Scranton Prep's Velaga, Abington Heights' Mallaiah Win D2 Singles Titles

May 10—CLARKS SUMMIT — Fans of Scranton Prep and Wyoming Seminary may have experienced a feeling of deja vu when the District 2 Class 2A boys tennis championship finalists were determined.

A championship clash between Prep's Akhilesh Velaga and Sem's Billy Hall marked the second time in three days that the two singles standouts faced each other at the Birchwood Racquet Club.

A winner the first time around, Velaga wasn't about to let Hall even the score with a gold medal on the line.

Velaga defeated Hall 6-1, 6-2 in the finals to win his second District 2 Class 2A singles title — his first happening back in 2022 as a freshman.

"After my freshman year, I wanted to improve but my results didn't go that well the next two years," Velaga said. "I kept my mind straight, worked really hard in the offseason and it feels amazing to have such a great senior season."

Velaga's victory made it a sweep of the two boys singles titles for the Lackawanna League. About a half hour earlier, the Class 3A district title was decided in a championship match with Abington Heights on both sides of the net.

Praneel Mallaiah, the top seed in the Class 3A tournament, won his second straight district title and his third in four years with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over his Comets teammate William Arp.

The Wyoming Valley Conference's presence was more strongly felt in the Class 2A field, with three of the four semifinal spots occupied by WVC players.

Velaga took down Holy Redeemer's Frank Klimovitz in his semifinal match, while Hall breezed to a win over Wyoming Area's Luca Argenio.

This set up a rematch from just 48 hours prior, when Velaga and Hall squared off as the No. 1 singles players for their schools in the Class 2A district team final on Wednesday.

Wyoming Seminary won the team title, but it was Velaga that won the head-to-head match with Hall in straight sets, giving him a good sense of what to expect in Friday's singles final.

"It was good experience...I didn't know what Billy [Hall] was going to throw at me," Velaga said in reference to Wednesday's match. "It was nice to play him and get used to his game."

Velaga proved even tougher to solve in the rematch, withstanding Hall's best efforts to get back to the top of the mountain in District 2.

He'll head to the first round of the state tournament, set for May 23.

Hall will be back in action next week in the District 2 Class 2A doubles tournament, starting Wednesday and ending Thursday.

Mallaiah wins third district title in four years

The Abington Heights dominance on the tennis courts wasn't just limited to the team championships this year, as senior standout Mallaiah capped off an incredible District 2 career with his third District 2 Class 3A singles championship.

The only blemish on Mallaiah's District 2 record was a semifinal loss in 2023, his sophomore season. Mallaiah righted the ship last year with a gold medal and cruised through the field this year to repeat as champ.

Mallaiah didn't drop a single game in two early-round wins on Thursday, and began Friday's competition the same way with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Crestwood's Tommy Biscotti in the semifinals.

Like Velaga and Hall in the Class 2A final, this was Mallaiah's second match against Biscotti of the week after the two faced off in the Class 3A team finals on Wednesday.

It was much of the same on Friday, Mallaiah looking near-invincible to pick up the win.

Not long after winning his own semifinal match, Mallaiah got to watch as his Abington Heights teammate Arp punched his ticket to the finals.

Arp, a district semifinalist as a freshman last year, defeated Wyoming Valley West's Gadgidas Reisinger in straight sets to make it a Comet versus Comet showdown in the finals.

"Will's a great player and a great teammate, as well," Mallaiah said. "It was nice to have an all-Abington final for the first time."

Mallaiah and Arp will be back competing on the same side of the net on Tuesday, when Abington Heights takes on Unionville from District 1 in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A team state tournament.

Mallaiah's run in the singles state tournament will begin on May 23.

District 2 Class 2A Boys Tennis Championships

Semifinals — Akhilesh Velaga (SP) def. Frank Klimovitz (HR) 6-0, 6-3; Billy Hall (SEM) def. Luca Argenio (WA) 6-0, 6-0. Finals — Akhilesh Velaga def. Billy Hall 6-1, 6-2.

Class 3A Boys Tennis Championships

Semifinals — Praneel Mallaiah (AH) def. Tommy Biscotti (CRE) 6-0, 6-0; William Arp (AH) def. Gadgidas Reisinger (WVW) 6-1, 6-0. Finals — Praneel Mallaiah def. William Arp 6-1, 6-2.