Hinsdale Central wins team title at Hersey Invite

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – Barrington sophomore Will Delach toted his rackets and towels and water thermos off the court after his last match at Saturday’s Pitchford boys tennis invite at Hersey.

And three remnants of a certain fruit.

“Ate three bananas out there,” said Delach, smiling above three peels resting atop the tennis stuff in his arms in chilly, windy Arlington Heights.

Guess who didn’t slip at the two-day, 32-team tennispalooza.

Delach, that’s who. One week after topping the singles field featuring Nos. 1 and 2 players at the Jay Kramer invite at Hinsdale Central, the Bronco excelled again, edging Hinsdale Central sophomore Barry Zhu 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 for the No. 2 singles title.

“I needed to dig deep,” said Delach, who relies heavily on heavy topspin groundstrokes to dictate points and exhaust foes.

He found himself down 15-40 while serving at 2-3 in the third set but earned an ad-in chance with a down-the-line forehand laser. Zhu got it back to deuce shortly thereafter.

They battled through three more deuces before Delach made it 3-3 via another resounding forehand winner off a short ball.

“Will,” Broncos coach John Roncone said, “plays such a physical, punishing style of tennis. He’s a fighter, just like Hadi is.”

Barrington junior Hadi Dossani reached the No. 1 singles final Saturday, taking on Hersey sophomore Matthew Sikorski, the fourth seed who had defeated top-seeded Shashwat Srivatsa of Fremd 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (8) in a double-knot-tight morning semifinal.

Sikorski trailed 5-1 in the third-set tie-breaker before winning 9 of the next 12 points.

A state doubles qualifier last spring, Sikorski smacked an ace to open the title match against Dossani and held serve. Dossani—talented and fearless, especially from the baseline— went up 2-1 and later broke Sikorski’s serve in the seventh game, paring the Husky’s lead to 4-3.

But Sikorski, blessed with the ability to either pound shots or carve effective slices to create a better opportunity to finish a point emphatically, won the next 2 games to secure the first set and exited the court as a 6-3, 6-2 victor.

“Variety keeps them off balance,” Sikorski said. “Overall, my game plan in the final was to pressure him often and focus on my serve.”

“Matthew,” Huskies coach Andy Walton said, “has been locked in, and he’s super competitive and composed. It’s hard going up against a player who has as many elements to his game as Matthew has.”

Reigning Class 2A state champion Hinsdale Central, under first-year coach Pete Alex (a Hinsdale South graduate), deployed a wealth of talent over the weekend, amassing 64 points to capture the team championship. Barrington (52) took second, ahead of Hersey (47) and New Trier (40). Conant, Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South tied for fifth with 39 points apiece, and Fremd, Stevenson and Oak Park-River Forest each netted 36 points to tie for eighth place.

Each of HC’s four entrants — Nos. 1 and 2 singles, Nos. 1 and 2 doubles —reached at least a semifinal round. Juniors Kyle McCain and Nicholas Marringa claimed the Red Devils’ lone title, solving Glenbrook South sophomores Shaan Harjani and Gavin Johnson 6-3, 6-3 in the final at No. 2 doubles.

“This is such a great invite, because it lets you know what’s out there, what you’re going to have to be ready for later this month (at sectionals and state),” Alex said.

HC senior Nathan Hernandez, fourth in singles at state last spring, took third at No. 1 singles Saturday, while Red Devils Bodie Teuscher/Winston Stangle bronzed at No. 1 doubles.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250503/boys-tennis/boys-tennis-sikorski-delach-deliver-singles-titles-at-hersey-hinsdale-central-wins-team-crown/