HS ROUNDUP: Abington Heights powers past Scranton Prep in Lackawanna League tennis showdown

Brady Comstock and Liam Farrell teamed to post a win in straight sets at No. 1 doubles that got top-ranked Abington Heights going on the way to a 4-1 win over No. 2 Scranton Prep on Wednesday in the much-anticipated showdown in Lackawanna League boys tennis.

Abington Heights remained undefeated and improved to 8-0 to gain possession of first place. Scranton Prep suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 7-1.

“It feels great, because we all played well,” Comstock said in a phone interview. “From No. 1 singles all the way locked in and ready to play today. When we are serving great, we can be tough to beat. Our games complement each other. I thought we served well, and we were solid at the net; that is where we want to win our points.

“We just have to keep playing like this.”

Comstock-Farrell earned a win over Kyle O’Malley and Kyle Costello, 6-0, 6-0, to give the Comets an early 1-0 lead in a match that moved indoors to the Birchwood Racquet Club due to the high winds and cold temperatures.

“Our strong point was our serves, staying at the net, and putting the ball away,” Farrell said in a phone interview”. “We did well on our groundstrokes too, but our serves were our strong point.

“Scranton Prep is our biggest rival, and this meant a lot for the team and gave us confidence to push through the season and continue to do well.”

Abington Heights gained momentum when William Arp defeated Jackson Keating, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 2 singles. The doubles team of Mike Klamp and Robby Lucas defeated Nathan Woelkers and Anthony Delayo, 6-1, 6-4, to clinch the overall win for the Comets.

Domenic Peters tacked on a victory over Matthew Cohen at No. 3 singles, 6-2, 6-2.

Scranton Prep’s win came when Akhilesh Velaga defeated Praneel Mallaiah, 6-3, 6-3, in a clash between two of the top singles players in District 2 and the state. Velaga improved to 7-0 overall this season and 53-7 in his career. Mallaiah, last year’s Times-Tribune Player of the Year, has a career record of 63-7.

“I was very excited for this match,” Velaga said in a phone interview. “I was curious to see how it would go. I played some of my best tennis. Praneel is such a great player, and we had a great match. It really means a lot that I went out there and played my game just wanting to see what happened, and I am thrilled that I pulled out the win. I want to thank my teammates, coach, and everyone who helped me improve throughout the season and helped me to perform so well.

“It feels amazing, but this is only the beginning. There is a lot more to do. We have team districts and singles districts. I just want to continue elevating my game.”

Singles: Velaga (SP) over Mallaiah, 6-3, 6-3. Arp (AH) over Keating, 6-1, 6-0. Peters (AH) over Cohen, 6-2, 6-2; Doubles: Comstock-Farrell (AH) over O’Malley-Costello, 6-0, 6-0. Klamp-Lucas (AH) over Woelkers-Delayo, 6-1, 6-4; Records: AH 8-0, SP 7-1.

Valley View 3, West Scranton 0: Nick Burak and Billy Giovagnoli earned singles wins to lead the Cougars to a win. Matthew D’Augustine had a win for West Scranton.

Singles: Burak (VV) over Sanchez, 6-0, 6-0. Giovagnoli (VV) over Nepal, 6-2, 7-5. D’Augustine (WS) over Lennox, 6-3, 6-2; Doubles: Rawlings-Kissell (VV) over Castro-Barnasky, 6-2, 7-5. Barbosa-Orozco (WS) over O’Shea-Dougher, 6-3, 6-3; Records: VV 4-5, WS 2-4.