Dellacono wins second straight ECC girls' tennis title in matchup of friends
Stonington — Gabby Dellacono and Charlotte Johnstone, Stonington tennis teammates and friends, chatted at the net during warm-ups Friday afternoon.
The first serve of the Eastern Connecticut Conference girls' tennis tournament singles final was only minutes away, yet it didn't have the feel of a championship match because of their close relationship.
"At the end of the practice, usually we'll play each other, that's what it felt like," Johnstone said.
The heavily-favored Dellacono, a sensational sophomore, focused on defending her title and accomplished the feat in dominating fashion, breezing to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at Stonington High School.
"It's awkward," Dellacono said of playing her teammate. "But, at the same time, you just have to think that it's just another opponent that you have to play. ... In tournaments, I play my friends all the time that I see so I'm kind of used to it. It still was weird because I see her every day on the court. But I just pretend that it's just a normal match."
Johnstone took home a consolation prize of sorts by becoming the only player to take a game off the top-seeded Dellacono during her impressive tournament run.
She entered the match with realistic expectations.
"I could have played better but I was never going to win," Johnstone said.
Dellacono simply overpowered Johnstone, just as she did every other ECC opponent this season while going undefeated for the second straight season in conference play. She started off the match with two straight aces on sizzling serves.
Everything was working for Dellacono.
She unleashed some powerful ground strokes and deadly accurate passing shots that painted the line. She showed off an improved forehand that she's worked on over the last year. About her only complaint was her first serve could have been better.
"Gabby Dellacono is one of the best players that's ever been in the Eastern Connecticut Conference," Stonington coach George Crouse said. "(Thursday's semifinal match) was the best that I've ever saw her play. She didn't miss anything."
Dellacono won the first set in just 14 minutes.
After a brief break, Dellacono kept rolling until the fifth game. A double fault put her in a hole and Johnstone took advantage, winning the game with a well-placed shot down the line.
Dellacono regained her edge and quickly finished it off, winning the second set in 19 minutes. There were only handful of long rally during the match.
It's hard to imagine Dellacono not finishing her high school career with four ECC singles titles.
"She has basically everything," Johnstone said. "She can slice, she can lob. And she has really heavy topspin shots that go really deep. And she doesn't miss a lot either. And she has a really good serve."
There was plenty for Johnstone to celebrate, too.
Johnstone, a junior, fought her way into the finals for the first time, pulling off a couple upsets along the way as the sixth seed. In Thursday's semifinals, she trailed No. 2 Alaina Moger of Waterford after the first set before rallying for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.
"She's improved so much," Dellacono said. "She's an amazing player. I think it's awesome for her to reach the finals. She's just a great player. I love playing with her and practicing with her."
It also was a strange day for Crouse, who concentrated on watching his doubles team play in the finals because "there wasn't much I could do for either of them."
He's happy that both players will be on the same team for the upcoming Class S tournament, which begins Saturday (the unbeaten Bears at the No. 1 seed).
"I'm really proud of Gabby and also Charlotte," Crouse said.
It was banner day for the Bears overall, as the Stonington duo of Hannah Middleton-Krancberg and Brielle Fratoni-Jaskiewicz outlasted Waterford's Catherine Yao and Stacey Tasoulas 6-2, 6-7 (8-10) and 7-6 (7-5) in a doubles final that lasted two and a half hours.
The second set was interesting, to say the least. The top-seeded Stonington duo rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead. Then they broke serve to go up 6-5. But the second-seeded Lancers responded to force a tiebreaker. During the tiebreaker, Stonington led 5-1 before Waterford rallied to its first lead at 7-6 and finally close out the match, 10-8, extending the marathon match to a third set.
It is the first ECC doubles title for Middleton-Krancberg and Fratoni-Jaskiewicz, who lost in the finals last year to two of their Stonington teammates.
g.keefe@theday.com
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