Doral’s Seidle-Lubowitz wins Bobby Curtis state tennis title. Plus more results, academic honors
After completing a very successful high school tennis season for Doral Academy, Payton Seidle-Lubowitz continued her stellar efforts by winning a prestigious Bobby Curtis Junior State Championship at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona near Orlando.
The Bobby Curtis Junior State Championships is USTA Florida’s most prestigious junior tournament, drawing more than 100 athletes in age groups 16s and 18s (girls and boys). They also have 12s and 14s divisions.
Seidle-Lubowitz, who lives in Weston, won the title in girls’ 16s.
Seeded second, she edged Melanie Constandache of Coconut Creek 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, [10-5 tiebreaker] in the finals. Last year, Constandache won the title in girls’ 14s, while Seidle-Lubowitz was fifth in girls’ 16s.
Trailing 5-1 in the 2026 finals, Constandache rallied to win the first set 7-6. Seidle-Lubowitz regrouped to take the second set 6-3, forcing a tiebreaker, which she won 10-5.
,%20Melanie%20Constandache%20(Right)%20June%202026.png "Tennis Bobby Curtis G 16s Payton Seidle-Lubowitz (Left), Melanie Constandache (Right) June 2026.png")
Seidle-Lubowitz defeated Violeta Pisarczyk of Sunrise 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. She came-from-behind to beat sixth-seeded Natalie Thelemaque of Delray Beach 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), [11-9 tiebreaker] in a tough semifinal.
Constandache, who does not play high school tennis, defeated 13th-seeded Victoria Alekseykina of Tampa 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and 15th-seeded Luciana Plasencia Robles of Boca Raton 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals.
In high school tennis, Seidle-Lubowitz won two medals at the 2026 FHSAA State Tennis Championships. She placed second overall at No.1 singles and No.1 doubles in Class 4A en route to being named Miami Herald All-Dade Girls’ High School Tennis Player of the Year.
She will be a junior in the fall at Doral Academy.
Results: Championship: Payton Seidle-Lubowitz (Weston) d. Melanie Constandache (Coconut Creek) 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, [10-5 tiebreaker].
Third/Fourth Place: Luciana Plasencia Robles (Boca Raton) d. Natalie Thelemaque (Delray Beach) walkover (injury).
Fifth/Sixth Place: Victoria Alekseykina (Tampa) d. Charlie Llewellyn (Tarpon Springs) 6-2, 6-1.
Consolation Final: Saraswati Gowda (Oakland Park) d. Katie Mann (Port St. Lucie) 6-0, 7-5.
In girls’ 18s, top-seeded Katerina Shabashkevich of Boca Raton defeated 15th-seeded Catherin Cardona-Carballosa of Miami 7-5, 6-1 in the finals.
,%20Catherin%20Cardona-Carballosa%20(Right)%20June%202026.png "Tennis Bobby Curtis G 18s Katerina Shabashkevich (Left), Catherin Cardona-Carballosa (Right) June 2026.png")
Cardona-Carballosa beat ninth-seeded Abigail Gordon of Boca Raton in the quarterfinals as Gordon was forced to retire with an injury while Cardona-Carballosa led 4-1. She then defeated fourth-seeded Charlotte Ballarin of Boca Raton 6-0, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Cardona-Carballosa is a 2025 Miami Herald All-Dade High School Tennis first team selection, after placing second overall at the FHSAA state championships at No.1 singles and helping lead Palmetto High School to the girls’ team state title. She currently plays tennis for NCAA Division I Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
Shabashkevich, who did not play high school tennis, will compete in college next season for NCAA Division I Stanford University in Northern California.
Results: Championship: Katerina Shabashkevich (Boca Raton) d. Catherin Cardona-Carballosa (Miami) 7-5, 6-1.
Third/Fourth Place: Chukwunoneeru Smarty (Oneco) d. Charlotte Ballarin (Boca Raton) 2-6, 6-0, [12-10 tiebreaker].
Fifth/Sixth Place: Vanessa Kruse (St. Augustine) d. Audrey Dussault (Kissimmee) 6-3, 6-2.
Consolation Final: Melissa Paniagua Gasser (Lake Worth) d. Emma Prose (Wellington) 2-6, 6-1, [11-9 tiebreaker].
More Bobby Curtis tennis results
In boys’ 16s, second-seeded Jose Vasquez of Boca Raton edged top-seeded Paul Bower of Coral Springs in the finals 6-4, 1-6, [13-11 tiebreaker].
,%20Paul%20Bower%20(Right)%20June%202026.png "Tennis Bobby Curtis B 16s Jose Vasquez (Left), Paul Bower (Right) June 2026.png")
Vasquez, a Miami Herald All-Broward second team high school selection who competes for Pine Crest, won 6-2, 6-2 over Krish Ferwani of Orlando in the quarterfinals and later defeated 16th-seeded Elias Harris of Pembroke Pines 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals.
