Wyoming Seminary’s Hall, Atabayev rally to win District 2 doubles gold

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CLARKS SUMMIT — Only a week removed from both competing in the district singles tournament, there wasn’t a whole lot of time for Bill Hall and Ansarali Atabayev to prepare for their run in the doubles competition.

But Wyoming Seminary’s top two singles players had more than enough time — and more than enough in the tank — to bring home the gold.

Hall and Atabayev withstood a tough test from Holy Redeemer’s Frank Klimovitz and Jacob Ohrin in Wednesday’s District 2 Class 2A doubles final, rallying from a set down to defeat the Redeemer duo 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 for the district championship.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. … We were adapting,” Atabayev said.

The top seed in the Class 2A field, Hall and Atabayev cruised through the first day of competition and picked it right back up in the semis on Wednesday, dispatching Jon Florencio and Nate Linnen of Dallas 6-0, 6-0 to reach the final.

Their first dropped set of the tournament was the first set of the championship match, with Klimovitz and Ohrin taking it right at the top seeds and putting themselves in a good spot.

For the Sem duo, it was all about getting their rhythm back and fighting out of the hole they found themselves in.

“We needed to create our own pace, to slow down and force them to adapt to our pace,” Atabayev said.

The plan worked for the Blue Knights, as they won the second set 6-3 to force a third, decisive set, and won that one 6-3 to clinch the district championship.

It was a valiant effort from Klimovitz and Ohrin, who were seeded sixth in the doubles tournament, the lowest seed to reach both the semifinals and the finals.

The Redeemer tandem first qualified for the semis on Monday with a win over Scranton Prep’s Matthew Cohen and Ved Dave, the three seed.

Then, Klimovitz and Ohrin unseated two-seed Luca Argenio and Christian Abromovage of Wyoming Area in straight sets to advance to the final.

They couldn’t close the door on Hall and Atabayev, but the Redeemer team vastly outperformed its seeding to earn a silver medal.

“We were expected maybe to lose in that quarterfinal round,” Klimovitz said. “But we really focused and played a great tournament.”

Hall and Atabayev will head to Hershey for the first round of the Class 2A state doubles tournament on Friday, May 24.

CLASS 3A

Comet teammates collided in the Class 3A title match, as top-seeded William Arp and Domenic Peters defeated Brady Comstock and Liam Farrell 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win gold in an all-Abington Heights title match.

Arp and Peters, the Comets’ second and third singles players throughout the season, came together to knock off the top Abington Heights doubles team of Comstock and Farrell in a tight three sets on Wednesday.

“It’s definitely tough, all season we’ve been cheering for each other,” Arp said. “But we just had to get over it and do the best we could.”

Unlike the 2A semis, with all four spots taken by Wyoming Valley Conference teams, just one WVC duo made it to Wednesday’s semifinals.

Michael Hamel and Harold Stella, representing Wilkes-Barre Area, ran into Arp and Peters in the semis and came up on the wrong end of a 6-2, 6-3 final. Hamel was just a week removed from a runner-up finish in the District 2 singles tournament, his fourth singles silver medal in four years.

The all-Abington dream final was locked in when Comstock and Farrell, the third seed, made quick work of second seed Christian Perunsky and Ty Bates of Delaware Valley.

A 6-1, 6-1 final sent Comstock and Farrell on to face their teammate in the championship, where they took the first set from Arp and Peters before ultimately falling to the top-seeded duo.

District 2 Boys Tennis Doubles Championships

Class 2A Champiopnship

Bill Hall/Ansarali Atabayev (SEM) def. Frank Klimovitz/Jacob Ohrin (HR) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Class 2A Semifinals

Bill Hall/Ansarali Atabayev (SEM) def. Jon Florencio/Nate Linnen (DAL) 6-0, 6-0; Frank Klimovitz/Jacob Ohrin (HR) def. Luca Argenio/Christian Abromovage (WA) 6-2, 6-4.

Class 3A Championship

William Arp/Domenic Peters (AH) def. Brady Comstock/Liam Farrell (AH) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Class 3A Semifinals

William Arp/Domenic Peters (AH) def. Michael Hamel/Harold Stella (WBA) 6-2, 6-3; Brady Comstock/Liam Farrell (AH) def. Christian Perunsky/Ty Bates (DV) 6-1, 6-1.