CM’s Lindsay takes second in state tennis while Lewisburg’s Monaco falls in semis
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Central Mountain junior David Lindsay came up just shy of winning a repeat state medal in the boys tennis Class AAA tournament in Hershey over the weekend.
Lindsay lost in the finals to Council Rock South’s Mikkel Zinder, a senior. The two were familiar with one another, as Lindsay plays him on the USTA circuit.
Both players had a difficult time holding serve and Zinder took the first set, 6-3. Lindsay made adjustments at the break and in the second set went ahead 5-0 before winning 6-1 to force a third set.
In the third set, both players gave it their all. Lindsay opened with a 1-0 lead before Zinder tied it 1-1. Zinder would take the set to 6-6. In the tiebreaker, Lindsay led early 2-1 and Zinder then made it a 3-2 lead. Zinder won the following two points to go ahead, 5-2.
Lindsay trailed 6-2 before a brief rally to make it a 6-5 deficit, but Zinder would hit a drop shot to secure the win in a three-set marathon thriller 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (5).
The final lasted 2 hours, 35 minutes.
“David’s PIAA medal was not what he was looking for. But David played his guts and heart out. I am proud of the work he has put into making it on the podium. He represented himself, his family, and Central Mountain very well,” Central Mountain coach Jeff Brinker said. “This is a very tough tournament to get to, let alone to win much like the PIAA wrestling championship. Congratulations.”
In the semifinals, Lindsay defeated Hempfield’s Cooper Lehman 6-2, 6-1.
Lindsay opened the Class AAA tournament with a 6-7 (8), 6-0, 6-1 win over Council Rock South’s Alexander Sterin before then defeating Red Lion’s Cooper Wheeler in the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-0.
In Class AA action, Lewisburg’s Eddie Monaco IV advanced to the quarterfinals in the singles tournament in Hershey, but fell to Sewickley Academy’s Severin Harmon in a nearly three-hour match 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
“Eddie had an impressive run at the singles state Tournament. His first-round match showcased his readiness and desire to play tennis against some of the best competition the state can offer. He soundly beat his first opponent and garnered the fuel to face off his next opponent later that day,” Lewisburg coach Evan Lepovetsky said.
Monaco
That first-round match was a 6-1, 6-0 win over Juniata’s Xane Whitesel to move onto the afternoon quarterfinals on Friday.
“He finished the longest match of the tournament (nearly 3 hours) trying to snag the opportunity to play in the semifinals and came up just short. As his coach, I witnessed the culmination of his tennis fundamentals paired with his stamina and mental toughness be on full display against his opponent,” Lepovetsky said. “I couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishments, including his success during the regular season, district competitions, and at the state tournament.
“He now looks forward to preparing for next season, and as his coach, will do everything in my ability to help him achieve his goals,” Lepovetsky said.