Avon comes close in Class M but falls a point short and takes second again

MIDDLETOWN, June 1 – The Avon High boys tennis team had three players in the semifinals of the Class M tournament at Wesleyan but it wasn’t enough as Joel Barlow-Redding slipped past Avon and Weston to win their first state championship since 2005.

Barlow had two teams in the finals in doubles to earn 25 points while Avon and Weston each finished tied for second place with 24 points. It was the third consecutive year that Avon has finished second in Class M and the fifth time in the last six years that Avon brought home the silver trophy.

Avon’s top singles player Arjun Chandra and the top doubles team of Jack Hogan and Ian Stapleton each advanced to the semifinals. Chandra, the No. 2 seed, won four straight matches in the tournament before falling to No. 3 Brennan Nick of Tolland, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

Hogan and Stapleton, also the No. 2 seed, won three matches to get to the semifinals before dropping a tough three-set decision to No. 4 Jalen Johnson/Bobby Tremont of Joel Barlow, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Johnson and Tremont, who clinched the state championship for Barlow with the win, lost to teammates Alex Klein Wassnick and Adam Ortiz, the No. 1 seed, in the finals, 6-3, 6-0.

Every Avon player in the tournament won at least two matches to put the Falcons in contention for the state championship.

The Falcons finished the season at 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the CCC West Patriot division behind Farmington (15-1, 7-0 CCC West Patriot).

Avon, which won three straight Class M titles from 2011-13, has finished among the top two teams in Class M in eight of the last nine years. The only time that Avon hasn’t brought home a trophy was in 2016 when the Falcons were tied for third.

Class M tournament results

SINGLES
First round
#8 Yefim Gorodnitskiy, Avon def. Julian Perez, Waterford 6-0, 6-0
#13 Dylan Karp, Avon def. Elias Picinich, Waterford 6-0, 6-1
Benjamin Yoo, Avon def. Corey Flynn, Lyman Hall 6-2, 6-2
#2 Arjun Chandra-Mohanty, Avon def. Luigi Boselli, Woodstock Academy 6-0, 6-0

Second round
#8 Yefim Gorodnitskiy, Avon def. David Fleck, Woodstock Academy 6-1, 6-2
#13 Dylan Karp, Avon def. Keegan Jalbert, Tolland 6-0, 7-6(1)
Benjamin Yoo, Avon def. #11 Praneeth Ganedi, Branford 6-3, 0-6, 6-
#2 Arjun Chandra-Mohanty, Avon def. Trem Ampeloquio, Brookfield 6-2, 6-0

Third Round
#8 Yefim Gorodnitskiy, Avon def. #9 Adam Schadt, Tolland 6-2, 6-3
#4 Grady Tarzian, Weston def. #13 Dylan Karp, Avon 6-1, 6-0
#6 Jared Goldstein, Brookfield def. Benjamin Yoo, Avon 6-1, 6-2
#2 Arjun Chandra-Mohanty, Avon def. Harry Honig, Lewis Mills 6-4, 7-5

Quarterfinals
#1 Jonathon Trevethan, Berlin def. #8 Yefim Gorodnitskiy, Avon 7-5, 6-0
#2 Arjun Chandra-Mohanty, Avon def. #7 Nicholas Moy, Weston 6-3, 6-2

Semifinals
#1 Jonathon Trevethan, Berlin def. #4 Grady Tarzian, Weston 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
#3 Brennan Nick, Tolland def. #2 Arjun Chandra-Mohanty, Avon 7-6(5), 6-2

Championship
#1 Jonathon Trevethan, Berlin def. #3 Brennan Nick, Tolland 6-4, 6-4

DOUBLES
First Round
#16 Thejas Nair/Ali Ayaan Rizvi, Avon def. Andrew Ancheta/Marcelo Silva, Jonathan Law 6-0, 6-2
#6 Mahendra Vadlamudi/Tej Raman, Avon, BYE
#2 John (Jack) Hogan/Ian Stapleton, Avon, BYE

Second Round
#16 Thejas Nair/Ali Ayaan Rizvi, Avon def. Jaden Andresen/Paul Riccio, Branford 6-4, 6-2
#6 Mahendra Vadlamudi/Tej Raman, Avon def. Evan Smith/Alex Zelaya, Lyman Hall 6-1, 6-0
#2 John (Jack) Hogan/Ian Stapleton, Avon def. Coleman Pushlar/Chris Wutzl, Brookfield 6-0, 7-5

Third Round
#1 Alex Klein Wassink/Adam Ortiz, Joel Barlow def. #16 Thejas Nair/Ali Ayaan Rizvi, Avon 6-1, 6-0
#6 Mahendra Vadlamudi/Tej Raman, Avon def. #11 Owen O’Reilly/Liam Prevelige, Joel Barlow 6-0, 3-6, 10-3
#2 John (Jack) Hogan/Ian Stapleton, Avon def. #15 Suchet Kadari/Rudraksh Nathan, Ellington 6-0, 6-0

Quarterfinals
#3 Adrik Scaramuzza/Harrison Moy, Weston def. #6 Mahendra Vadlamudi/Tej Raman, Avon 7-5, 7-5
#2 John (Jack) Hogan/Ian Stapleton, Avon def. #7 Adarsh Rao Makarla/Aditya Rao Makarla, Bethel 6-4, 6-3

Semifinals
#1 Alex Klein Wassink/Adam Ortiz, Joel Barlow def. #3 Adrik Scaramuzza/Harrison Moy, Weston 2-6, 6-0, 6-0
#4 Jalen Johnson/Bobby Tremont, Joel Barlow def. #2 John (Jack) Hogan/Ian Stapleton, Avon 6-2, 3-6, 6-2

2019 CCC West boys tennis