WPIAL champ North Allegheny tennis gets key late-season boost

By: John Grupp
Saturday, April 19, 2025 | 11:01 AM

North Allegheny junior Evan Kaufman’s left shoulder was in such bad shape last spring that he had to serve underhanded during the state playoffs.

Nearly one year later, after surgery and extensive physical therapy, Kaufman is back on the court, providing a late-season boost to the defending WPIAL Class 3A boys tennis champions.

“Now he’s serving overhand,” NA coach Matt Woffington said, “and it’s a much better weapon.”

Kaufman is feeling better. After being cleared to return April 1, he is undefeated in three matches, winning all three 6-0, 6-0 for the Tigers (11-1, 7-0 in Section 2-3A).

“I’m glad to be back,” said Kaufman, who plays No. 2 singles. “It was a long recovery, but it’s better.”

Kaufman played part of last season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. A left-hander, he had aggravated the shoulder at a USTA tournament in early spring 2024, and the pain grew so intense he had to sit out the WPIAL playoffs as the Tigers won their first team title in 15 years. Kaufman returned for the state playoffs, winning his two matches despite serving underhanded, as NA reached the state semifinals.

“It hurt at some points,” Kaufman said, “but I made it work.”

He underwent surgery in June and slowly worked his way back to the court. His physical therapy included holding dumb bells and swinging them in a motion that mimicked a tennis racquet.

“The first couple of months, I wasn’t really allowed to do much of anything,” he said. “After three months, I started (physical therapy) about two or three times a week. I started hitting in December, and I got cleared to serve about a month ago. … It felt good. Clearly, the surgery did what it was supposed to do. That was relieving.”

Kaufman rejoins a loaded NA lineup led by sophomore Advaita Sircar, who lost to No. 2 seeded Gateway senior Adam Memije, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4, in the WPIAL Class 3A singles championship April 11 in a rematch of last year’s final.

Sircar, the top-seeded defending champion, was trying to become the first boy in WPIAL history to win the Class 3A singles title as a freshman and a sophomore.

But in cold, windy conditions at Bethel Park, Sircar fell in a match that lasted more than 3½ hours.

“That was definitely the longest match I’ve ever been involved with and probably the coldest,” Woffington said. “It was pretty miserable conditions. Given the conditions, the way that both kids played was pretty amazing.”

Sircar, who one week earlier had rolled to his second consecutive Section 2-3A title, advances to the PIAA Class 3A singles championship May 23-24 at Hershey Racquet Club. He will face the to-be-determined District 8/9/10 champion in the first round of the 16-player bracket.

“He obviously has the talent,” Woffington said of his No. 1 singles player. “He could probably beat just about anybody in the state. … He is a lot more aggressive this year. Last year, he played it kind of safe. This year, he’s really starting to use some angles. He’s pulling kids out wide and driving the ball down the line on the other side.”

Kaufman’s return strengthens the lineup because it allows the other players to move down one spot. The new lineup has senior Sri Thirumala, a section runner-up and WPIAL qualifier, at No. 3 singles; senior Nick Scheuring and junior Adhav Ramadas at No. 1 doubles; and sophomores Ronit Ginde and Shivum Telang at No. 2 doubles. The WPIAL team playoffs begin April 28.

“Anytime you can add a player like (Kaufman) at this point in the season, it’s great,” Woffington said. “We were strong to begin with.”

The Tigers have won 10 in a row since suffering their only loss, 3-2 to Mt. Lebanon on March 11. Each of their past six matches have been 5-0 victories, including defending WPIAL Class 2A champion Sewickley Academy on April 4 in Kaufman’s return. In their first six matches of the season, they had only two shutout wins.

“We’re looking really strong right now,” Kaufman said. “Obviously, the goal would be to win WPIALs. … My main concern was getting back for team playoffs.”

Tags: North Allegheny