By Five Boro Sports
Neil Baskin uses the words “excellent” and “strong” to describe his Cardozo girls’ tennis team. After yet another undefeated league season and top seed in the upcoming playoffs, dynasty might be more fitting. The Judges, after all, have won three of the last four city titles and are favored to claim a fourth.
“We’re on our way,” he said. “We’ll find out next week really how strong we are.”
Cardozo, led by talented sophomore Leighann Sahagun in first singles, only dropped two matches — both to No. 4 Francis Lewis — in 10 league contests. The Judges are loaded with underclassmen; substitute Sandra Chiu is the lone senior. Talented tournament player Arielle Griffin has come on at second singles, sophomore Alexa Cohen plays third singles and freshman Kimberly Holmes and sophomore Dexuan Yuan play first doubles.
“They beat the singles players from Francis Lewis who are good when they had to move up,” Baskin said of Yuan and Holmes.
The greatest challenge, the sixth−year coach said, is developing team chemistry. So many of his girls are used to being on their own, in a tournament setting. Tennis is an individual sport.
That’s where Sahagun comes in. She’s highly ranked, but also went through the league last year, winning a city title. She has become more of a leader with the graduation of last year’s No. 1 singles, Jillian Santos, who is now at Binghamton.
“If she continues with that work ethic, she’ll get even better,” Baskin said.
Repeating as city champions won’t be a cakewalk for the Judges. No. 2 Stuyvesant, who Cardozo beat in the finals last year, and No. 3 Hunter split a pair of matches this year and should meet in the semifinals. Wellesley College−bound Julia Xu, Hunter’s first singles, is the No. 2 seed in the PSAL individual behind Sahagun. Stuyvesant is deep, led by first singles Veranika Li, second singles Samantha Unger and Bessie Rentzler at third singles.
No. 4 Francis Lewis has plenty of young talent, spearheaded by freshmen Alexis Tashiro and Stephanie Rances. The Pariots have fit in well, Tashiro at No. 1 singles and Rancis at No. 3. Junior Hikari Miyazawa, who’s also a starter on the school’s girls’ volleyball team, plays No. 2.
“That’s allowed some of the returning girls to move down in the lineup, which further strengthens the whole team,” said Francis Lewis Coach Wayne Zweigbaum, whose club beat No. 13 Forest Hills 5−0 May 6.
Lewis will meet No. 5 Goldstein, which boasts Becky Shtilkind, one of the top freshmen in New York state, Monday in the quarterfinals. One of the most intriguing match−ups of the quarterfinals will be No. 8 Curtis and No. 9 Townsend Harris. Both boast two of the best juniors in the PSAL — Lia Carlson of the Warriors and Jane Selegean of the Hawks — at first singles.
In Class B, defending champion William Bryant earned the top seed, followed by Campus Magnet, Tottenville, Roosevelt and New Dorp. Clinton is the No. 1 seed in Class C. Newcomers is second, then Telecommunications, Grand Street Campus and Franklin K. Lane.
