How Long Island HS tennis player overcame tough times to become team's star
'I played six or seven tournaments, and in all of them I won only like one or two rounds against, like, lower-rated opponents,' he told The Post. 'I was playing almost every day of the week, and I was just not getting far.'
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Rather than giving up, however, Golubenko, originally of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, doubled down to sharpen his game.
Manhasset tennis player Max Golubenko has a 13-0 record heading into the Nassau County tournament
this weekend at Eisenhower Park. Manhasset Athletics
'I really started adding in the fitness element and my game changed,' said Golubenko, who loves tennis so much he wrote about it on a supplemental college essay.
Now, as a senior, he's at the top of the Long Island leaderboards, boasting a 13-0 record heading into the Nassau County tournament this weekend at Eisenhower Park.
'I knew that the hard work would pay off,' he said. 'Through those dry streaks and those hard times, they built me to the level that I'm at today. I'm happy and proud of myself … my family is convinced I'm going pro one day.'
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Golubenko, who overcame a back injury heading into 12th grade, took third in last year's tournament, which qualified him for states.
Max Golubenko Manhasset Athletics
Nevertheless, this year, the Trinity College-bound athlete says it's win or bust at Eisenhower.
'Last time I was up against opponents physically stronger than me who were playing much longer than me,' said Golubenko, who got serious about tennis at age 13 after moving to the suburbs.
'It was just a starting point … and this is my senior year, so I'm all in.'
The rematch of Long Island's holy war did not disappoint.
The Friars of Saint Anthony's High School defeated the Chaminade Flyers 16-12 to capture the boys lacrosse team's sixth consecutive Catholic League championship, all of which were played against their arch rival since 2019.
Chaminade, which beat St. Anthony's 11-10 in the regular season, took a 10-6 lead into the half, but a 7-1 third-quarter run by the Friars put it out of reach.
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