May 30—Lenny Maiocco came up short in his quest for a state tennis championship Saturday in Hershey.
After a pair of convincing wins a day earlier, the Western Wayne senior lost his first match of the season in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, to eventual champion Nile Abadir of Lancaster Country Day, sending Maiocco into the third-place match.
There, Maiocco lost to Windber’s Matt Kozar, 7-5, 6-3, to finish fourth in the tournament.
“I didn’t play as well as I wanted to,” Maiocco said. “Sometimes your game just isn’t there. I went out there and gave it my best.”
Maiocco, a three-time District 2 champion who placed third in the state as a sophomore, ends his career with a 58-5 record with four losses coming in the state tournament.
“I am very happy with everything,” said Maiocco, who is hoping to join the University of Pennsylvania team as a walk-on. “Everything happens for a reason. I am going to grow from my experiences and I am excited for what is next.”
Abadir, a sophomore, won the title by defeating Nicolas Scheller of North Catholic, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Dallas’ team of Tucker Chesman and Dan Flynn finished third in the Class 2A doubles tournament.
The pair, who lost to eventual champions Mitchell Bramiage-Ryan Bill of Devon Prep, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinals, defeated South Park’s Joe Toth-Ethan Bowden, 6-3, 6-4, in the third-place match.
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