Kearny head tennis coach Michael Silpoch was looking at potential lineups before the start of the season this summer and envisioned big things for Kamilly Bravo and Keyla Petrillo if they happened to end up on the same doubles team.
“Throughout the reasons, what I thought would work tremendously well was if Keyla took the jump up to first doubles and Kamilly stayed at first doubles,” said Silpoch. “Through challenge matches, it kind of worked itself out (that they would be partners).
“They’re two very talented players that could have done very well in singles competition, but they were destined to do the things they did at first doubles this year.”
That destiny turned into reality on Oct. 14 when Bravo and Petrillo defeated Bayonne’s Leanna Yun and Michelle Lin, 6-4, 6-4, to win the Hudson County Tournament First Doubles Tournament title at Lincoln Park in Jersey City.
“It means a lot and it felt incredible winning,” said Bravo, a senior. “Me and Keyla really worked hard this season and it paid off in the end.”
“It was a goal for us. We really wanted to do it,” Petrillo said. “I saw that we were both really good players and I liked playing with her. We were a good match and a good fit, and I thought we could (win the title).”
Both Petrillo and Bravo felt that the on-court chemistry developed quickly for them.
“It didn’t take us too long,” said Petrillo, a sophomore. “I think we were just good playing together. We have similar playing techniques and we are strong at different things, which really helped us. She is strong at ground shots and at the net, and we just worked really well together.”
“I think after they started to get early success, when they started to realize, wow, we got something special here that we don’t just want to give up on,” Silpoch said. “I think that’s when it finally clicked with the both of them that, yeah, we’re good here.”
Overall, the duo of Bravo and Petrillo have gone 10-0 heading into Kearny’s final match of the season against Hoboken on Oct. 27.
“You have to have somebody willing to go all out in front, at the net and you have to have somebody willing to back that person up behind the net,” said Silpoch. “Keyla is really just going to be your all out attacker at the net. And I think Kamilly is quick enough and is fast enough to respond to something at the baseline. So I just think that they’re two completely different players, but together they work extremely well.”
In addition, Kearny sophomore Juliet Olson made it to the First Singles Tournament final, but lost 6-0, 6-0, to North Bergen’s Laura Galeano. It marked the second straight year Olson reached the finals before falling to Galeano, a four-time County champion who made it to the NJSIAA state quarterfinals.
The loss is the lone blemish on Olson’s 12-1 sophomore season and Silpoch believes she‘s on the path to becoming champion next year with Galeano graduating.
“I think there is good competition out there still at the first singles position, but I do feel like right now with Laura exiting, I feel like Juliet is the top dog,” Silpoch said. “I really do feel like Juliet can take home the county championship.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)