Washington Evening Journal
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Maharishi girls back to Sweet 16
Andy Krutsinger
May. 15, 2023 11:21 am
FAIRFIELD — One of the most important days on the area girls tennis slate took place on Saturday as the Class 1A Region 4 tournament was hosted by Maharishi School. Four teams entered but only one could advance to the final 16.
Despite its top players grinding through a 13-hour marathon of a singles and doubles tournament earlier in the week, the Pioneers had enough to win 10-straight matches to eliminate both Fairfield and Davis County.
The Pioneers started things off with Fairfield in the opening round. At Punj Tennis Center, it was all Maharishi, as the Pioneers won five matches before the Trojans could get one, thus ending the showdown at a 5-0 Maharishi win.
Via regional tennis rules, since matches are best of nine, the first team to win five of them wins, and the contest is immediately called once someone hits the magic number.
Maharishi won each of the Top-2 singles matches against Fairfield. The Pioneers’ Ishita Mukadam defeated the Trojans’ Sydney Wells 6-2, 6-0, in the No. 1 singles match, and Poojita Mukadam beat Maddie Greiner 6-0, 6-0.
In the No. 4 singles match, Maharishi’s Daira Valls Blazquez defeated Fairfield’s Giteeka Adhikari 6-1 and 6-2. In the No. 5 match, Maharishi’s Isabella Castle knocked off Una Carter 6-1, 6-0.
Fairfield had another singles win in the No. 6 match. Sonya Kandyba had enough in the tank to knock off Lola Hatchette 6-0, 6-1.
Due to Maharishi winning five singles matches, the doubles competition never got underway. The final singles match, a No. 3 battle between Maharishi’s Saraswati Quevedo-Valls and Fairfield’s Emma Wendland was ended before there was a winner.
Maharishi moved on to the next round, where they played Davis County. The Mustangs had just defeated the Panthers at Fairfield Middle School earlier in the day.
Davis County knocked off the Panthers in five singles matches. Eliana Situmeang, Mary Kate Peterson, Victoria Smith, Eva Rounceville and Bethany Drury were all defeated in singles play.
In the second round, Davis County played Maharishi close in a few areas, but the Pioneers fought to five singles wins before the Mustangs had one.
Ishita Mukadam won the No. 1 singles match 6-2, 6-1. Poojita Mukadam rolled 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 2 match.
Quevedo-Valls fell 6-4 in the first set of her No. 3 match before pulling out a thrilling 7-6 win in the second set. She then won the tiebreaker to earn the Pioneers another win.
Castle flew in her No. 4 singles match, winning 6-0, 6-4. Kandyba submeled in her first set before dominating the second 6-0, and then won the tiebreaker to pick up the fifth Pioneer victory.
Valls Blazquez was competing in the No. 4 singles match, but it did not finish until the match was over.
Maharishi has now made the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. The Pioneers earned a showdown with Davenport Assumption on the road on Tuesday. That match will begin at 1 p.m.
If Maharishi can win on Tuesday, the Pioneers will host either Pella or Pella Christian on May 20 at Punj Tennis Center.