Greenwich High

Greenwich High girls tennis team earns three more victories, improves to 7-0

Photo by Lulu Diez de Bonilla: Greenwich junior Kyra Dybas has performed well at the No. 1 singles spot.

Playing three matches in three days, it was, indeed, another busy week for the Greenwich High School girls tennis team. It was also another highly successful week for the soaring Cardinals.

The week began with a win against Fairfield Warde and concluded with a victory against Trumbull for Greenwich, which continued to show that it’s one of the teams to beat in the FCIAC this season.

Showcasing its singles and doubles depth, Greenwich topped Trumbull, 7-0, on Thursday, raising its record to a perfect 7-0. Among the Cardinals’ victories so far this season are wins over FCIAC rivals Staples and Fairfield Ludlowe, who have beaten GHS in previous seasons.

“The season has been pretty good so far, there are some tough competitors, but we’ve all improved, so it’s been nice to see the improvement in our team over the years,” said Greenwich junior Kyra Dybas, who competes at the No. 1 singles spot.

Photo by David Fierro: Kyra Dybas won her match against Trumbull in straight sets for Greenwich’s girls tennis team.

In the Cardinals’ triumph against Trumbull, Dybas posted a 6-0, 6-0 win over Anasha Ragupathy.

“It was tough I tried to keep it consistent, use some kick on my serve and try and go for my shots,” Dybas said of her matchup against Trumbull. I think we have a very deep team this year so all of our lines are strong. Playing No. 1, it’s good, that I got this opportunity to play my best tennis and I’m trying to do my best for the team.”

At second singles, senior Ivanna Diez de Bonilla kept her standout season going. She also registered a 6-0, 6-0 victory against her Trumbull opponent, Gemma Tomei.

Photo courtesy of Lulu Diez de Bonilla: Ivanna Diez de Bonilla returns a shot during her singles match vs. Trumbull.

“I’m feel like I’m playing very well this season,” Diez de Bonilla said. “This is my first year playing two and they always switch it up a lot more have to be more crafty,”

The schedule is formidable for the Cards this coming week. They will visit FCIAC rivals New Canaan Monday and Darien Tuesday.

“We have some tough competitors next week, which we’re all aware of,” Diez de Bonilla said. “But I think this year we’re better equipped to handle those matches, since we have a lot of new players, so I’m very hopeful. We are very excited about playing New Canaan and Darien.”

Photo by David Fierro: Ivanna Diez de Bonilla has excelled at second singles for Greenwich’s tennis team.

Junior Malena Schraa played at No. 3 singles against the Eagles and promptly won her match versus Jiya Garg, 6-0, 6-0.

“The season is going pretty well, we’ve all had a really good time this year and we haven’t lost yet,” Schraa noted. “Today, I was just going for my shots and feeling confident.”

Photo by Ivanna Diez de Bonilla: Malena Schraa retrieves a shot for Greenwich in her match against Trumbull.

Like several of her teammates, Schraa is in her third season on the squad.

“I’m happy, because the past two years we haven’t gotten far enough in the FCIAC and states,” Schraa said. “I’m really excited, because I think we can go pretty far this year. I’m confident in our team and we have a lot of confidence.”

Photo by David Fierro: Malena Schraa was a 6-0, 6-0 winner for Greenwich vs. Trumbull at third singles.

In the No. 4 singles match, GHS sophomore Emme Pecorin was victorious, topping Trumbull’s Caitlin Jennings-Lax, 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles action saw the Cardinals’ No. 1 team of senior Julia Tamis and junior Emily Weinstein prevail against their Eagles’ opponents, 7-5, 6-1.

Both Weinstein and Tamis are experienced doubles competitors.

“This is my first year playing with Julia and it’s been good so far,” Weinstein noted. “Both of our playing styles complement each other well. We didn’t play our best, but at the end of the day we won and we pulled through.”

Photo by Lulu Diez de Bonilla: Emily Weinstein hits a forehand return during a home match against Trumbull.

Weinstein is impressed with the team’s dynamic.

“The team is great we have so many amazing incoming freshmen,” she said. “Some of our goals are just working together and trying to uplift each other and strengthen each other as much as possible.”

