Athletes from both Hawken and Orange extended their seasons by one more week by qualifying for the 2023 OHSAA state tennis championships.
Hawken sophomore Dani Forte qualified in singles and will play Dayton Miami Valley’s Ginevra Muratori in the first round.
Forte placed second at the Northeast District tournament. She opened the tournament with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Canton South’s Marissa Zaleski and then beat Cuyahoga Valley Christian School’s Amy Beebe in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-2. A 6-1, 6-4 over Hoban’s Haley Slay sent her to the championship bout where she fell to Kenston’s Brooke McNeal to finish second, 7-6, 6-1.
The Hawks also qualified a doubles team as freshman Valeria Kislyansky and senior Hayley Garber punched their ticket to the state tournament and will square off against Cincinnati Mariemont’s Ella Malafa and Lucy Glassmeyer in the first round.
The Hawken duo won its first three matches before falling in the championship bout to Hathaway Brown’s Summer Mu and Kate Mills, 6-1, 6-0.
Orange sophomore Lily Guiler and senior Daniela De Mata Hiciano teamed up to qualify in the doubles tournament. The Lions will play Cincinnati Indian Hill’s Brooke Arrington and Lillian Dwyer in Friday’s first round.
Guier and De Mata Hiciano won their opening match, 6-0, 6-0, before falling into the consolation bracket with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Hathaway Brown’s Mu and Mills. The Lions won their consolation semifinal 6-1, 6-1, and placed third with a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 win over Hathaway Brown’s Margaret Chen and Sarah Cimoroni.
The state tournament will take place on Thursday and Friday at the College of Wooster.
