Tennis: Freedom Upsets Broad Run Boys for Dulles District Title; Valley Beats Stonewall for Cedar Run Title; Dulles Girls Tied at 4-4

(May 17, 2010) - The Freedom High School boys tennis team became the first area team to defeat Broad Run since 2008 as the Eagles upset the previously unbeaten Spartans in the finals of the Dulles District tournament Friday, 5-4.

Freedom wasn't the only team hoisting a championship trophy as Loudoun Valley swept doubles on Saturday against Stonewall Jackson in the continuation on the Cedar Run District title game from Friday to add the crown to their regular season banner.

The surprising Dominion girls continued their strong postseason run by tying regular season champion Loudoun County, 4-4, on Friday before weather postponed until May 19. The Raiders, however, are very close to wrapping up the title as they are up a set, leading 3-0 in the second, in the No. 1 doubles match which remains to be finished.

Dulles District Boys Tennis Final: Freedom 5, Broad Run 4
In the two matches that were pushed to third sets, Freedom responded with strong play to essentially win this match with Eagles' No. 5 David Choi winning 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 and then teaming with Don Tran to take No. 3 doubles 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

The Spartans were 15-0 heading into the match and had gone 15-0 in 2009 while winning the Dulles District regular-season and tournament titles. Freedom improves to 16-2 on the season, with both losses coming to Broad Run, with a team that has no seniors and only two juniors on the 10-man roster.

Freshman Wesley Wong remained undefeated on the season and enters the District tournament as the top seed in singles. Wong and his doubles partner, Alex Cragg, also a freshman who won at No. 2 singles, swept their doubles match at No. 1 against the Spartan duo that won last year's district doubles title.

Dulles District Finals Boys Tennis
Singles
#1 Wesley Wong (F) def. Kevin Chang 6-3, 6-4
#2 Alex Cragg (F) def. Max Kadyrkaev 6-2 6-2
#3 Angus Leung (BR) def Varun Kulkarni 2-6 5-7
#4 Naveen Vaddadi (BR) def Don Tran 2-6 4-6
#5 David Choi (F) def S. Ulkuatam 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
#6 Ryan Ohneiser (BR) def Christian Lanzaro 6-1 6-2

Doubles
#1 Wong/Cragg (F) def Chang/K 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
#2 Leung/ (BR) def Kulkarni/Lanzaro 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
#3 Tran/Choi (F) def L. Creech/Mirpanah 6-4, 4-6, 6-0

Freedom's 2010 Boys Tennis Roster
David Cho, SO
Alex Craig, FR
David Du, SO
Evan Duffy-Ledbetter, SO
Prathamesh Kulkarni, SO
Christian Lanzaro, JR
Tin Nguyen-Phen, FR
Abhishek Sabbe, SO
Don Tran, JR
Wesley Wong, FR

Dulles District Girls Tennis Final: Dominion 4, Loudoun County 4 (Suspended)
Dominion continues its late season surge as the Titans have already clinched a return to the regional playoffs for the second straight season despite losing five seniors to graduation from last year including four starters.

The district title match is tied at 4-4 but the Raiders are poised to win with their No. 1 doubles team up a set and leading 3-0 in the second set. The match is scheduled to resume Wednesday afternoon at County.

The Titans have nine girls on the roster this season including just two seniors: Lindsey Gulla and Lindsey Roberts. There are also four juniors: Hannah Saeger, Anshu Pal, Sidrah Alam, Claire Pan; a sophomore: Kate Gorbach; and two freshmen: Meaghan Fabian, Carolyn DeRoster.

Dominion finished the regular season 10-4 overall and 8-4 in the district.

Seeded 3rd in the district tournament, Dominion beat No. 2 Freedom, 5-4, in the semifinals.

Reports Dominion coach Holly Flynn: "Our No. 1 player is Lindsey Gulla. She came on strong during the second half of the season. Our biggest surprise (has been) freshman Meaghan Fabian, who has won over 25 matches this season in singles and doubles combined."

The Titans roster has been thin as two girls have had injuries that have kept them out for more than a week, leaving the team with just seven to eight players.

"The rest of the team always rises ... that has been the success of this season," comments Flynn.