Unbeaten District 2 team champions Abington Heights and Dallas each sent two teams to the semifinals by getting through Friday’s first three rounds of the district doubles championships.
The top four seeds advanced in both Class 3A at Wilkes University and Class 2A at nearby Kirby Park. All eight remaining teams received first-round byes, then won in the next two rounds.
Sam Christman from Abington Heights and Tucker Chesman from Dallas moved within two wins of a second straight district doubles title. Each won a year ago with different partners.
Christman, who won with Sam Weis last year, is playing with Luke Morgan this season. They reached the semifinals in Class 3A along with Abington Heights teammates Domenic Peters and Ryan Salony.
Chesman is playing with his brother, Kyle Chesman, this season after winning with Dan Flynn last season. Dallas also sent Jason Joshi and Luca DeRome to the semifinals.
The Chesman team, playing as partners in tournament competition for the first time, did not lose a game in four sets.
Christman-Morgan lost just one game.
Valley View’s Luke Kotcho-Liam Harrison had the next smoothest trip to the semifinals, dropping four games along they way. They will face Joshi-DeRome, who had to get through a second-set tiebreaker and a three-set match.
The Chesmans will meet Scranton Prep’s Ethan Borick-Gianluca Argenio.
The Class 3A semifinals have Christman-Morgan against North Pocono’s Patrick Cawley-Fred Kloss and Peters-Salony against Wilkes-Barre Area’s Michael Hamel-Stanley Shimko.
Hamel, a sophomore, is trying to reach his fourth straight district final, playing in two in singles along with making it in doubles last year.
The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Wednesday, beginning at 1 p.m. at Kirby Park.
Friday’s action featured just one upset according to seeds.
Montrose’s Stephen Parinisi-Carter Dolaway knocked off Class 2A seventh-seeded Nathan Woelkers-David Geyfman from Scranton Prep, 7-5, 6-2, in the first round.
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Full match results from Friday’s three rounds: https://nepasportsnation.com/district-2-boys-tennis-5/.
