After finishing 1-2 at singles tournament, Gateway tennis eyes section team title

By: Michael Love
Sunday, April 2, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Gateway ruled the bracket for the WPIAL Section 1-3A singles tournament last week at Franklin Regional High School.

Sophomores Adam Memije and Zidaan Hassan are no strangers to tennis tournament competition, having grown up in the sport for the better part of the past decade.

But both are new to representing Gateway.

With a mix of in-school classes and cyber studies this year, both Memije and Hassan are a part of the Gateway team, and they have been able to dominate.

The early season success continued as Memije and Hassan met for the section title after both dispatched their Franklin Regional adversaries — senior No. 3 seed Aaron Allen and junior No. 4 seed Dhruv Kulkarni — in straight sets in the semifinals.

Putting their knowledge of each other’s games to the test, Memije and Hassan played to a first-set tiebreaker before Memije came out on top.

Hassan evened the match with a clean 6-0 win in the second set.

That set up a third-set battle for the title. Memije got up on his Gators teammates before finishing off a 6-2 victory.

“It was hard playing him,” Memije said. “I’ve been playing him since age 6, and there is a lot of strategy that went into the match because we know each other so well. There was a lot of really good tennis out there (in the tournament).”

Hassan echoed Memije’s sentiments.

“We know how to play each other, so it is always close,” he said. “It is always competitive, but after the match, there’s so much respect. Adam is one of my best friends, so win or lose, we’re good.”

Memije and Hassan, along with Allen and Kulkarni from Franklin Regional, will represent Section 1 at the WPIAL singles tournament next Tuesday and Wednesday, April 11 and 12, at Bethel Park and North Allegheny high schools.

The WPIAL singles brackets were to be released Monday, and both Gateway players were expected to be top seeds for the tournament.

“There is a lot of excitement around the team,” Memije said. “I want to win this (WPIAL singles) title for the team and for Gateway, and I know Zidaan does, too. We also have goals of winning a (WPIAL) team title. We just have to continue to play the way we know we can.”

First-year Gateway coach Emily Levine said she continues to marvel at the skill both Memije and Hassan display on the court as well as their leadership both on and off the court.

“They are just great all-around additions to the team,” Levine said. “They also are quick to be there for the other players if they need help with anything. They jump in and are like, ‘Oh, try this.’ We have a number of kids brand new to tennis, and they help them not to get discouraged if something doesn’t go their way.”

Freshman Logan Memije completes a lethal singles punch for the Gators. He, Adam Memije, Hassan, Allen and Kulkarni all train with top instructor Rashid Hassan at Hassan’s Elite Tennis Academy at the Murrysville Racquet Club.

“There is a special dynamic to this team, and Adam, Zidaan and Logan’s experience and knowledge has helped lift the team to a new level and has brought a lot of excitement,” Levine said.

Logan Memije was on hand at Franklin Regional to watch his brother and Hassan do battle for the section title.

“It’s a really great feeling to be able to give back to the school the way we are with how we are playing,” he said.

“It is probably one of the more competitive sports for our school this year. It’s a great opportunity to do our best out there and win as much as we can.”

Last year, Matthew Bandos, as a sophomore, represented Gateway at the section singles tournament and made the quarterfinals.

Bandos, who played last year at No. 1 singles, now is at No. 1 doubles with senior newcomer Zach Meshanko.

“Matt trains with Adam, Zidaan and Logan, so he knew who they were, and he doesn’t feel slighted by any means,” Levin said.

“He has accepted and adopted his role as a double player, and he’s doing really well with that.”

Teaming up at No. 2 doubles are senior John Falbelli and junior Zane Almoukal.

“We have 15 players on the team this year, and it is great to know we have a solid program we can rely on for the next several years,” Levine said.

Gateway started out 2-0 in Section 1 play with a 4-1 win over Norwin and a 3-2 victory over Hempfield.

The Gators also were 5-1 overall heading into Thursday’s section clash with Franklin Regional, a match that was to go a long way in determining the section title.

Gateway has not won a boys tennis section title in more than three decades.

“Franklin Regional has been ruling the section for a long time, and we hope to have the chance to take it away from them,” Logan Memije said leading up to the match with the Panthers.

In the team’s lone loss, a 5-0 result against Thomas Jefferson on March 24, Adam and Logan Memije and Hassan were not in the lineup.

The top four teams from the section will enter the WPIAL Class 3A team tournament set for May 1-10.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway