Riviera Prep’s Kilgours win state tennis title. Plus Miami Country Day, True North and more
Tennis standouts the Kilgour sisters (Sasha and Leyla) of Riviera Prep are state champions in Class 1A at No.1 girls’ doubles.
The talented tandem defeated Sophia Osipova and Isabella Gonzalez from team state champion Boca Raton St. Andrew’s 6-4, 6-1 in the individual overall finals during the FHSAA Tennis State Championships in Central Florida.
Dominant, the Kilgours won every set while winning four consecutive matches to capture that state title.
They won three matches, going 3-0, to advance to those overall state finals. They beat Adelina Driscoll and Katelin Ossi of Gainesville PK Young 6-1, 6-0; Sophia Goranovic and Laila Plummer of Melbourne West Shore 6-2, 6-3; and Noor El Sawy and Shelby Fulse of Tampa Brooks DeBartolo 6-0, 6-0 en route to the overall finals.
This marks the second doubles state title for Sasha, first with her sister. Sasha is a senior, and Leyla a junior.
Riviera Prep tennis coach Mark Elman said: “[Friday] represented the ideal combination of longevity and camaraderie. Sasha is the most decorated player in school tennis history. She has played seven years of varsity tennis and represented the sport to the highest degree.
“It was a great thrill for her to win the state doubles championship in 2022 as an eighth grader, but it is particularly special to close out her career by winning against perhaps the top doubles team in the state St Andrew’s, and doing so with her best friend and sister, Leyla. This was also Leyla‘s first time in the state doubles championships; so it was a milestone for her as well. Truly, the ideal combination of many years of dedication to the sport and the team.”
Sasha will be attending UC Berkeley. Leyla will be competing in various national and international junior tournaments.
MCD medalist
Individually, Lorenzo Lopez of Miami Country Day was a state runner-up at No.1 boys’ singles in 1A.
Lopez, a junior, defeated Krish Patel of Tallahassee Maclay 6-0, 6-1; Jirad Abdul of Cocoa Beach 3-6, 6-3, (10-7); and David Ward of Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian 6-4, 6-3 to reach the overall finals, where he was defeated by Rafael Bote of team state champion Boca Raton St. Andrew’s.
Lopez also qualified for state at No.1 boys’ doubles with Lucas Bacardi. They went 2-0 to reach the individual finals, where they were defeated by Daniel Ospina and Edward Roake of Community School of Naples 7-5, 6-2.
More local 1A results
Westminster Christian’s Gabriel Delgado and Jose Padron went 1-1 at No.1 boys’ doubles, concluding their season in the individual state semifinals against Ospina and Roake. Lexie Burga and Alexandra Siegel of Westminster Academy also reached the state semifinals at No.1 girls’ doubles.
Martina Roversi of Divine Savior was an individual semifinalist at No.1 girls’ singles.
The defending state champion True North boys’ and girls’ tennis teams were runners-up at state in Class 1A, after Boca Raton St. Andrew’s edged each by identical 4-3 scores.
In the boys’ semifinals, the Titans beat Winter Park Trinity Prep 6-0, while St. Andrew’s bested Osprey Pine View 4-0 to set-up a rematch of last year’s state final.
In the quarterfinals, True North defeated Gainesville PK Young 5-0, and St. Andrew’s eliminated Pensacola Catholic 5-0.
In the girls’ division, True North, the three-time defending state champ, beat Community School of Naples and North Palm Beach Benjamin to reach the finals.
Class 3A
In the boys’ quarterfinals, Wesley Chapel Wiregrass Ranch defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 5-1. In the girls’ quarterfinals, Orlando Cypress Creek beat Lourdes 4-1.
State individual finalist Jessica McLean of Archbishop McCarthy went 2-1, including a win over Isabella Giordano of TERRA.
Julian and Sebastian Vinals of Belen Jesuit reached the semifinals in No.1 boys’ doubles.
Team state champs
4A: Boys’ Champ Doral Academy; Girls’ Champ Lake Nona
3A: Boys’ Champ Wesley Chapel Wiregrass Ranch; Girls’ Champ Nease
2A: Boys’ Champ Delray American Heritage; Girls’ Champ Delray American Heritage
1A: Boys’ Champ Boca Raton St. Andrew’s; Girls’ Champ Boca Raton St. Andrew’s
NOTE: 2A and 4A results ran in my prior column.
The FHSAA Tennis State Championships were in (Central Florida) Seminole County with Sanlando Park, Red Bug Lake Park and Sylvan Lake Park the host sites. Thanks to the FHSAA, USTA Florida and local coaches for updates.
Send sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have varsity sports results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. You will be alerted when it will appear. Also, some will be considered athlete of the week nominations.
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Compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
