Sports
Brooklyn Tech's Chahi and Borak Defeated in PSAL Doubles Final
Duo lost 6-3, 6-0 to top seeds from Stuyvesant High School
The dream run in the PSAL Doubles Championships for Brooklyn Tech tennis duo Sami Chahi and Mikolaj Borak reached an abrupt end Tuesday afternoon.
Competing in the championship match at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, Chahi and Borak were unable to find the form that led them to the final round as they fell 6-3, 6-0 to Christophe Jou and Leon Pan of Stuyvesant High School.
“I thought we were the better doubles team overall, but just made some really awful mistakes,” Chahi said. “We never got going out there.”
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Both teams held their serves until 4-3 in the first set, when a forehand volley error from Borak gave the Stuyvesant pair the first break of serve in the match. Jou held serve easily in the following game, with a strong kick serve wrapping up the opening set.
An early break of Borak’s serve in the opening game of the second set seemed to take the wind out of the Brooklyn Tech team. While Jou and Pan continued to attack the net, Chahi found himself missing several forehands from behind the baseline. A forehand volley winner from Pan while serving out the match at 5-0 clinched it for Stuyvesant High.
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Despite the loss, Brooklyn Tech coach Dr. Scott Anderson said he was pleased with Chahi and Borak’s play throughout the season.
“Sami really stepped up for us this year at the No. 2 singles position,” Anderson said. “Mikolaj was extremely solid for us at No. 3 singles as well. With their play this season, we extremely confident with our singles lineup going into every match.”
With both Chahi and Borak returning to the team next year, in addition to their No. 1 singles player, Jake Sosonkin, Anderson said he believes they can go one further than their second-place showing in last week's PSAL Team Championships, in which Beacon High School edged out Tech for the top spot.
“I’ve always said this is still a rebuilding year for us,” Anderson said. “We’re only losing one doubles player next season and (defending champions) Beacon High are losing two of their top three singles players, so we have an ever better chance to go all the way next year.”