Division girls tennis' Lilliana Chou to face Roslyn's Clare Seo in state singles final
Lilliana Chou of Division, left, and Roslyn’s Clare Seo compete at the girls tennis state championship on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Flushing. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
This season, girls tennis is all Long Island, all the time.
On Tuesday, singles and doubles finalists were decided for the individual state championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing. All four of them are Long Island athletes.
Second-seeded Lilliana Chou of Division will face Roslyn’s Clare Seo in the singles final and top-seeded Ross pair Lola Dangin and Luma Teixeira will face Syosset’s No. 3 Juliette Prince and Selena Wang for the doubles crown Wednesday.
Seo has been the highlight of the tournament so far. The freshman finished third in Nassau and entered the state bracket unseeded, but has been playing with something to prove. She defeated No. 4 Savannah Minter of the Ursuline School in New Rochelle, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the quarterfinals and top-seeded reigning champion Jolie Chichak of Shenendehowa, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (5), in the semifinals on Tuesday.
“I feel really proud because it’s my first year on varsity and I’m really happy about how my hard work has shown results,” Seo said. “My favorite part is competing against people who are so good, cheering on my friends and hearing them cheer for me. I think it’s really amazing.”
One more upset will put Seo at the top of the state, but Chou will be tough to beat. The Nassau champion has rolled through her competition, dropping only five games on her way to the finals. She beat Isabel Amurau of Scotia-Glenville, 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinal.
Last season, Chou retired with an injury in the quarterfinals. This time around, she looks clean, composed and powerful. She said this strong play is the result of a full year of progress.
“I’ve been very motivated because I can reflect on what happened last year,” Chou said. “All the recovery I had to do, all the practice I had to do to make it back to where I am. It feels really good to make it to Wednesday and be a finalist this time.”
From left: Luma Teixeira and Lola Dangin of the Ross School and Selena Wang and Juliette Prince of the Syosset during the girls state championship on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Flushing. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
The doubles final is a matchup of county champion teams, and each were tested in their semifinal matches. Prince and Wang gritted out a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 win over No. 2 Mia Long and Daniella Rosenblit of Horace Greeley in Chappaqua, while Dangin and Teixeira slipped by No. 4 Meghan Uzzilia and Angela Li of Guilderland, 6-4, 7-5.
After winning the Nassau title, Wang said the ultimate goal is a state championship. Prince echoed the sentiment.
“The mindset is just to try our best, but I’m going to say the same thing: You know the goal,” she said.
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.
