Class 2A bracket filled with upsets at WPIAL doubles championships

By: Tribune-Review
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 5:15 PM

In Class 3A, things went according to plan, but in Class 2A, the seeds were thrown right out the window at the WPIAL doubles championships Tuesday.

The top two seeds – No. 1 Adam Memije and Zidaan Hassan of Gateway and No. 2 Deniz Finkel and Ian Kuchera of Allderdice – will meet for the Class 3A title.

The No. 7 seed, Josh Havrilla and August Lawrence of Latrobe, will take on the No. 9 seed, Liam Pederson and Brendon Hallisey of Chartiers Valley, in the Class 2A championship match.

The championship and consolation finals are set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Bethel Park.

The top two finishers in Class 3A and the top four in Class 2A advance to the state tournament.

In Class 2A, Pederson and Hallisey knocked off top-seeded Sebastian Tan and Alex Quigley of Sewickley Academy in the quarterfinals, then avenged a loss in the section finals with a three-set victory over No. 4 Jonah Jasek and Steven Duing of South Park in the semifinals.

Havrilla and Lawrence followed a similar path. In the quarterfinals, they upset second-seeded Vitaliy Pikalo and Ben LaRusse of Hampton. In the semifinals, they avenged a loss in the section finals with a three-set win over No. 3 Nicholas Bussard and Landon Harclerode of Valley.

There was far less drama in the top half of the bracket in Class 3A. Memije and Hassan rolled through three matches, losing a total of two games. They defeated Cooper and Mason Friday of Fox Chapel in the semifinals.

Finkel and Kuchera had a tougher road in the bottom half of the bracket, eventually getting past No. 3 Ronan Gibbons and Ari Plutko of Upper St. Clair in a tight, two-set match in the semifinals.

WPIAL Doubles Championships

Tuesday’s results

Class 3A

At Bethel Park

First round

Adam Memije/Zidaan Hassan, Gateway d. Ryan Moore/Udi Akolkar, Pine-Richland, 10-0; Jack Delaney/Travis Malone, Fox Chapel d. Avi Sharman/David Lusk, Peters Township, 10-7; Cooper Friday/Mason Friday, Fox Chapel d. Paul Gorun/Nolan McGill, Mt. Lebanon, 10-0; Evan Kaufman/Matthew Kampi, North Allegheny d. Aditya Arkalgud/Joshua Selvakumar, Franklin Regional, 10-0; Ronan Gibbons/Ari Plutko, Upper St. Clair d. Ian Hurt/Nathan Bang, Pine-Richland, 10-1; Chase Hartman/Sid Ramineni, Shady Side Academy d. Aaron Allen/Dhruv Kulkarni, Franklin Regional, 10-7; Logan Memije/Zack Meshanko, Gateway d. Srivatsav Thirumala/Adhav Ramadas, North Allegheny, 11-9; Finkel/Kuchera, Allderdice d. Daniel Wang/Aadi Markose, Upper St. Clair, 10-2

Quarterfinals

A. Memije/Hassan, Gateway d. Delaney/Malone, Fox Chapel, 10-1; C. Friday/M. Friday, Fox Chapel d. Kaufman/Kampi, North Allegheny, 10-5; Gibbons/Plutko, Upper St. Clair d. Hartman/Ramineni, Shady Side Academy, 10-2; Finkel/Kuchera, Allderdice d. L. Memije/Meshanko, Gateway, 10-3

Semifinals

A. Memije/Hassan, Gateway d. C. Friday/M. Friday, Fox Chapel, 6-0, 6-1; Finkel/Kuchera, Allderdice d. Gibbons/Plutko, Upper St. Clair, 7-6 (3), 6-4

Class 2A

At North Allegheny

First round

Liam Pederson/Brendon Hallisey, Chartiers Valley d. Alex Garvey/Justin Kontul, North Catholic, 10-6; Grant Webb/Nick Allan, Quaker Valley d. Dylan Gentile/Ethan Harclerode, Valley, 10-8; Jonah Jasek/Steven Duing, South Park d. Christian Zhu/Mack Jamison, Winchester Thurston, 10-2; Nicholas Bussard/Landon Harclerode, Valley d. Alex Weber/Justin Garvey, North Catholic, 10-1; Andrew Cavett/Zach Masters, Beaver d. Brahm Gianiodis/Will Watson, Quaker Valley, 10-8; Josh Havrilla/August Lawrence, Latrobe d. Spencer Kryzinski/Jackson Quigley, Sewickley Academy, 10-2; Vitaliy Pikalo/Ben LaRusse, Hampton d. Kyle Siler/Rylan Barr, Thomas Jefferson, 10-3

Quarterfinals

Pederson/Hallisey, Chartiers Valley d. Sebastian Tan/Alex Quigley, Sewickley Academy, 10-6; Jasek/Duing, South Park d. Webb/Allan, Quaker Valley, 11-9; Bussard/Harclerode, Valley d. Cavett/Masters, Beaver, 10-3; Havrilla/Lawrence, Latrobe d. Pikalo/LaRusse, Hampton, 10-3

Semifinals

Pederson/Hallisey, Chartiers Valley d. Jasek/Duing, South Park, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Havrilla/Lawrence, Latrobe d. Bussard/Harclerode, Valley, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3

Tags: Allderdice, Chartiers Valley, Gateway, Latrobe