By Noah Poser
Three years since its last city title, Whitney Young needed to overcome an additional two-hour delay before getting to compete for a chance at reclaiming the number one spot in Chicago girls high school tennis.
And the Dolphins did just that, braving a brief delay en route to winning the 2024 Chicago Public League Girls Varsity Tennis Championship Friday, Oct. 4, at Riis Park.
The victory ended Payton’s two-year run at the top and returned Young back to its winning ways in the event.
“It feels good,” Young coach Carl Abram said. “Our team has been rebuilding but the freshmen and sophomores on our team really stepped up. All the seniors that have been with the program stepped up in their roles as well, so it’s nice to finally get towards the end of the season and show all our hard work has paid off.”
The tournament was tightly contested throughout the day, and court drying pushed back the start time, but this year’s event was still nowhere near as dramatic as the previous two iterations.
After two consecutive years where the winner was determined via tiebreaker, Young was able to win by a slightly more comfortable margin of four points this time around.
The Dolphins finished the tournament with 23 points, while Lane Tech finished second with 19 points and Lincoln Park finished third with 14 points, nipping Payton by a single point for the final podium spot.
The battle for third place came down to the final match of the day, one that saw Lincoln Park junior Niev Gilden up against talented Young freshman Morgan Monagan for the No. 2 singles title. After a back-and-forth battle, it was Gilden who was able to defeat Monagan 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to win herself an individual title and clinch third place for her team in the process.
For Gilden, the result was never in doubt.
“I would say I was expecting to win,” Gilden said. “I was still nervous, but I had beaten the players I played before and I was hoping to keep my undefeated streak. But I was still nervous, the Whitney Young girl (Monagan), she’s a great player.”
Gilden’s win was the lone individual title for Lincoln Park, as Young and Lane split the remaining four brackets, claiming two apiece.
In No. 1 singles, Lane sophomore Maya Kasza defended her title, beating Young junior Leena Manadan 6-0, 6-3. Meanwhile, in No. 3 doubles, the Lane duo of senior Pratibaa Prabhakaran and sophomore Adya Buschan defeated Payton’s pairing of juniors Sam Pilgrim and Hannah Braunreiter 7-5,7-5.
After reflecting on her big win, Kasza took a moment to look ahead towards the future.
“Unless some crazy freshman comes along next year, I don’t really see…,” Kasza started with a laugh before continuing. “I mean, there are some good girls here and I’ve had tough matches against them, but I think I can win all four years.”
While it remains to be seen what Kasza has in store in the coming years, this particular year belonged to Young. And while strong results throughout the tournament is what sealed the team title for the Dolphins, wins in No. 1 and No. 2 doubles served as the catalyst for the victory.
Sophomore Imade Osaghae and freshman Harper Wright took down Payton senior Siena Shah and junior Alexis Keener in straight sets in the No. 1 doubles final, 6-2, 6-0. Meanwhile, in the No. 2 doubles final, Young sophomore Aderinsola Oshuntuyi and senior Moira Koleno won 6-3, 6-3 against Northside sophomore Yuna Yang and senior Gaya Garapaty.
While the individual accomplishment was nice for Osaghae and Wright, it was the team title that meant the most to them at the end of the day, especially for Osaghae who claimed to have successfully called her team’s shot.
“I knew we were locked in for city (champions),” Osaghae said.
“Our team is really, really good.”
Photos by Jim Vincent/OSA
