Gahanna’s Carpico, two central Ohio doubles teams reach state semis
CINCINNATI — Central Ohio headed into the final day of the Division I state boys tennis tournament with defending singles champion Brandon Carpico and the district's top two doubles teams still alive.
Carpico, a Gahanna junior who hasn't lost a set all season, was to face Cincinnati Sycamore senior Chad Miller in a semifinal.
In doubles, the Olentangy Orange duo of senior Parth Patel and junior Kallan Arledge advanced to play Anish Gangavaram and Akshay Joshi of Mason, while Dublin Jerome seniors Max Fickas and Tanish Pairu moved on to face Nick Meyers and Mark Karev of Sycamore in the other semifinal.
Carpico opened state with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Springboro freshman Rishi Dore and then faced Dore's brother, senior Sai Dore, in an intense quarterfinal. After Carpico built a 5-2 lead in the first set and failed to finish a set point while up 5-4, Sai Dore rallied to take a 6-5 lead.
Carpico then responded by forcing a tiebreaker in which he led 6-4 and then fell behind 7-6 before scoring the final three points to take the set.
He then finished off Sai Dore for a 7-6 (9-7), 6-0 victory.
“I knew going into it, it was going to be a tough match,” Carpico said. “I was up 6-4 (in the tiebreaker) and then he played a couple really good points to go up (7-6). Obviously me saving that set point was huge and I forced him into an error, so that was kind of a turning point.”
Patel and Arledge opened state with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Mason's Vamshi Singidi and Aron Dornhecker and then beat Sycamore's Kevin Dong and Arjun Rajagopala 6-4, 6-3 in a quarterfinal.
After Fickas and Pairu beat Massillon
Jackson's Lucas Immel and Ryan Kelley 6-1, 6-3 and then edged Cincinnati St. Xavier's Drew Evans and Tucker Berry 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5 to advance to a semifinal.
“We click well,” Fickas said. “Our games match each other and we set each other up well. Being here this one last time, I couldn't ask for anything else.”
Also in Division I singles, Pickerington North senior Cole Alcala and Upper Arlington junior Ethan Samora lost in quarterfinals and Worthington Kilbourne senior Owen Alderman lost in the first round.
In Division I doubles, senior Declan Freedhoff and sophomore Ben Bilenko of New Albany lost in a quarterfinal and juniors Jay Ramakkagari and Hummza Ali of Olentangy Liberty lost in the first round.
Columbus Academy freshman Lucas Xue lost in a Division II quarterfinal and Bexley freshman Sam Lessard lost in the first round.
In doubles, senior Ryan Panley and freshman Rowen Lo of Academy and juniors Austin Flamm and Stefan Schiff of Bexley lost in quarterfinals.