Saint Stephen’s is rolling after opening day of state tennis tournament

Saint Stephen’s girls are one win away from a shot at their first state championship since 1992. The Falcons rallied back from dropping its first doubles match in the Class 1A quarterfinals Monday to beat Palmetto Bay Westminster Christian, 4-1, in Casselbery. Saint Stephen’s clinched its spot in the semifinals before the Nos. 2 and 3 singles matches concluded at Red Bug Lake Park.

The Falcons will face Boca Raton Saint Andrew’s in the semifinals at 8 a.m. Tuesday back at Red Bug Lake.

MaryAnn Rompf, a Wisconsin commit and Saint Stephen’s top player, responded emphatically after losing in No. 1 doubles to start the day. The senior swept past Westminster Christian’s Sara Fernandez, 6-2, 6-3, in the No. 1 singles match to send the Falcons on their way to a romp.

“It gave them a chance to get their feet wet and get into the situation,” Saint Stephen’s girls head coach Lesley Eckert said, “and I think really actually playing that doubles match first let them be ready for the singles later on.”

Depth fueled the rest. Cassie Huang won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 singles and Alysia Serterides won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5. Huang and Eva Tasdemir, who was playing No. 2 singles, also picked up a 7-5, 7-5 win in No. 2 doubles.

An upset-filled singles draw at the 1A boys tournament has opened the path for Saint Stephen’s Dan Li. The sophomore is headed to Tuesday’s semifinals in Sanford after knocking off No. 2-seed Jorge Cervantes of Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, 2-6, 6-1, 10-5, in the quarterfinals at Sylvan Lake Park.

Li began Monday with a lopsided first-round win in the 1A singles tournament. Li, who is considered a four-star prospect by TennisRecruiting.net, dropped only one game across two sets to Jupiter Christian’s Kevin Enos to reach the quarterfinals, where he found himself matched up with a three-star senior.

“The second match was a very difficult match, a very tough match. I feel very proud of him,” Falcons boys head coach Scott Shields said. “We talked about mixing up the height and the pace, and mixing in some short slice backhand, trying to find your way into net. And he did that and he did that very well.”

Li will need to spring another upset at 8 a.m. on Tuesday to reach the championship game and give Saint Stephen’s a chance for its first singles title. Li is matched up with Merritt Island Christian’s Francisco Auilo-Seara, the No. 4 seed, at Sylvan Lake. Aguilo-Seara, also a sophomore, is considered a three-star prospect.

Li’s upset still wasn’t the biggest of the day, though, and the one that was opened the tournament up for the rest of the field. Daytona Beach Father Lopez’s Connor Sikorski, the top seed, fell in straight sets during the quarterfinals to James Cortese of St. Petersburg Northside Christian. Cortese, a sophomore two-star prospect, will meet Tampa Carrollwood Day junior Tyler Frazee, the No. 3 seed and another two-star recruit, in Tuesday’s other semifinal.

Li is also headed to the doubles championship after a pair of wins Monday. Playing with Max Damm as the No. 2 seed, Li helped beat Gainesville P.K. Yonge’s Ivan Cedric Esguerra and Brandon Stewart, 6-4, 6-1, in the semifinals. Earlier during the day, Damm and Li breezed to a 6-2, 6-1 win against Father Lopez’s Connor and Caden Sikorski.

Out-of-Door Academy’s boys, which upset its way into the 1A tournament by beating the Falcons in the Class 1A-Region 5 championship Thursday, bowed out in the opening round to Miami Ransom Everglades, 4-0, at Red Bug. Out-of-Door dropped both doubles matches, and then had its Nos. 1 and 5 lose in straight sets. The Nos. 2, 3 and 4 matches were abandoned

Ransom Everglades will face Saint Andrew’s in the semifinals Tuesday in Casselberry.

This story was originally published April 24, 2017 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Saint Stephen’s is rolling after opening day of state tennis tournament."