Zia Mukherjee sets tone as Syosset girls tennis wins Long Island large school team championship
Zia Mukherjee of Syosset returns in a match against Christina Zhao of Half Hollow Hills East during the Long Island large school girls tennis championship at Hofstra on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. Credit: Errol Anderson
The Syosset girls tennis team had been perfect all fall, and it did not plan on stopping once it reached Long Island’s biggest stage.
Led by junior Zia Mukherjee, who beat Christina Zhao at first singles, 6-0, 6-1, Nassau champion Syosset won each of its seven matches against Suffolk champion Half Hollow Hills East Thursday at Hofstra to secure its first Long Island large schools championship since 2021.
“[I’m] super proud of the team,” Syosset coach Shai Fisher said. “They’ve worked extremely hard the entire year, and they deserve it. They’ve really come through every time so far.”
Syosset (18-0) will meet Bethlehem in Friday’s 11 a.m. state semifinal at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing. With the finals set for 3 p.m. Friday, Syosset will have to win three matches in just over 24 hours to secure the state crown.
“There’s both physical and mental struggles with that,” Mukherjee said. “But I think sticking together as a team will definitely help us through it.”
Hills East finished its season 16-2.
Mukherjee is one of six Syosset starting upperclassmen. Sophomore Stephanie Marcheret won at second singles, 6-3, 7-6 (2), and sophomore Elaine Liu won at third singles, 6-2, 6-1.
Manami Wakazono and Sanam Mehta won at first doubles, 6-4, 6-1, Diya Varma and Julia Isham won at second doubles, 6-1, 6-1, Taylor Weinstock and Selena Wang won at third doubles, 6-2, 6-2, and Ava Weinstock and Manasi Pradhan won at fourth doubles, 6-0, 4-6, 10-2.
“We have amazing depth, all the way up and down the lineup,” Fisher said.
The Long Island championship match was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but back-to-back postponements set the stage for Thursday, the last possible day to play without interrupting the state championship schedule. Syosset will be the No. 2 seed in the state tournament that also features No. 1 Scarsdale, No. 3 Bethlehem and No. 4 Williamsville East.
Syosset, which finished as the state runner-up in 2021, seeks its first state title Friday.
“I think we just all work really well together,” Mukherjee said. “We’re a young team and I think that just brings us closer together and we’ve bonded so much.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
