Sophomore Nikita Petruk won first place at the North Allegheny tennis singles tournament on Friday.
“It was pretty shocking,” Petruk said. “I was really tired out on the court. I almost passed out.”
Petruk received a first-round bye, then won his second-round match, 8-0. He then won 8-4 and 8-3 in the third and fourth rounds and won in the championship round, 8-2.
Petruk said that he did well with his serves and that he could improve on his backhand.
Sophomore Carter Smeal said it was great to see Petruk win.
“It was great to be able to see Nikita do so well in the tournament and represent Baldwin tennis,” Smeal said. “It was awesome to see him win and beat out so many other schools.”
Petruk played consistently all around and was great at finishing points and close games, Smeal said.
Meanwhile, last Thursday, the Baldwin boys tennis team lost to North Hills, 3-2.
“We fought well and were able to return a lot of tough shots and serves,” Smeal said. “We were also able to win some games and keep it close throughout.”
North Hills played very consistently and were able to force the Highlanders’ mistakes, Smeal said.
The team wants to finish on a high note with their final matches, Smeal said. The team’s next match is at 3:30 p.m. today away against Chartiers Valley.
