One more win for the title.

That’s the exciting situation the Greenwich High School boys tennis team finds itself in after continuing its perfect season with a victory over FCIAC rival Darien Wednesday in the semifinal-round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament.

The top-seeded Cardinals earned a return trip to the championship match of the CIAC Class LL Tournament, defeating sixth-seeded Darien, 4-1, in the semifinal-round of the state tourney. Greenwich (21-0) plays fifth-seeded Staples in Thursday’s 1 p.m. Class LL final at Wilton High School in a rematch of the 2023 title match, won by the Cardinals.

“It feels great, today was a bit iffy,” said Greenwich junior Alex Salib, who played at No. 1 singles. “It was very close, Darien is a great team and they played well, but we just kept our composure, stayed strong and did what we had to do.”

For Greenwich, the match clinching win came at second doubles, where senior Bruce Lunder and Daniel Lee were victorious against senior Greg Garabet and Liam Tomaszewski. Lee and Lunder posted a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 win against their Darien foe, giving the Cardinals a 4-1 lead and a berth in the Class LL championship match.

“First of all I want to give props to Darien, they’re a great team and they had a great season,” said Lunder, who came back from a 5-4 second-set deficit with Lee to win the set and the match. “We battled in that last set.”

When the Cards’ No. 2 doubles team won their final point, they were greeted by their teammates, who stormed the court in celebration of their state semifinal-round triumph.

“It was more relief than anything – we’re going to the state finals for another year and we get to fight for it again,” Lunder noted.

Like they have done all season, along with their GHS tennis teammates, Lunder/Lee displayed poise while under pressure.

“We just had to regroup there for a second and focus on what our goal was, our objective – getting to the net, putting the pressure on and not letting the bad points string together,” Lunder said.

At No. 1 doubles, senior Harrison Wolfe and junior Rohan Mittal continued their excellence. Mittal/Wolfe won their match against Blue Wave juniors Dallas Barton/Oscar White, 6-0, 6-1.

“We had a short, clean win today,” Mittal said. “We wanted to keep it strong and stay positive for tomorrow (the championship match) of course.”

In 2023, Greenwich topped rival Staples, 4-0, for the Class LL state championship.

“There’s a lot at stake, especially with Harrison being a senior,” Mittal said of their doubles match today and the team’s matchup with the Wreckers.

In singles competition, junior Alex Salib registered a straight set win against senior Will Donnelly, taking the match, 6-2, 6-4.

“I played Will Donnelly before and that was when we played them in the FCIAC Tournament and it was very close,” Salib said. “Although we weren’t able to finish (in their FCIAC Tournament match) I knew what I had to do today and I executed it very well.”

“The last time I played him I was up 4-0 in the first set and then he had the opportunity to come back because I lost focus,” Salib continued. “Today, I was up 4-0 and I knew I could not let that happen, so I kept my head strong and stayed confident and kept playing my game.”

The No. 2 singles match between Cardinals junior Manuel Galli Specos and Darien freshman Cai Collins was not completed. Collins won the opening set, 7-5 and the second set was tied at 1-1 before the Cardinals clinched the match with their win at No. 2 doubles.

At third singles, GHS junior Matthew Hunt and Darien sophomore Rithik Malwani also didn’t finish their match. Malwani took the first set, 6-2, then Hunt was victorious in the second set, 6-4. Hunt was ahead, 4-3, in the third set, when the Cards clinched the semifinal match.

“I had a rough first set,” Hunt said. “I played him another time, it was three sets and this time it was a similar script. I was up 4-3 when we finished, so I was definitely in a good spot.”

Darien’s win came at fourth singles, where junior Rowan Bepler won against Greenwich junior Pierre August, 6-2, 6-2. At third doubles, Greenwich’s Ishan Ambastha, a junior and Cole Frumin, also a junior, cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 triumph.

Today, Greenwich will by vying for its second straight Class LL state championship and 15th overall, the most of any squad in the state.

“It will be a battle either way, we are ready to fight,” Hunt said.

“It feels great to make it to the finals,” Salib added. “Today was a bit iffy. It was very close, Darien is a great team and they played well, but we just kept our composure, stayed strong and did what we had to do.”

Lunder pointed out what one of the key aspects will be in doubles action today against Staples.

“Keep the pressure on – come to the net and have high energy,” he said.

Dating back to last season, when they went 22-0 en route to winning the FCIAC and Class LL titles, the Cardinals have won 43 consecutive matches. They advanced to Wednesday’s state semifinals by edging seventh-seeded Westhill, 4-3, in the Class LL quarterfinals.

Against a strong Westhill squad, Greenwich received wins from Hunt at third singles (6-0, 6-0) and August at No. 4 singles (6-0, 6-0).

Wolfe/Mittal were victorious at the top doubles spot versus Westhill, 6-0, 6-2, while Ambastha/Frumin notched a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3.

“Matt Hunt has been on a role, he’s been really dominant,” Greenwich coach Ray Marschall said following the Westhill match. “No. 1 doubles they are really tough. Their No. 1 doubles team was a tough competitor. Our No. 3 doubles team put on a clinic. They came to net, put balls away and played serve, return, point. I am proud of the guys. To see guys tone down the sheer power and ratchet up the accuracy – they get it, they understand what’s going on.”