Bower, who does not play high school tennis, beat Rex Kulman of Fort Lauderdale 6-2, 6-0 in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Santiago Salazar of Miami Shores 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals to set-up a much anticipated No.1 versus No.2 showdown in the finals.
Vasquez will be a junior in the fall at Pine Crest.
Results: Championship: Jose Vasquez (Boca Raton) d. Paul Bower (Coral Springs) 6-4, 1-6, [13-11 tiebreaker].
Third/Fourth Place: Santiago Salazar (Miami Shores) d. Elias Harris (Pembroke Pines) 6-3, 6-3.
Fifth/Sixth Place: Krish Ferwani (Orlando) d. Luke Jones (Port St. Lucie) 7-5, 6-2.
Consolation Final: Viraaj Narang (Orlando) d. Krish Advani (Bradenton) 6-4, 6-4.
Dhakshish Aryan of Parkland won his second consecutive Bobby Curtis title. Last season he won in boys’ 16s and this season in boys’ 18s.
Aryan, who does not compete in high school tennis, came-from-behind to defeat Max Freedman of Boca Raton 2-6, 6-1, [10-4 tiebreaker] in the boys’ 18s finals. Freedman is a former FHSAA state champion for North Broward Prep.
,%20Max%20Freedman%20(Right)%20June%202026.png "Tennis Boys 18s Dhakshish Aryan (Left), Max Freedman (Right) June 2026.png")
Aryan won 6-3, 7-5 over 12th-seeded Mikaeel Alibaig of Wesley Chapel in the quarterfinals and then beat third-seeded Ivan Rybak of Palm Coast 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.
Freedman defeated second-seeded Matthew Shapiro of Boca Raton 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and sixth-seeded Aiden Phoebus of Orlando 5-7, 7-6 (12-10), [10-6 tiebreaker] in the semifinals.
Results: Championship: Dhakshish Aryan (Parkland) d. Max Freedman (Boca Raton) 2-6, 6-1, [10-4 tiebreaker].
Third/Fourth Place: Ivan Rybak (Palm Coast) d. Aiden Phoebus (Orlando) 1-6, 6-4, [10-8 tiebreaker].
Fifth/Sixth Place: Mikaeel Alibaig (Wesley Chapel) d. Matthew Shapiro (Boca Raton) 7-6, 6-0.
Consolation Final: Enzo Carvalho (Boca Raton) d. Daven Aga (Boca Raton) walkover (injury).
Other Bobby Curtis junior state champions and runners-up:
Finals: Boys’ 12s: Caique Cavalcanti (Doral) d. Noah Lee (Orlando) 6-2, 6-1.
Finals: Girls’ 12s: Ava Coy (Dunedin) d. Sarah Lee (Boca Raton) 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), [10-6 tiebreaker].
Finals: Boys’ 14s: Selwyn Olufemi-Owoeye (Boca Raton) d. John Pollock (Pinecrest) 6-1, 6-2.
Finals: Girls’ 14s: Emma Goth (Boca Raton) d. Vasiana Christopoulos (Tampa) 6-2, 6-1.
About Bobby Curtis
Bobby Curtis (1928–2021) was a legendary figure widely known as the “Father of Florida Junior Tennis.” He was the first official employee of USTA Florida and spent decades as a grassroots organizer, youth mentor and advocate, who helped build the organization and grow the sport throughout the state.
Academic honors
Barry University in Miami Shores placed four student athletes on the NCAA Division II At-Large Academic All-District team with two of them being graduates of Miami high schools.
They are men’s volleyball player Jeremy Ferreira and men’s golfer Daniel Vanososte.
Ferreira, a junior middle hitter from Miami, carries a 3.56 GPA in advertising & public relations. He earned Second-Team All-IVA, averaging 1.2 kills per set and hitting .360. He was sixth in the league in blocks per set with 0.91 and was tied for the team lead with 73 total blocks. He is a graduate of TERRA.
Vanososte, a sophomore from Caracas, Venezuela, has compiled a 3.513 GPA in finance. He played 30 rounds this year, posting a 72.9 stroke average. His best finish was 11th at the Copperhead Championship, finished at +2. He finished one stroke over at both the First Federal Southeastern Collegiate and at the NCAA Regional. He is a graduate of Divine Savior Academy.
The 2025-26 Academic All-District At-Large teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in competitions and in the classroom.
The CSC Academic All-District teams require players to maintain at least a 3.5 GPA as both an undergraduate and graduate student, as well as meet minimum standards for competition. Eligible nominees must compete in 90 percent of the institution’s matches played or must start in at least 66 percent of the institution’s matches. Liberos, although not counted in stats as a starter, may be counted as such for nominating purposes.
Academic All-District honorees are considered for advancement to the NCAA Division II CSC Academic All-America ballot.
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Compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
