Sagemont repeats at state tennis; Jaworski, Culbertson win singles
Sagemont knew it had already cleared its biggest obstacle.
So the Lions weren’t about to let any upset-minded opponent ruin their chance at a repeat Thursday.
Sagemont did not drop a single set on its way to victories over Pensacola Catholic and Port St. Lucie Morningside that clinched the Lions’ second consecutive state title and fourth since 2011.
The doubles teams of Christopher Tasker and Luis Marcano at No. 1 and Austin Debruyne and Ignacio Martinez at No. 2 set the tone in each match sweep. Debruyne and Martinez sealed the championship win over Pensacola Catholic with singles victories. Martinez, Tasker and Marcano won their singles matches to secure the semifinal win over Morningside.
MAKING HISTORY
Mourning junior Tom Jaworski won the Class 3A individual singles championship with a 6-3, 0-6, 12-10 victory over St. Johns Bartram Trail’s Martin Gutierrez.
After bouncing back from a dismal second set, Jaworski staved off two match points to score the victory in a tight third set. It was the first individual singles title in Sharks history.
Jaworski was denied a doubles title as he and Santiago Uribe were beaten in the semifinal round by Belen Jesuit’s team of Carlos Grande and Daniel Martinez, 6-4, 7-5.
Grande and Martinez, the No. 2 seeds in the bracket, reached the finals with the win but could not beat Fort Myers’ top-seeded team of John Carlin and Luka Ilic, who won the state title 6-4, 6-4.
Senior and University of Miami signee Sara Culbertson also made history for her school.
Culbertson won the Class 1A individual girls’ singles championship, a first for Riviera Prep, with a dominant performance.
Culbertson didn’t lose more than two service games in either of her two victories Thursday. After beating Citrus Park Christian’s Olivia Jablonski 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals, Culbertson swept Sarasota Out-of-Door Academy’s Mbalia Bangoura 6-1, 6-1 to win the title.
Culbertson could have a chance to add more to the trophy case Friday when she and doubles partner Nicole Katzarkov play for the 1A individual doubles title. Culbertson and Katzarkov beat Elizabeth Nowak and Frances Taylor of Pensacola Catholic 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinal round.
RESULTS
Class 1A boys’ team championship – Sagemont 4, Pensacola Catholic 0 – No. 1 doubles: Luis Marcano/Christopher Tasker (S) d. Jacob Baehr/Daniell Sullivan (PC) 6-4, 6-2; No. 2: Austin Debruyne/Ignacio Martinez (S) d. Kyler Frahm/Reed Taylor (PC) 6-1, 6-2; No. 3 singles: Martinez (S) d. Taylor (PC) 6-0, 6-1; No. 5: Marcano (S) d. Matthew Aliss (PC) 6-1, 6-0.
Class 1A boys’ team semifinals – Sagemont 5, Morningside 0 – No. 1 doubles: Luis Marcano/Christopher Tasker (S) d. Tommaso Bagon/Zen Yoshida (M) 7-5, 6-3; No. 2: Austin Debruyne/Ignacio Martinez (S) d. Ernesto Balderrama/Alexandre Flouvat (M) 6-1, 6-0; No. 1 singles: Tasker (S) d. Bagon (M) 6-1, 6-0; No. 3: Martinez (S) d. Balderrama (M) 6-1, 6-0; No. 5: Marcano (S) d. Andrew Unruh (M) 6-1, 6-0.
Class 1A boys’ individual singles – Semifinal: Peter Litsky (Shorecrest Prep) d. Jorge Cervantes (Chaminade) 6-2, 6-2; Doubles’ semifinals: Connor Cedro/Ivan von Greiff (Berkeley Prep) d. Cervantes/Gianluca Stever (Chaminade) 7-5, 6-3; Quarterfinal: Cervantes/Stever (Cham) d. Quinn Fender/Dylan Green (Oxbridge) 6-4, 6-3; Girls’ individual singles – Final: Sara Culbertson (Riviera Prep) d. Mbalia Bangoura (Out of Door) 6-1, 6-1; Semifinals: Culbertson (RP) d. Olivia Jablonski (Citrus Park Christian) 6-2, 6-2; Bangoura (Out of Door) d. Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Westminster Academy) 6-3, 6-4; Doubles –Semifinals: Culbertson/Katzarkov (RP) d. Elizabeth Nowak/Frances Taylor (Pensacola Catholic) 6-0, 6-1; Quarterfinals: Samantha DiMaio/Lindsey Greenwood (Trinity Prep) d. Middlebrooks/Cayla Coningsby (WA) 7-5, 6-2; Round of 16: Coningsby/Middlebrooks (WA) d. Daniela Ifju/Marcela Ifju (PK Yonge) 2-6, 6-2, 10-7.
Class 3A boys’ individual singles – Final: Tom Jaworski (Mourning) d. Martin Gutierrez (Bartram Trail) 6-3, 0-6, 12-10; Semifinal: Jaworski d. Albert Go (Merritt Island) 6-3, 6-4; Doubles – Final: John Carlin/Luka Ilic (Fort Myers) d. Carlos Grande/Daniel Martinez (Belen) 6-4, 6-4; Semifinal: Grande/Martinez (Belen) d. Jaworski/Santiago Uribe (Mourning), 6-4, 7-5; Girls’ individual singles – Semifinal: Alexandra Belaya (Viera) d. Bin Zheng (ATM) 6-2, 6-3.
This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Sagemont repeats at state tennis; Jaworski, Culbertson win singles."