Maya Hart of Amherst Regional wins first state individual tennis championship
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WORCESTER - Over the three seasons that Maya Hart has played high school tennis, she has been one of the premier players in the state.
On Saturday, she proved herself to be the very best.
The Amherst Regional junior and three-time Western Massachusetts individual champion won her first state title with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Alana Prinos of Foxborough at Clark University.
"It's definitely one of my best tennis accomplishments, because I didn't know if I'd be able to do it this year," Hart said. "So it means a lot to fight through and win. I also wanted to do it for my team, since we lost the state finals."
The Hurricanes lost to Westford Academy 4-1 in the Division 1 team state title match at Clark on Wednesday. In that match, Hart suffered her only loss of the season.
Her individual tournament semifinal and final victories Saturday were Hart's first on the Corash Courts. She had lost in the individual state semifinals the last two years.
"I haven't had the best of luck here, so this was a bit of revenge for me," she said. "I held myself together better, stayed positive and worked on playing my game instead of letting my opponent dictate."
In the final match, Hart was able to break Prinos' serve on five different occasions, including twice in the deciding set. Prinos displayed a powerful serve, but Hart had a strong return game.
"I knew coming in what a big serve she has, so I just wanted to get it back into play," said Hart. "I thought I'd have an advantage once I returned her serve."
Amherst coach C.J. Holt said, "They both got some breaks (of serve), and for Maya to break Alana's serve so often is quite a feat. Maya was pushing her back and keeping herself out of a bad spot."
As the final set opened, Hart allowed a chance for an early break slip away, but then came back to take the next five games and a stranglehold on the title. She broke Prinos at love to take a 2-1 advantage, then went up two breaks at 4-1.
"Once she got that first break, her confidence just got rolling from there," said Holt.
Up 5-2 with a pair of match points, Hart closed out the championship by ending a rally with a beautiful winner on the line.
"She had me running around a lot, and that was part of the reason I lost the second set," Hart said. "In the first and the third, I was moving in to take control of the points as early as I could. That was my goal from the beginning."
Hart's first break of serve came in the third game of the first set to put her ahead 2-1. She rolled off four consecutive games to lead 5-1 and finished the set off on her own serve. The final game of the set saw four deuce points before Hart converted on her third set point.
Hart took the first game of the second set before Prinos got hot and rattled off four straight games. Trailing 5-2, Hart had her serve broken as Prinos sent the match to a third and deciding set.
"I was a little surprised the sets were so one-sided, but I've played her a lot in USTA tournaments, and we almost always go three sets," Hart said. "Alana's clearly one of the best in the state, so I feel I was more mentally prepared than I was in some of my other matches."
Both Hart and Prinos showed why they're highly ranked among USTA players in the state and in New England with some tremendous shot-making and few unforced errors.
"It was a great seat for me," said Holt. "Two years in a row, Maya came up short, so it's great to see her accomplish this. Being able to watch two great players go at it like that, it was just great tennis."
Holt and Prinos' coach and father Peter sat on a courtside bench to offer advice and inspiration at changeovers.
"I just reminded her of little things," said Holt. "It's not really coaching as much as making sure she's mentally focused at all times. That's my job. Between the line, she knows exactly what she's doing."
To take home the crown, Hart had to win a pair of matches within five hours.
"I'm used to two matches a day, but five sets in one day is still a lot and it tires you out," Hart said. "I thought the 10-minute break before the third set of the final helped me rest, calm down and focus."
Earlier in the day, Hart defeated Jessica Perkins of Shrewsbury 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the final. Perkins, just a freshman, hung around early and rallied a bit late in the match.
Hart said she is leaning toward returning to play for Amherst her senior season, and a final decision would likely depend on her USTA training and college search.
"I hope she comes back, and I think she wants another shot at a team title because we were so close this year," Holt said. "With Nicole McCann and if Maya returns, it will be another year of great tennis at Amherst."
Boys semifinals
Western Massachusetts boys individual champion Tom Suchodolski of Amherst Regional lost his state semifinal match 6-1, 6-2 to Chris Ellis of St. John's of Shrewsbury.
"I played well overall, I just couldn't take advantage of my opportunities when I had them," Suchodolski said. "There were several games that went to deuce when I couldn't execute. I had some chances right in front of me, I just couldn't do anything with them."
Amherst boys coach Dan Herbst said, "There weren't really any tactical coaching moves to make against someone like Ellis. He doesn't have weaknesses to exploit. Tom knew what he wanted to do and did it pretty well. At this level, these guys are seasoned veterans who know their game."
Suchodolski stayed in each set in the early going. Down 2-1 in the first but on serve, Suchodolski was broken by Ellis who went ahead 3-1. Ellis closed the set by winning the final four games.
"I knew going against a guy as good as he is that I'd have to play my best tennis," Suchodolski said. "I played pretty well, but far from my best. I played him a couple months ago, and his game is so strong you can't do much with it."
Trailing 2-1 in the second set, Suchodolski held a 40-0 advantage on Ellis' serve, but Ellis rallied to take the game and then closed out the match.
"When you play a player of Ellis' caliber, you almost have to be perfect," said Herbst. "That kid played a tremendous match. Tom played well and fought really hard. The score might have said 6-1, 6-2, but that's not indicative of how competitive it really was."
Suchodolski defeated Tanner DeVarennes of Lee 6-3, 6-2 on May 22 for the sectional crown. He entered Saturday's semifinal with a perfect 16-0 mark this year.
"He had an amazing season," said Herbst. "He had lost only one set until today. But he ran into someone today who could match his game.
"I'm proud to get this far, and maybe next year I can do a little better here," Suchodolski said.
Suchodolski is not sure whether he will return to play for Amherst his senior season. With a free period during the school day, he may choose to leave school during that period to practice tennis. Unless the MIAA grants him an exemption, that would make him ineligible to play for the high school.
Herbst said, "We'd love to have him back, but if he feels playing high school isn't the best thing for his tennis, then I certainly understand."
Michael Wilkinson can be reached at mwilkinson@gazettenet.com.
