A WPIAL championship in tennis doubles came as a surprise to Michelle Yang and Jackie Tang
However, the Mt. Lebanon duo combined to beat Shady Side Academy’s Brooke Henderson and Alexandra Merkel in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0, during the Class 3A finals played Oct. 3 on the Bethel Park High School courts.
“It’s amazing to be a WPIAL champion,” Yang said. “I never thought I would win this to be honest.”
“Honestly,” added Tang. “I feel the same way as (Yang). It’s crazy to be a WPIAL champion.”
For starters, neither plays doubles.
Tang is the No. 1 singles player for the Blue Devils, who are the top seed in the team tournament that concludes Oct. 16 at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center on the Washington and Jefferson College campus.
“When I was a freshman, I was really bad at it,” said Tang. “I would never win or anything like that.”
Yang usually plays No. 2 singles for the Blue Devils. Last year, she suffered a “pretty big injury” to the arm that controls her forehand. She was out half of the year.
“During tryouts it snapped out,” she noted. “I pulled something like a tendon,” she added explaining the tape wrapped around her right wrist.
Neither Yang nor Tang showed any ill effects from their deficiencies. After winning the section title with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph against Catalina Ramirez and Anna Engelman, they breezed their way into the WPIAL finals.
After pro set wins, 10-3, agains Greater Latrobe’s Brooke Coll and Maria Fetter as well as Elinor Kim and Adelaide Seigworth from North Hills, Tang and Yang dispatched Pine-Richland’s Cassandra Lapina and Sonaya Aora, 7-5, 6-2, in the semifinals.
Tang and Yang – who share same birthday – credited “chemistry” for their secret to success.
“We work really well together,” Yang said. “That’s why we won.”
“We stay focused and kept our goal of winning in mind,” Tang added.
For the next few weeks, Yang and Tang return to singles duties as the Blue Devils were set to open team tournament action hosting Baldwin on Oct. 7. The quarterfinals were scheduled for Oct. 9 against the winner between Pine-Richland and Penn-Trafford followed by the quarterfinals on Oct. 14. Times and sites were to be determined.
“The goal now is to win team WPIALs,” Yang said. “Sure, win states, too.”
As WPIAL doubles champions, Yang and Tang qualified for the PIAA tournament to be held Nov. 1-2 at the Hershey Racquet Club.
NOTES: In the third-place consolation match to determine the final doubles team to qualify for the PIAA tournament, Kaitlyn Kuczinski and Carly Weber from Chartiers Valley dropped a two-set decision to Lapina and Aora.
Kuczinski and Weber won their opening matches, 10-4 and 10-1, before falling to Henderson and Merkel, 6-4, 6-3, in the semifinals.
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