Oak Park and River Forest High School juniors Alex Dolipschi and Eli Stein won the boys’ tennis doubles championship at the OPRF Sectional, May 18.
“They had to beat two quality teams,” said OPRF coach John Morlidge. “They’ve had kind of an up-and-down season, [but] they have the ability to exceed what they’ve done throughout. They’re starting to prove that now, and they can be really dangerous at state.”
In the team standings, the Huskies finished second with 21 points, just three behind champion Lane Tech.
“Our #2 doubles (Camron Khaledan & Will Neumann) is a quality team and just had some bad luck with the draw,” Morlidge said. “They drew Latin’s #2 team, which was unseeded, and had they played anyone else, they’d have gotten a couple of points. It’s a shame because we would’ve won the sectional and Camron and Will would’ve qualified.”
After an opening-round bye, Dolipschi and Stein blanked Christian Arellano and Maximilliano Cardenas of Proviso East 6-0, 6-0, then defeated Lane’s Alexander Lapins and Sean Meyer 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Dolipschi and Stein prevailed 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 over Latin’s Zuhair Alisikafi and Jake Goldstein. Then in the championship match, they defeated Cheetan Cherukuri and Porter Baginski of Whitney Young 6-4, 7-5.
In singles, OPRF junior Manu Rajagopal advanced downstate with a third-place finish. Following a bye, he blanked Alexander Cuevas of Proviso East 6-0, 6-0, then rolled past Ryan Lee of Jones College Prep 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
Rajagopal lost 4-6, 7-5, 2-6 to Lane’s Marko McRae in the semifinals. But he was awarded victory by default in the third-place match against Marko Nikolic of St. Ignatius.
“Manu took a set off [McRae], who’s the fifth seed at state,” Morlidge said. “He’s had some really strong performances this year; he just has to maintain his focus and stay consistent.
“We’re hoping someone can make it to Saturday,” he added. “That’s the goal, but it’s not easy to make it through Thursday and Friday.”
Fenwick duo advances in 1A
An unexpected doubles pairing at the start of the season is paying dividends for Fenwick, which is back in Class 1A after spending last year in 2A.
At the Hinsdale South Sectional, May 18, seniors Matt Bero and Tom Shishman placed third in doubles to advance to the state tournament. It’s an impressive accomplishment given that last season was the first time Bero had played tennis since he was a kid.
“These two took it upon themselves to become a doubles team and convinced me to let them have a shot at the #1 position,” said Fenwick coach Gerard Sullivan, who will be coaching his final state tournament this week. “Matt is the most improved player on the team. … This year he’s been all business, as has Tommy. They play with an intensity that gets them to the finish line.”
Following a bye in the first round, Bero and Shishman defeated Eddie McNamara and Tucker Gianares of Nazareth Academy 6-3, 6-3. In the semifinals, the duo fell to Rohan Bansal and Ethan Pan of Hinsdale South 2-6, 1-6. But they bounced back in the third-place match, knocking off DePaul Prep’s Hudson Ward and Charlie Hale 6-4, 6-4.
Bero and Shishman’s efforts helped give Fenwick a second-place finish in the team standings with 11 points, eight behind champion Hinsdale South. Sullivan senses the duo can make noise this week.
“Their goal was to just make it to state,” he said. “But now that they’ve tasted that extra win after qualifying, I think they’ll want more.”
The IHSA state tournament takes place May 23-25 at Palatine.