Photo by David Fierro: Emily Weinstein was victorious at first doubles with her partner Julia Tamis vs. Trumbull.

Second doubles saw sophomore Yume Inagawa and freshman Caitlin Mahoney team up for a decisive 6-1, 6-0 win for GHS.

“The first set was kind of rough, we were getting used to the pace a little bit,” said Inagawa, also an experienced doubles player. “The slower pace kind of threw us off, but we were able to adjust and have good points. We lost one game, but I think that was due to errors. The second set, we got the hang of it. It was a good match.”

Photo by Lulu Diez de Bonilla: Yume Inagawa serves during a doubles match for Greenwich versus Trumbull.

Mahoney is in her first season on the team and filled the role nicely with Inagawa at the No. 2 doubles spot.

“I’m really enjoying it, I’ve never played on a tennis team before, so this is a new experience and I love getting to know everyone and bonding with the girls on the team,” said Mahoney, a tournament player throughout the year. I like playing both singles and doubles, so this is good experience for me.”

Yume Inagawa has formed a successful doubles team with Caitlin Mahoney for Greenwich High School.
Caitlin Mahoney is enjoying a winning season at second doubles as a freshman for the GHS girls tennis team.

At third doubles against Trumbull, seniors Sydney Floch and Valentina Rivano got the start and were off the court quickly in registering a 6-0, 6-0 triumph.

“I think that a lot of it had to do with our aggressiveness in terms of us going up to the net, volleys and really just trying to take those opportunities when we can,” Floch said of their success against Trumbull.

Said Rivano: “I think a main thing that we did right was our consistency. “We were very consistent and it worked very well. We waited for our opponents to make the first mistake.”

From left to right: Valentina Rivano and Sydney Floch have been successful at No. 3 doubles for the Cardinals.

In Greenwich’s 7-0 sweep of visiting Norwalk on Wednesday, Dybas and Diez de Bonilla were each 6-1, 6-0 victors at first and second singles, respectively, for GHS.

Junior Lilly Foley, who has played a lot of matches at No. 3, was victorious at the third spot, 6-1, 6-0, as well and sophomore Izzy Everett swept to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 4.

Lilly Foley of Greenwich has sparked the team at third singles.

“The season has been really good, everyone has been doing really well and we’re undefeated so far this season, which is cool,” Foley said. “We beat two of our biggest rivals last week, which was awesome. The energy and the positivity from all the players is really good this year.”

Foley emphasized that everyone on the squad makes each other play better.

“The singles lineup, we’re definitely playing, all-around, at a similar level,” she said. “We all play different styles and when we play together, it’s always very competitive and back and forth. We definitely push each other.”

Photo by Lulu Diez de Bonilla: The Greenwich High girls tennis team gathers prior to one of its recent matches.

Weinstein/Tamis, Inagawa/Mahoney and senior Mei McGuinness/Rivano were each 6-0, 6-0 winners at first-third doubles, respectively versus Norwalk.

Against Fairfield Warde, which saw Greenwich earn a 6-1 triumph on the road, Diez de Bonilla (6-2, 6-0, No. 2 singles), Schraa (6-0, 6-1 third singles) and Foley (6-1, 6-2, No. 4) each took their matches in straight sets.

Photo courtesy of Lulu Diez de Bonilla: Julia Tamis gets ready to hit a forehand during a recent match for Greenwich.

Weinstein/Tamis (6-3, 6-2, No. 1), Inagawa/Mahoney (6-0, 6-0, No. 2) and Pecorin and freshman Maddy Wilber notched a 6-0, 6-1 win at third doubles.

“Joining the team as a freshman was a little intimidating at first, but everyone on the team is really nice,” Wilber said. “It is nice to have really nice teammates to ease into the season. The first few scrimmage matches we had were really helpful for the matches that really count.”

Greenwich’s big matches on the road against New Canaan and Darien, on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, each begin at 4 p.m.

“I am definitely looking forward to the challenges,” Dybas said. “We’ve been training really hard and I think it will be good to showcase what we’ve been practicing.”

Photo by Lulu Diez de Bonilla: Greenwich’s girls tennis team is undefeated so far this spring.

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