Boys Tennis Overcomes Injury to Make Second Round of Playoffs

Jonah Silverstein subbed into second singles against New Utrecht and ended up winning 8-0. *Photo: Deborah Zeleny*

By DOUBENSKY AUGUSTIN and TREY WOODBINE

The boys tennis team powered through to a regular season record of 7-5 this year, making it to the playoffs with a 3-2 win against Leon M. Goldstein High School on May 10, finishing second in the division behind Brooklyn Tech.

“We know they're a really good school,” said Mr. Victor Gjecaj, the team's coach. “But we’re confident a lot of our guys are on the same level.”

The boys went on to top Eleanor Roosevelt in the first round, but then fell to Townsend Harris in the second. Still, the team has shown strong improvement and is feeling confident about the future. The team’s victory over Goldstein was its first in more than three years.

“We are more competitive than we have been in the past,” first singles player Max Murgio ‘24 said. “We still haven’t beaten Tech, but we did come closer than ever this season.”

A bit of bad luck hit the team when Dennis Krupnik ‘24, first singles, broke his thumb. “The team's strength this year has been their resilience,” he said. “Even though I was out, they still managed to win the first round of the playoffs and many other matches, including against Madison and Goldstein.”

Last season the team finished with a record of 6-6, making it to the playoffs but losing to Stuyvesant 3-2.

“This season has allowed a lot of our players to become more comfortable in their roles, and that’s leading to the team’s success,” co-coach Mr. Brandon Bennett said. “We are relaxed, at ease, alert, and comfortable about the state the team is in as of right now.”

The team shouts out a very special thanks to manager Deborah Zeleny ’23 for her constant support and the occasional pizza she brings after practices.

“This season as a manager was very fun,” Zeleny said. “I feel like the team got really close through inside jokes, competitiveness, and team spirit.”

“We are going to come back stronger next season,” Krupnik said, “because we only had a few seniors on the team, and most of our starters are returning. Also, most of the team practices outside of school and will continue to get better. I predict that we will get to at least the quarterfinals of the playoffs and possibly win it all.”