Tennis season preview: Doral Academy and Palmetto earning national attention

Miami is home to two of the top-10 high school boys’ tennis teams in the nation, and they are both on a collision course in Class 4A.

According to Universal Tennis Ratings, Doral Academy is No. 2 and Palmetto is No. 10.

No other Florida team is ranked in the top 10.

Last year, Doral finished 16-1 and won the Class 4A title, eliminating Palmetto in the regional finals.

Doral graduated top seniors Ezequiel De La Plaza (who signed with Holy Cross) and Carlos Grimaldi (University of St. Mary).

But the Firebirds return junior Gabriel Cottone, who made first-team All-Dade last year, going 20-3. Sophomore Andres Matos, who clinched last year’s state title, is also back.

In addition, Doral added Samuel Rosales, Juan Benito and Miguel Angarita.

Doral is coached by Justin Puppo, who has led the Firebirds program to six state titles since 2018 – that’s four in the girls’ tournament and two for the boys.

“This year’s boys’ team has big shoes to fill,” Puppo said. “But our players are hungry to continue last year’s success.”

Meanwhile, Palmetto – which went 15-1 – will be led by No. 1 singles player Stefan Correa.

Fellow senior Mike Larionov, who plays No. 2 singles, has signed to play for Carnegie Mellon.

The rest of the lineup includes sophomores Beau Gibson and Ben Montana; and junior Paul Sasso.

“All five of those kids are top-level USTA players,” Palmetto coach Kelly Gibson said. “This a tight group. They have been playing together for the past four years, in and out of school competitions.”

Gibson has led the Panthers program to five team state titles – three for boys and two for girls.

Speaking of girls’ tennis, St. Thomas Aquinas (3A) and True North (1A) are reigning champions from Dade/Broward.

Aquinas, which has won three straight state titles, returns its top players from last year: sophomores Gabriella Alonso and Rowan Cicero and seniors Sophia Pacheco, Samantha Meyer and Lisi Sinkoe.

“Our girls have gotten even stronger since last year,” Aquinas coach Carol Deopsomer said. “They’ve been training hard all summer.”

True North returns senior Daniella Chica, a Rice University commit, and senior Alba Martinez, an Air Force commit, at the top of its lineup. Sophomore Isabella Porto joins the Titans after transferring from MAST Academy. Freshmen Luciana Chica and Catalina Chow, whom each went unbeaten last season, round out the projected starting five.

“We want to take on the hardest competition out there and see just how good we can be,” True North coach Andre Chow said. “With a strong core and some key new additions, we’re ready to defend our title and raise the bar once again.”

In addition to Aquinas and True North, Palmetto should be exceptional in 4A with standout senior Madeleine Chellas and stellar sophomore Camille Chellas, who is her sister. Senior Sophia Jarauta is another player to watch.

MORE BOYS’ TENNIS

▪ True North returns an experienced squad led by seniors Caleb Chow and Gabriel Valdes.

▪ Cypress Bay (9-0) graduated four seniors from last year’s team, which finished second at state. Pablo Alunni-Cobo, who went 12-0 as a junior last year, is ready to assume a leadership role. Senior Rolando Terrellas is new to the team, and junior Sebastian Elias returns.

▪ Gulliver (10-5-1) returns nine players from the Raiders team that won their district in 2024. In addition, top player Tomas Orrego, a sophomore, returns after missing all of last season due to injury. Junior Maximo Lopina is on the rise, and sophomore Alexander Zelenov is “Mr. Consistent.” This is a deep team.

▪ Pine Crest won a district title last year and lost to Delray American Heritage in the regional finals. However, Pine Crest’s duo of Koray Abramson and Ashwin Chawla won a state title in doubles. Abramson will be a sophomore this year, and he also plays No. 1 singles. Freshman Jose Vasquez is next in the lineup, followed by Chawla, who is now a senior.

▪ Coral Gables (10-4) will be led by senior Max Kauffmann and junior Marco Borges.

▪ Riviera Prep is led by seventh-graders Alex Arias and Victor Escobedo, both of whom are considered rising stars. Junior Federico Navarro is also in the mix.

▪ North Broward Prep returns defending individual state champion Max Freedman, a sophomore, and will also be led by sophomore Jakob Stein.

▪ St. Thomas Aquinas is led by junior Conor Reeser and seniors Lucca Freitas and Caio Lira. There also seven emerging freshmen on the squad, led by No. 4 singles player Anthony Nikolov. Junior Philip Paun also returns.

▪ American Heritage is coming off a regional finalist finish and will be led by senior Greg Chapman, eighth-grader Motan Qian and senior Tim Kong.

▪ Westminster Academy is led by sophomore Jonny Aguiar and seventh-grader Leo Aguiar.

▪ Miami Country Day is led by sophomores Lorenzo Lopez, Lucas Bacardi Shriftman and Niko Skokna.

MORE GIRLS’ TENNIS

▪ Cypress Bay went 8-2 last year, losing in the regional finals. Led by seniors Laila Wassef and Ashlyn Gao, Cypress Bay is seeking its third straight district title. Sophomore Laura Wassef is the team’s No. 2 singles player, behind her sister.

▪ Riviera Prep lost 4-3 in the regional finals to last year’s state champs, True North. This year, Riviera Prep will be led by junior Sasha Kilgour; sophomore Leyla Kilgour; senior Maria De La O; and junior Isabella Paradisi.

▪ Pine Crest, which lost in the regional semifinals last season, is led by standout senior Bridget Chalich, who spent the past two years playing tournament tennis as opposed to high school. Freshmen Sophia Ead, Gia Cacenco and Harper Frank are all emerging players. Junior Brynn Edwards is also in the mix.

▪ Gulliver went 12-6 last season, finishing as regional runners-up. This season, the Raiders are led by freshman Valentina Donoso, eighth-grader Siena Ringel and sophomore Hanna Matuk.

▪ Carrollton will be led by seniors Lara Mangones and Sofia Moya.

▪ Lourdes will be led by junior Paloma Diaz and sophomores Angelina Codeso, Regina Arrangoiz and Grace Leon.

▪ American Heritage is coming off a regional finalist finish, and will be led by senior Tina Liu and juniors Emily Huang and Angelina Lin.

▪ Miami Country Day is led by senior Gabrielle Bassette, a district runner-up last year, as well as juniors Natalia Marquez and Rebecca Apfelbaum and sophomore Cayenne Petit.

▪ Westminster Academy is led by eighth-grader Lexie Bursa and junior Lilly Aguiar.

▪ North Broward Prep is led by senior Sasha Stein.

This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 10:00 AM.