At the IHSA Class 1A state boys’ tennis tournament hosted by Palatine, May 29-31, Fenwick freshman Michael Doherty made a lasting impression with five consecutive victories.
“Michael played very well,” said Fenwick coach Ron Rogala. “He showed a lot of growth and maturity, and it will serve him well going forward.”
After losing in the first round 0-6, 1-6 to Samay Patel of Grayslake Central, Doherty went on an extensive run in the consolation bracket. He defeated Varun Viges of Payton Prep 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; Hunter Poole of Metamora 6-0, 6-0; Swapnil Kumar of Urbana U-High 7-5, 6-3; Hunter Madigan of Champaign St. Thomas More 6-4, 2-6, 10-5; and Patrick Nobbe of Waterloo 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) to reach the consolation quarterfinals.
Doherty trailed Hudson Tseng of Timothy Christian 0-3 in the first set when he retired due to a leg injury.
‘He was concerned going into that match (with Tseng),” Rogala said. “He did the very best he could, but the pain was too much to continue on.”
Doherty was Fenwick’s sole participant in the state finals, and his five points gave the Friars a tie for 26th place in the 1A standings.
“There was a great deal of growth and improvement this season,” Rogala said. “It was a wonderful experience.”
In Class 2A, Oak Park and River Forest High School finished tied for 16th place with seven points as both of its’ qualifying doubles teams scored points.
Seniors Alex Dolipschi and Eli Stein won their first two matches of the championship bracket: 6-1, 6-2 over Aaron and Tyler Masoncup of Geneva, and 6-3, 6-2 over Casey Fenner and Brennan Plunkett of New Trier. In the third round, they lost 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (5-7) to Austin Wu and Maximus Rysz of Conant and went to the consolation bracket.
Oak Park and River Forest’s Alex Dolipschi plays number one doubles alongside Eli Stein against Lyons Township during a West Suburban Conference match Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal) 
Oak Park and River Forest’s Eli Stein plays number one doubles alongside Alex Dolipschi against Lyons Township during a West Suburban Conference match Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal) 
Oak Park and River Forest’s Alek Rekucki plays number two singles against Lyons Township during a West Suburban Conference match Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal) 
Oak Park and River Forest’s Manu Rajagopal plays number one singles against Lyons Township during a West Suburban Conference match Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal) 
Oak Park and River Forest’s Alex Dolipschi plays number one doubles alongside Eli Stein against Lyons Township during a West Suburban Conference match Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Western Springs, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal)
“Alex and Eli were up 5-3 in the third set tiebreaker,” said OPRF coach John Morlidge. “But they lost really tough points, and it was a heartbreaker.”
Dolipschi and Stein defeated Avar Anand and Shian Mittal of Barrington 6-2, 6-1, but then lost to Ian Williams and Akshay Maram of Stevenson 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, and 3-10 in the fifth round, just missing the consolation quarterfinals.
“I feel bad for Eli and Alex; they’ve been my top two kids the last three years,” Morlidge said. “Their last match was a tough one to go out on unfortunately.”
Freshman Alek Rekucki and sophomore Nicholas Vizzone were OPRF’s other doubles qualifier. The duo lost in the first round to eventual champions Chris Ackerman and Jayden Dussias of New Trier 4-6, 2-6, but won their first two matches in the consolation bracket: 6-3, 6-0 over Jackson Albee and Rohan Nagale of Lyons Township, and 6-3, 6-4 over Normal Community’s Akshaj Paleti and Will Rinkenberger. In the next round, Rekucki and Vizzone lost 3-6, 6-1, 8-10 to Andy Yu and Jayden Chiou of Neuqua Valley.
“I think Alek and Nicholas played well,” Morlidge said. “They showed how good they can be, and overall it was a success for them.
“The season as a whole was fantastic,” he added. “We had a really tight-knit team and won all our matches except for Hinsdale Central and New Trier. It was fun.”