Gahanna’s Carpico, Wellington’s Shanker win district singles titles
Gahanna Lincoln senior Brandon Carpico’s third consecutive Division I boys tennis district championship and an upset in the Division II singles final highlighted Saturday’s district competition in central Ohio.
Carpico, an Ohio State signee, swept Pickerington North’s Pavan Uppu 6-2, 6-2 in the final at Upper Arlington. Carpico will seek his second state title in three seasons Thursday and Friday at OSU.
Carpico did not lose a set in four district matches, including a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of New Albany’s Jackson Clements in a semifinal.
Uppu beat UA’S Ethan Samora 6-1, 6-0 in the other semifinal. Clements swept Samora 6-2, 6-1 in the third-place match.
Olentangy Liberty’s Hummza Ali and Jayanth Ramakkagari defeated New Albany’s Ben Bilenko and Tyler Thomas 6-1, 6-1 in the doubles final. Olentangy Orange’s Kallan Arledge and Nikhil Bhimireddy edged Olentangy’s Mitchell
Macdowell and Sujan Sriram 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in the third-place match.
In the semifinals, Bilenko and Thomas outlasted Arledge and Bhimireddy 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 and Ali and Ramakkagari swept Macdowell and Sriram 6-1, 6-1.
Saturday’s competitors in Division I and Division II locked up state berths Wednesday on the first day of district play.
In Division II action Saturday at Columbus Academy, Wellington’s Sanjan Shanker stormed back from a shutout loss in the first set of the final to defeat Academy’s Lucas Xue 0-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Xue was the defending district champion. Shanker advanced to state for the second time in three seasons.
Bexley’s Sam Lessard and Stefan Schiff won the doubles title, defeating Academy’s Nason Lo and Rowen Lo 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.