No. 1 seed Memije ready for new result
He was No. 1 seed last year, but was upset in quarters
A year ago Adam Memije was the top seed in the WPIAL Class 3A singles tournament, but as a firsttime player in the field, he had never experienced what it was like to make a run through the draw.
It’s not surprising. Not many sophomores make can win the championship in the highest classification, no matter how highly they are ranked.
Memije found that out the hard way. After cruising through the first round, he was upset in the quarterfinals by North Allegheny’s Manas Kathir, 10-6, in a proset format match.
This year, however, Mernije, a Gateway High School junior, has a better game plan heading into the tournament, which is set to open Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Bethel Park, with the finals and consolation rounds set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. at North Allegheny. He is once again the No. 1 seed and will open with Fox Chapel junior Charlie Larsen.
“Last year I wasn’t prepared because my body wasn’t prepared,” Memije said. “This year I’m going to be more hydrated and prepare my body as best as can be so I’m more prepared for these matches.”
Memije is the No. 6 ranked junior in the state according to tennisrecruiting.net. Although he didn’t have any experience with WPIAL tennis prior to last year, he racked up a ton as he teamed with fellow junior Zidaan Hassan to win the WPIAL doubles title and helped the Gators to their first team title in 35 years.
This time around, Memije is hoping to become the third Gators singles player to win the title and first since Jason Mayer in 1997.
“I feel like I’ve improved a lot,” Memije said. “My balls are more consistent, I hit harder and, with the year of training, I feel more ready.”
Memije may be the favorite, but if he makes it through to the finals, he will find a challenge from whoever comes out of the bottom of the bracket.
North Allegheny’s Advaita Sircar is the No. 6 freshman in the state and the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Hassan, who was third in 2023, is No. 3 this year and could see 2023 runnerup Devin Collier of Bethel Park, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals.
In Class 2A, Winchester Thurston had the champion a year ago with freshman Austin He, but He is not in the tournament. Instead the favorite role and No. 1 seed will be 2023 runnerup, Sewickley Academy’s Severin Harmon, who will get a bit of a breather to start his run with a first-round bye.