The Warriors made quick work of No. 4 Wellesley, winning 4-1, for their third victory of the season over their Bay State Conference rival. Just feet away, the Minutemen secured a 3-2 win over No. 2 St. John’s Prep (21-1), after handing the Eagles their only regular-season loss in a nonleague matchup last month.
With resounding victories in their respective semifinal matchups Monday at Newton South, the two perennial powers moved one step closer to delivering on their year-long mission.
With a year to reflect on their postseason heartbreaks in last season’s Division 1 state tournament, both top-ranked Brookline and third-ranked Lexington knew their unbeaten records and playoff success this year guaranteed just one thing: Another chance to prove themselves.
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The victory sends Lexington (24-0) to their first state title match since 2016, despite reaching the semifinals almost every year since. Brookline (20-0), which had its run of three consecutive state titles snapped by Acton-Boxborough in last year’s championship match, and this sophomore-led squad will look to reclaim the program’s dominant status.
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Brookline’s Dhevin Nahata celebrated a point during his victory at second singles. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
With the stage finally set for Saturday’s championship matchup at MIT (time to be announced), both undefeated teams are embracing the stakes.
“When we did lose that state final, it was kind of eye-opening,” said Brookline sophomore Kiran Bhatia, who won 6-2, 6-4 at first doubles Monday alongside his twin brother, Ravin Bhatia. “We all just realized we had to put in more work, more effort, and we all really mattered for the team individually.”
In addition to the Bhatia’s winning effort, Brookline secured victories by sophomore Deven Devaiah at first singles (6-3, 6-2), junior Dhevin Nahata at second singles (6-4, 6-2), and sophomore Peter Khudyakov at third singles (7-5, 6-0).
“We knew that they were going to make changes, try different strategies, cut down on unforced errors, everything like that,” Brookline coach Mike Mowatt said. “So I knew that they were going to come back and it was going to be a competitive match. But we had confidence going in that we handled them during the regular season.”
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Lexington captain Joel McCandless did his job, winning in straight sets at first singles. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Lexington received impressive performances from senior Joel McCandless (6-0, 6-3) and freshman Rudr Malayya (6-3, 6-3), at first and second singles, respectively, along with a victory by seniors Naveen Kothandaraman and Gavin Ohler at second doubles (6-4, 6-2) that even surprised Lexington coach Chris Pugliese.
“I didn’t expect the scoreline to be what it was at [second] doubles, I didn’t expect them to come first off the court,” Pugliese said. “I told Joel, my captain, ‘I want you to be the first one off the court, I want you to pump everybody else up.’ But he wasn’t — it was second doubles. That was fun to see.”
McCandless’s victory wrapped up shortly thereafter, and with a difficult test coming Saturday against Devaiah — the two players have hit together before, but never played an official match — the Minutemen’s three-year starter is encouraging his younger teammates to embrace their first shot at competing for a state title.
“First, [be happy about] this win. Because, there’s no mentors for us. It’s a position we’ve never been in,” McCandless said. “And I think as long as we stay grounded, a lot of our players performed under pressure today. Remember what we’re here to do.”
Wellesley’s River Craciun returned a shot in a No. 1 singles match in the Division 1 state semifinals. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Division 2 State
Westborough 3, Concord-Carlisle 2 — The second-seeded Rangers (16-5) avenged last season’s state final loss to the Patriots (12-5) with a narrow victory in the semifinals at Marlborough High. Even after Westborough beat Concord-Carlisle, 4-1, in the regular season, coach Len O’Neil knew Monday’s matchup would be intense and competitive. “They gave us everything they could,” he said. “It was a tough match, back and forth.” The win came down to first singles, where Srinjoy Ghosh earned redemption by beating Lucas Bikkesbakker, 6-7 (9-7), 6-1, 6-2. Ghosh lost to Bikkesbakker in last year’s title bout and also endured some tough defeats this season. Before the match, O’Neil informed Ghosh his big moment was coming. “At some point in time during the season and in the playoffs, you’re gonna get us a win,” O’Neil told him. “And sure enough, he did.” Freshman Kaden Chen prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at second singles, and Brendan Estaphan and Jordan Hlawek won 6-2, 6-3 at second doubles. Westborough will face the winner of top-seeded Duxbury and fifth-seeded Hopkinton in the championship Saturday at MIT (time TBA).
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Division 3 State
Dover-Sherborn 3, Martha’s Vineyard 2 — After falling behind 0-2 at Somerset Berkley, the third-seeded Raiders (19-3) took the final three matches to come back and secure a state final berth. Max Glick (7-6, 6-1) began the comeback with a win at third singles, Cam Strouse and Evan Johnson (6-1, 1-6, 6-4) tied it up with a victory at first doubles, and Will DePaola (6-3, 6-1) clinched it for D-S with his win at second singles. The Raiders will play for a state championship Saturday at MIT against the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between top-seeded Wayland (11-6) and No. 4 Bedford (12-7).
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Matty Wasserman can be reached at matty.wasserman@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Matty_Wasserman.