moment for the New Rochelle senior when he went ahead 40-15. And that’s’ where Gershfeld’s quiet tenacity took over. He forced it to deuce with a pair of service winners and took the advantage four more times only to see Grantcharov get it back to deuce.
Gershfeld then finally prevailed with 15th and 16th points of the game and never looked back. Only a few minutes later, he drilled a passing shot by Grantcherov for the final cadence in a 6-2, 6-2 win Saturday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to claim the New York State Public High School title.
Seeing it land inside the line, Gershfeld dropped his racquet, belted out a triumphant holler and made for the net to shake hands with a regional rival he has battled already for half a decade. Grantcharov handily won their first meeting as 10-year-olds in a USTA event at the Tennis Center and they’d split a total of eight meetings before Saturday.
“It’s such a dream come true. . . . ever since seventh grade,” Gershfeld said, referring to his first season on the Hewlett varsity. “I was just dreaming to play at the U.S. Open (for state). Now I'm a champion here and it just feels amazing.”
He is the first NYPHSAA boys singles champion from Hewlett since Jordan Murray in 1991.
Gershfeld’s strong will is the canvas that he’s painted a beautiful game on. He can win points with his serve, by hustling to make sliding returns all across the baseline and by using a drop shot that seems to fall off a table right after it clears the net. The varied arsenal – replete with both slices and topspin – doesn’t allow an opponent to pin him down.
“The variety doesn’t give them a rhythm and it looks, from my side of the net, like that’s difficult for them,” Gershfeld said.
“He does so many things well,” Bulldogs coach Joyce Raikos said. “I love every part of his game.”
Both players prevailed in grueling three-set semifinal matches Friday afternoon. But Gershfeld’s 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Scarsdale’s Jason Shuler required an hour less than it took Grantcharov’s 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) marathon over Mamaroneck’s Max Kalinin.
“Stephan got me into some long rallies that took my breath,” Grantcherov said. “He was really determined and played an outstanding game.”
It was clear that Gershfeld was going to be tough from the outset as he broke Grantcharov’s first three service games in the opening set. He won four games by winning four straight points after trailing 0-15.
Gershfeld broke Grantcherov in the fifth game of the second set for a 3-2 lead right before the test-of-wills sixth game.
“(It was) a tough game just to pull through,” Gershfeld said. “That kind of gave me the edge and my confidence grew with it. I just took off from there.”
He won the USTA National Indoor championship for boys 16-and-under in November but called capturing the state title “one of the biggest deals of my career so far.”
He added: “I really wanted to win here.”
Ward Meville doubles team takes third: The Ward Melville doubles team of senior Aron Bursztyn and freshman Shashank Pennabadi rebounded from their semifinal loss by taking the third-place match against Jason Wei and Matthew Wallis of Chappaqua Horace Greeley, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2.
“We were disappointed to lose in the semis but, in my eyes, it’s still pretty good,” Bursztyn said. “It was a great way to finish my senior season.
Dylan D’Agate and Krithik Madisetty of Half Hollow Hills East lost the consolation draw final in a super tiebreaker to Arjun Pindiprolu and Grant Wang of Williamsville East, 3-6, 6-3, 10-2.
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.
