Boys tennis: Hristov makes history, Tseng claims Class 1A state title
A tennis ball zipped toward the sideline Saturday afternoon at Palatine, the kind of shot that usually ends points and induces shrugs from opponents.
Maksim Hristov sprinted anyway.
The Buffalo Grove senior reached the ball with a desperate slice, floated it back deep, reset the point and eventually ripped a forehand winner that drew gasps from spectators packed around the Class 2A boys tennis state singles final.
Defense.
Then destruction.
Pretty much the Hristov experience all spring.
The Louisville commit became the first state medalist in Buffalo Grove boys tennis history Saturday, rallying past Stevenson senior Jaden Dai 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-2 to capture the Class 2A singles championship and cap a 31-1 season.
Meanwhile, on a nearby court, Timothy Christian sophomore Hudson Tseng completed another climb.
A year after placing fifth to earn the Trojans program’s first boys tennis state medal, Tseng defeated Latin’s Kiyan Alsikafi 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 to win the Class 1A singles title.
Two singles finals. Two 3-setters.
Poise galore.
“He’s got the ability to figure out situations he’s in and come out ahead,” Timothy Christian coach Richard McLean said of Tseng. “His consistency is one of his strengths. So is his competitiveness; he grinds out wins.”
Saturday also highlighted the depth of area boys tennis talent. Stevenson placed third in the Class 2A team standings with 20 points behind champion New Trier (36) and runner-up Hinsdale Central (34), the four-time defending state champion, and ahead of fourth-place Conant (15).
Buffalo Grove tied Loyola Academy for fifth at 14 points, while Hersey and Huntley tied for seventh with 12 points apiece.
Hinsdale Central nearly added another state trophy Saturday, pushing the title chase down to the final doubles match of the meet.
“Fun stuff,” Red Devils coach Pete Alex said before the Class 2A doubles final. “It’s going to come down to the doubles final.”
Senior duo Kyle McCain and Nicholas Marringa reached the state championship match for the second straight year before falling to New Trier’s Jayden Dussias and Brennan Plunkett in 3 sets. Barry Zhu advanced to the singles quarterfinals before losing to Hristov, while Logan Milton and Amir Khan claimed fifth place in doubles.
Red Devils sophomore David Waterman went 5-2 in singles.
“Our players enjoy being part of something historic,” Alex said of Illinois’ most successful boys tennis program. “They all like the opportunity to perform when it matters.”
In Class 1A, Deerfield won the team title with 40 points, followed by Latin (29) and Lake Forest (27). St. Francis placed sixth (15), and Timothy Christian tied for seventh with 14.
Hristov’s title match with Dai felt more like a heavyweight exchange than a baseline rally session.
Both players hammered groundstrokes early and often. Dai, a Case Western Reserve commit, repeatedly attacked balls on the rise with fearless timing. Hristov countered with power, patience and elastic defense that frustrated one of the state’s most dangerous shot-makers.
The first set alone felt worthy of a final. At 5-5 in the tiebreaker, the BG ace stayed textbook-low while punching a crosscourt forehand volley for set point before taking the next point to claim the opener.
Dai answered in the second set despite battling quad cramps. Serving at 5-4, he froze Hristov with a blistering down-the-line backhand winner on set point.
“We knew it would be a fun match to watch,” Stevenson coach Izzy Balase said. “Great ball-striking by both. Credit Maksim — he stepped up on the big points.”
Hristov rose to the occasion repeatedly in the third set, tracking down lobs, sliding into corners and blocking back rockets.
“I wanted to do everything I could to give myself chances to attack later in points,” Hristov said.
At 30-40 on Dai’s serve in the final game, Hristov tapped a drop shot to force deuce before winning the next 2 points to secure the championship. Then came hugs from teammates.
Lots of them.
“The support I received today — worth a set and a half,” a grateful Hristov said. “Their constant energy lifted me.”
That mattered deeply to him.
Hristov spent most of his first 3 years of high school as an online student before enrolling at Buffalo Grove last summer. This season marked his first representing the Bison in IHSA competition.
“Maksim walked into a team atmosphere and embraced it right away,” BG coach Michael Naughton said. “He appreciated the whole season soaking up everything that’s good about high school tennis.
“I loved how big of a team player he was. On Friday, he said to me, ‘Hey, we’re tied for fifth-place in the team standings.’”
Hristov also became the fourth straight Mid-Suburban League player to win the Class 2A singles title, following Hersey’s Matthew Sikorski in 2025, Hersey’s Mitch Sheldon in 2024 and Fremd’s Andrew Spurck in 2023.
Stevenson’s state-trophy effort featured more than Dai’s runner-up finish. A pair of Pats doubles entrants — Akshay Maram and Nikhil Vijayakumar, along with Ayden Yoo and Ryusei Yamada — also contributed points. Dai went 5-1 at state, highlighted by a Friday semifinal victory over Sikorski after Sikorski retired because of severe cramps in the third set.
“I was playing the best tennis of my life in the first set,” Sikorski said. “It was heartbreaking having to go out like that.”
Elsewhere Saturday, St. Francis senior Umar Bajwa finished fourth in Class 1A singles for his third straight top-6 showing at state, while Streamwood junior Mathieu Veltkamp — the only player to defeat Hristov this spring — placed sixth in Class 2A singles. Libertyville’s Chase Peirce and Chethan Nickerson reached the Class 2A doubles consolation semifinals, and Huntley’s Will Geske lost 5-7, 6-4, (10-6) to Veltkamp in a singles consolation semifinal.