Terra wins its first state titles in tennis; Riviera Prep secures first doubles title
St. Thomas Aquinas tennis star Isabel Pacheco smashed a winner – and that turned out to be a bad thing.
In fact, that forehand was the final shot of Pacheco’s standout prep career as she fell and injured her right knee on the play, ending her run at the state championships at Altamonte Springs on Wednesday.
“It was terrible,” Aquinas coach Carol Deopsomer said. “It was hard to watch.”
There is no word yet on the severity of the injury.
However, Miami’s Terra Institute was the beneficiary of Pacheco’s injury.
Terra’s Brooke Dugarte and Nicole Giordano won the Class 3A state title in girls’ doubles, beating Pacheco and Bella Tirico, 6-6 (0-3) retired.
“That wasn’t the way we wanted to celebrate,” Giordano said. “We’re friends with (the Aquinas girls).”
Added Dugarte: “At the moment, I wasn’t sure what happened. The point was over, and we heard her scream. We saw she was in a lot of pain, and we were concerned for her well-being.”
This was the first girls’ tennis state title for Terra, which doesn’t even have courts on its campus.
“A win is a win,” Giordano said. “We’ve come a long way, and we’re proud to be state champions.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Pacheco lost in the singles state final, falling 0-6, 6-2, 12-10.
Terra’s boys also won their first-ever state final as Carlos Ramirez prevailed, 6-1, 6-0.
“Carlos played great,” said Terra coach Daniel Gimenez, 27. “He wasn’t missing, and the other kid was a bit tired.”
Gimenez is in his third year as Terra’s coach. He was born in Venezuela, learned tennis in Miami at age eight and played the sport in college at Pennsylvania’s Mercyhurst (Division II).
At Terra, he has quickly turned around the program.
“We put some muscle behind these kids,” Gimenez said. “We added organization and discipline.”
Ramirez, Giordano and Dugarte are all seniors who were at Terra when Gimenez arrived three years ago.
“What a way for those seniors to go out,” Gimenez said. “Next year will be a rebuilding season.
“We’ve had the same core for three years, and it feels great to have state champions. I couldn’t be prouder.”
MORE FIRSTS
Wednesday night also marked a first in Rivera Prep history.
The doubles duo of eighth-grader Sasha Kilgour and junior Milagros Lardiez won the Class 1A girls’ state title, beating Community School’s Lily Dounchis and Sophia Min, 6-1, 1-6, 10-5.
It was the first doubles state title in Riviera Prep history, but it was in jeopardy after Kilgour and Lardiez slumped in the second set.
“We had scouted (Community School), and we drew up five tactics that our girls used in the first set,” Riviera Prep coach Jane Forman said. “Our girls were on point.
“In the second set, we lost a couple of close games. Our girls got annoyed and went away from the tactics.
“We then had three minutes before the start of the tiebreaker. We had an emotional conversation. We told our girls, ‘You are the smartest and most talented girls on this court. Play fearless. Play to win.’
“They did that, and we’re thrilled.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Riviera Prep’s doubles duo of eighth-grader Sasha Kilgour and junior Milagros Lardiez won the Class 1A girls’ state title, beating Community School’s Lily Dounchis and Sophia Min, 6-1, 1-6, 10-5.
▪ In the Class 4A boys’ tournament, Palmetto beat Spruce Creek, 5-0. Palmetto on Thursday will play Cypress Bay, which defeated Sanford Seminole, 4-0.
▪ In the 4A girls’ tournament, Doral Academy beat Creekside, 4-0. Doral on Thursday will play Stoneman Douglas, which beat Lake Mary, 4-3, on Wednesday.
▪ In 2A boys, Pine Crest defeated Jacksonville Bolles, 5-0. Pine Crest advanced to Thursday’s semifinals against Miami’s MAST, which beat Bay 6-0.
▪ In 2A girls, Gulliver defeated South Walton, 6-0. Gulliver will play Pine Crest in Thursday’s semifinals. Pine Crest on Wednesday defeated Jacksonville Bolles, 4-2.
▪ In the 1A singles final, True North’s Dylan Chang lost, 6-4, 4-6, 10-7, to St. Stephen’s Chase Healy.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 5:43 PM.