Destin High girls tennis team beats Crestview and Fort Walton Beach. Boys split

The Destin High girls tennis team captured two victories this week, one over Crestview High and another over Fort Walton Beach. The Destin boys struggled at Crestview but came back to beat Fort Walton. 

“We are really proud of how hard everyone competed this week,” Destin Coach Holley Guarachi said. 

“Crestview High was a big challenge, and we competed as well. Fort Walton Beach was also a challenge, not only because they are a well-established tennis force in our area, but because everyone was pretty sore from playing on hard courts the day before,” she said. 

On Wednesday, the Sharks traveled to Crestview to take on the Bulldogs. The Destin girls walked off with a 6-1 win, while the boys lost 1-6. 

More:Destin Sharks whip Jay Royals on the courts

Destin's girls swept the Bulldogs in singles play. After falling behind, No. 1 seed Ashley Calogero came back to win 13-11. Destin No. 2 Teagan Seton won 10-7. Isabella Grzbieluch walked off with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over her Bulldog opponent. Megan Fajardo won 10-6, and No. 5 player Caroline Campbell came away with a 6-1, 6-2 win. 

In doubles, Calogero and Seton lost a 8-10. Grzbieluch and Fajardo teamed up to win 5-3, 4-2. 

In boys play, Destin only won one match against the Bulldogs. Gates Chipser, playing in the No. 4 spot, won 6-1, 6-1.  

On Thursday, the Sharks beat the visiting Fort Walton Beach Vikings at the Destin Tennis Center at Seascape Resort. The Lady Sharks won 5-2, while the boys won 4-3. 

More:Destin High fishing class raises funds for artificial reefs

More:'The kids are going to love this': Destin High getting pumped about new weight room

Seton posted an 8-4 win for the Sharks, while Grzbieluch won her match 9-7, after being down 4-7. Fajardo walked off with an 8-0 win and Campbell posted an 8-1 victory. Fajardo and Caitlin Smith paired up for an 8-0 doubles victory over the Vikings. 

As for the boys, Eisley Ingram, Chipser and Vlad Stasenka each won their singles matches 8-4. Destin’s Andy Jackson and Stasenka teamed up to secure an 8-4 win in doubles. 

“I love how this team powers through adversity and meets it head on,” Guarachi said. 

Up next for Destin is a 2 p.m. game March 6 at home against the Freeport Bulldogs and then a 2 p.m. home game on March 7 against the Vernon Yellow Jackets.