Syosset's Selena Wang and Juliette Prince, Division's Lilliana Chou win Nassau girls tennis championships

For a young doubles team, Syosset’s Selena Wang and Juliette Prince play with skill and poise.

The top-seeded pair claimed the doubles title at the Nassau individual championships Sunday morning at Eisenhower Park, defeating No. 7 Great Neck North sisters Lily and Brooke Bullaro, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

After dropping the second set, Wang said she, Prince and coach Shai Fisher took a mental reset and focused on strengths. For Wang, a sophomore, that means her dominant play at the net.

“Before that third set, [Fisher] told me to go back up to the net and have more confidence in my shots, which really worked out for us,” Wang said.

With the win, Wang and Prince now advance to the state tournament, which begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing.

Prince, only a seventh-grader, looks right at home at the varsity level. Prince and Wang said they work so well together not only because their skills complement each other, but also because of their off-court connection.

“We’re so close outside of tennis which really helps,” Wang said.

“It’s about our strengths and weaknesses,” Prince added. “Our coach always says I’m so good at the baseline and [Wang is] so good at the net, so it just works.”

The Bullaro sisters and Wheatley sisters Sonali and Sarika Prabhakar will also advance to the state tournament. The Prabhakars finished third after defeating Syosset pair Diya Varma and Shubhangi Pradhan, 7-5, 6-4.

In the singles bracket, top-seeded Division junior Lilliana Chou defeated second-seeded Hannah Wang of Syosset, 6-1, 6-1, to claim the championship. After finishing third last season, Chou said the improvement is what means the most.

“This is my fourth year playing and I’ve gotten further every year, so this means a lot,” Chou said. “It’s been really nice to progress and then finally get it this year.”

The singles draw of the state championship will begin at 8 a.m. Oct. 26 at the National Tennis Center.

A fiery competitor, Chou said her self-talk plays an important role in getting through matches.

“I’m trying to stay calm, but also keep myself up at the same time,” Chou said. “I’m saying, ‘Let’s go, come on,’ over and over just to keep that positive energy going.”

Chou’s season came to a disappointing end last year after having to retire with an injury in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. This time around, Chou said she feels the momentum from her Nassau title win will carry right into next week.

Wang and Clare Seo of Roslyn will join Chou in Flushing. Seo finished third after beating Hewlett’s Tiffany Lin, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.

“I feel very excited [for states] and this is going to build my confidence a lot, so I feel pretty prepared,” Chou said. “Obviously I’ll keep practicing this week, but I feel ready.”