Ernesto Dillon capped a remarkable high school career with a fourth-place finish in the state tennis tournament. The event was held at the National Tennis Center in Flushing.
The 12th-grader’s accomplishment sent his coaches on a research assignment, trying to find out if any Cornwall players have ever done as well. If they have, they did it a long time ago.
Ernesto won his first two matches by comfortable margins before meeting the eventual runner-up in the quarterfinals. The two rivals knew one another. This time, Eastchester’s Taiyo Hamanaka was at the top of his game. He advanced to the semifinals while Ernesto entered the consolation round, where he posted two more victories to earn his medal.He also won the Section IX award for sportsmanship.
He ends his high school career with four OCIAA singles titles, two Section IX titles and 86 career victories. He will be playing for Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. next season.
Ernesto’s teammates, Lucas Arora and Danny Leach, drew a tough opponent in the opening round of the doubles tournament. After losing their first match, the middle school duo engaged in one of the most exciting battles of the tournament. On the verge of elimination, they rallied to win the second set and force a tiebreaker, which they lost 8-10.
Lucas is in eighth grade and Danny in seventh grade. There was only one other eighth-grader in the entire doubles competition.
Coaches Steve Ring and Matt Greevy accompanied their players. It was a great year for Cornwall. The tennis team won all of its matches without ever dropping a set.
STATE TENNIS
May 29-31
Singles: Dillon W. 6-1, 6-1 (first round),, W. 6-2, 6-3 (second round), L. 3-6, 0-6 (quarterfinals), W. 6-0, 6-2 (consolation), W. by default (fourth place)
Doubles:: Arora-Leach L. 0-6, 0-6 (first round), L. 5-7, 7-5, 8-10 (consolation)
