40 Photos
Matilda Buchen congratulates doubles partner Julia Stabile after scoring a point in Sunday’s final. DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
DESIRÉE KEEGAN
For the second straight season, Julia Stabile and Matilda Buchen can call themselves Suffolk County champions. And this one is that much sweeter for the Westhampton Beach doubles tennis team after coming from behind for a 6-2, 7-6 win over Bayport-Blue Point’s Emilia and Evie Romano.
“This feels unreal,” said Stabile, a senior who has now won three straight county crowns, claiming her first win with her older sister, Kaitlyn, in 2021. “Our opponents are really skillful players, so we had to give it 100 percent the whole match. We battled for a lot of tough points.”
The Hurricanes bounced back from being down, 2-0, to play some of their best tennis across the tournament and take a 6-2 first-set victory. Between Stabile’s serve and Buchen’s net game the pair seemed to be unstoppable.
“Matilda and I gained momentum,” Stabile said. “We knew we had to get every ball over, remain consistent and hit hard, because they were doing the same.”
The teams traded points in the second, but then something happened that hasn’t occurred once for these Division IV champions — they found themselves down yet again, 4-2, in a second-straight set.
“During the first set, they were playing really well and doing everything they needed to do,” said head coach Matt Reed. “But in the beginning of the second set, they definitely dropped their level while the Romanos picked their level up, so it was a tough combination for us.”
What made it tougher was the pair had seen Emilia and her older sister Ella in the finals the year prior, topping them, 6-3, 6-2, so there was familiarity on both sides. Stabile said she and Buchen tried to remain calm and confident while taking things point by point down the stretch. Stabile hit a hard shot down the line to pull within one, 4-3, on 40-15, and the team cruised to a 4-4 by taking the next four points. But the Romano sisters weren’t going to go down without a fight, dominating the next point with solid ground strokes and quick returns. A Buchen poach made it 15-0 on the way to the next point, and the junior’s volley down the line before Stabile’s solid serve retied things at 5-5.
“We played some really tough points, but we were ready for this,” Buchen said. “We were pumped up in the first, but even being down we tried not to overthink it. We knew we had a third set to fall back on if all went south.”
A Bayport double fault and Buchen winner made it 6-5 Westhampton Beach, and Stabile’s splitting shot made it 30-0 before Buchen’s final two serves went unreturned.
“Up, 6-5, Matilda didn’t miss one first serve,” Reed said. “They came up with the big shots when they needed to.”
Buchen said her partner’s serve is what she drew inspiration from in the waning minutes of the match.
“She never ceases to amaze me,” the junior said of her best friend. “Her serve was beautiful, and they’re always angled — they’re perfect. I’m so excited to be heading to states. It’s the best feeling and the best part of the year.”
Reed said the win is also thanks to his girls’ experience. Even when the game grew close, they never lost their composure.
“They can handle the pressure, which is huge,” the coach said. “Even as a coach, just watching them and not playing, I’m nervous, but these are not only tough moments but good moments for them to see that they can push through when it does get close. Both of those girls were great from the baseline. Emilia’s got a lot of power and a lot of topspin and crafty slices, and at states, every player can do that, so it’s good practice leading into it. Heading into states, they know they need to play at that high level every point.”
After a first-round bye, top-seeded Stabile and Buchen swept their Round of 16 opponents, 6-0, 6-0, to make it to the quarterfinals, where they bested Sachem’s Alyssa Davis and Sam Ticol, 6-1, 6-2, to earn a spot in the semis. The doubles standouts breezed through yet another match with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Sayville’s Meredith Albertelli and Kylie Person to reach the final.
Now, Stabile makes her fourth and final trip to the state tournament, which begins on Thursday, October 26, at SPORTIME Schenectady. The senior’s first year, the goal was to win one match, which she and her sister did. Last year, she and Stabile set out to win two matches, which they did to take seventh place — what the duo was seeded heading into the tournament. This year, the doubles team is hoping to get an even better seed as repeat county champions, with the goal of winning a third match to reach the quarterfinals and make it into the Top Four.
“I can’t wait to make more memories with Matilda, and hopefully we go far,” Stabile said. “I’m so happy I got to make it to this point again, especially with it being my last run. It’s an amazing way to end this.”
