St. Mary's twins Alexis and Ava Ronzoni capture CHSAA girls tennis doubles title
Ava Ronzoni, left, and Alexis Ronzoni of St. Mary's win the CHSAA girls doubles championship in Glen Cove on Monday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Alexis and Ava Ronzoni may only be freshmen, but the pair plays well beyond its years.
The top-seeded St. Mary’s twins claimed the CHSAA girls tennis doubles title on Monday at the Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove. The Ronzonis defeated second-seeded Dina Lerudis and Emma Mengler of St. Francis Prep, 10-1.
“It feels surreal,” Alexis said. “We worked so hard to get here and, especially as freshmen, it’s a big accomplishment. We worked together really well and we’re very happy with how we played today.”
The Ronzonis will next advance to the state individual championships, which begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 26 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing.
“It’s a really amazing opportunity to be here,” Ava said. “It’s great to be able to play for and represent our school. Working with my sister is always the best. We just kind of get each other and playing matches is so fun. Tennis is our life so it’s amazing to be here.”
The pair rolled through its competition all day, defeating Addie Glenn and Lily Norman (Nichols), 10-1, in the quarterfinals and Sophia Gamez-Santana and Scarlett Vizuete (St. Francis Prep), 10-3, in the semifinals.
St. Mary’s coach and athletic director Patrick Welsh said seeing the twins play at such a high level is not only impressive, but also bodes well for the future of the program.
“We haven’t sent girls to this tournament in probably over 15 years,” Welsh said. “For them to win it all is truly amazing. They’re such special girls who have led our team all season even though they’re only freshmen. This is just off the charts.”
In the singles bracket, St. Francis Prep’s Olivia Bednarz defeated Madeline McDonald of St. Mary’s (Lancaster), 10-6, in the finals to advance to the state tournament.
Though the CHSAA hosted athletes from all over the state, Long Island was well represented throughout the tournament. Third-seeded St. Anthony’s doubles team Jenna Famolari and Sofia Navarro advanced to the semifinals before falling in a tight, 10-7 match to Lerudis and Mengler.
In singles, Charlee Semple of St. Anthony’s and Isabella Galiardi of St. John the Baptist each finished in the semifinals.
But all eyes are on the Ronzonis as the CHSAA’s only doubles team bid into states. Ava said she and Alexis are looking forward to taking their twin chemistry to the next level.
“We have that natural rhythm and connection,” Ava said. “When we’re on the court, we synchronize with each other and I think it’s a really beautiful thing.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
