CHAPEL HILL— Two cross-town rivals will meet on Saturday, but it will be in the semifinals of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A tennis championships at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center at the University of North Carolina.
Top-seeded Mike Greenberg of East Chapel Hill and third-seeded Andrew Malizia of Chapel Hill each won two matches on Friday to advance to the Saturday semifinals. Greenberg was the 3-A runner-up in 2004 and won the 3-A championship in ‘05, but East Chapel Hill moved to 4-A in the new alignment this year.
Second-seeded Michael Pereira of Fayetteville Jack Britt will play Charlotte Providence’s Chris Sheehan in the other singles semifinal. One string has already been broken, though, because a Raleigh school has had a singles finalist in each of the last eight 4-A state championships but no Wake County players made it to the semifinals this time.
Last year’s doubles runners-up, Joe May and Greg Simon of Greenville Rose, are the third-seeded team and will face the top-seeded duo from Chapel Hill, Chase Helpingstine and Austin Webb, in one semifinal. The second seeds, Eric Noble and Ryan Noble of Fayetteville Terry Sanford, will play Thomas Rickenbaker and Brendan O’Connor of Charlotte Providence in the other semifinal. Rickenbacker and O’Connor upset the fourth-seeded team of Lucas Puente and Cullen Lee of Wilmington Laney in the first round.
Action will get underway at 9:00 Saturday morning, with the championship matches to be played early Saturday afternoon.
Wendy’s and the Carolinas Ford Dealers are the presenting sponsors for the NCHSAA sports program.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2006 STATE 4-A MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Singles-First Round
Mike Greenberg (East Chapel Hill) def. Carter Braxton (Charlotte Providence) 6-1,6-1; David Chermak (Raleigh Sanderson) def. Hamilton Engram (Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds) 6-3,6-1; Andrew Malizia (Chapel Hill) def. Merritt Trigg (Charlotte Myers Park) 6-2,6-2; Alan Donald (Wilmington New Hanover) def. Drew Phillips (East Mecklenburg) 6-4,6-1; Chris Sheehan (Charlotte Providence) def. Andrew Bock (Fayetteville Terry Sanford) 6-4,6-1; Justin Radloff (Cary) def. Conner Sherwood (Greensboro Grimsley) 6-1,6-4; Thomas Pendergrast (Wilmington New Hanover) def. Ryan Veatch (Huntersville Hopewell) 6-2,6-0; Michael Pereira (Fayetteville Jack Britt) def. Ian Hunter (Charlotte Vance) 6-0,6-1.
Singles-Quarterfinals
Greenberg (East Chapel Hill) def. Chermak (Sanderson) 6-0,6-2; Malizia (Chapel Hill) def. Donald (Wilmington New Hanover) 6-2,3-6,6-3; Sheehan (Charlotte Providence) def. Radloff (Cary) 6-2,4-6,6-2; Pereira (Fayetteville Jack Britt) def. Pendergrast (Wilmington New Hanover) 6-2,6-3.
Singles—Semifinals
Mike Greenberg (East Chapel Hill) vs. Andrew Malizia (Chapel Hill)
Chris Sheehan (Charlotte Providence) vs. Michael Pereira (Fayetteville Jack Britt)
Doubles—First Round
Chase Helpingstine-Austin Webb (Chapel Hill) def. Ted Monks-Chris Baum (Charlotte Providence) 6-3,7-6(3); Alex Wetherell-Evan Tsun (Morrisville Green Hope) def. Zach Pomer-Zack Wise (Greensboro Grimsley) 6-4,6-1; Joe May-Greg Simon (Greenville Rose) def. Chris Maher-Ryan Kearney (Concord Jay Robinson) 6-1,6-3; David Buffie-Tyler Jeffers (Weddington) def. Rob Warrick-Nick Garrett (Wilmington Hoggard) 6-3,6-3; Matt Rorech-Michael Zurawell (Raleigh Millbrook) def. Patrick Cunningham-Ben Knight (Winston-Salem Mount Tabor)6-1,6-1; Thomas Rickenbaker-Brendan O’Connor (Charlotte Providence) def. Lucas Puente-Cullen Lee (Wilmington Laney) 4-6,6-0,6-2; Jeff Archer-Tim Bayus (East Chapel Hill) def. Troy Warber-Tyler Warber (Central Cabarrus) 6-2,6-1; Eric Noble-Ryan Noble (Fayetteville Terry Sanford) def. Matthew Hancock-Wes Golding (Gastonia Ashbrook) 6-1,6-1.
Doubles-Quarterfinals
Helpingstine-Webb (Chapel Hill) def Wetherell-Tsun (Morrisville Green Hope) 7-5,6-2; May-Simon (Greenville Rose) def. Buffie-Jeffers (Weddington) 6-4,6-2; Rickenbaker-O’Connor (Charlotte Providence) def. Rorech-Zurawell (Raleigh Millbrook) 6-4,6-3; Noble-Noble (Fayetteville Terry Sanford) def. Archer-Bayus (East Chapel Hill), 6-1,6-4.
Doubles—Semifinals
Chase Helpingstine-Austin Webb (Chapel Hill) vs. Joe May-Greg Simon (Greenville Rose)
Thomas Rickenbaker-Brendan O’Connor (Charlotte Providence) vs. Eric Noble-Ryan Noble (Fayetteville Terry Sanford)
