by Chris Jones ·
Thursday, June 11, 2026
On a sweltering June afternoon, the No. 1 seed Hamilton-Wenham Generals girls varsity tennis team defeated the Bromfield Trojans 3-2 in a three-hour test of endurance at the MIAA Division 4 State Tournament semifinal, played Wednesday, June 10, at St. Johns High School in Shrewsbury. The Trojans did not go quietly.
After a quick loss at second doubles, Bromfield second singles player Misha Kalava evened the score at 1-1, beating freshman Krishna Guruju 6-4, 6-1. Kalava, a junior, fell behind 4-3 in the first set but grabbed the next three games after adjusting her mindset: “In the beginning of the first set, I felt really tense—my heart felt heavier, and I was too focused on winning the match,” Kalava said. “By the end of the first set, I thought, ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—let’s just enjoy it.’ I went to the ball with all that I had.”
Misha Kalava prepares for a backhand in her defeat of her Hamilton-Wenham opponent in the June 10 state semifinal match. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Kalava then unleashed her entire arsenal of shots on Guruju and rolled to a reasonably quick victory. Kalava said she felt that the pressure on the freshman General had to have been hard to handle and noticed that the further the match went, the faster Guruju sank. For the season, Kalava only lost once, and the loss came on a default due to injury.
Not long after Kalava exited the court, Bromfield third singles Nina Livornese, a seventh grader, bowed to sophomore Charlotte Ireland 6-3, 6-3. Livornese had more power off of both sides, but Ireland countered with consistency which led to another Hamilton-Wenham point. As a result, the Trojans needed to win the final two matches to make an appearance in the state final.
In typical Michelle Xu fashion, Bromfield’s first singles player ran her opponent, senior Emily McIntosh, all over the steamy hardcourt. McIntosh fought to the bitter end through dozens of multiple-shot rallies, but the heat and Xu’s slice backhand proved too much. McIntosh caved 6-4, 6-2. According to coach Chris Holmes, “Opponents think they can beat Michelle by playing her backhand, but she never misses it.”
Meghna Nambiar powers through a return in her doubles match in the state semifinal match against Hamilton-Wenham, June 10. She and partner Khivi Nanra lost the close match.
With the match tied 2-2, all eyes turned to first doubles where Bromfield and Hamilton-Wenham had entered a third and deciding set: a ticket to the state finals up for grabs.
The Trojan team of Khivi Nanra and Meghna Nambier soared early, taking the first set, but as the match wore on, they appeared to tire while the Generals Gabriella Jewett and Madeline Fennel found a second wind, attacking the net at every opportunity. In the end, they proved to be too much and Nanra and Nambier lost 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The Generals stormed the court to celebrate, embracing Jewett and Fennel, while the eight Trojans gathered quietly around Holmes who consoled them.
After the dust had settled, Holmes praised his team’s performance throughout the season: “It’s been a very interesting year with such a small crew [of players],” he said. “There was no margin [for error] if someone got hurt or couldn’t make a match.” The team barely had enough starters and on some occasions had to default points because they didn’t have players for one of the five matches. Regardless, Holmes expected to get to the state semis, and the team met those expectations: “It would have been great to win but to have the season end on a match that’s super exciting and close, and one that everyone is invested in was great. Something to build on. We were really close to beating a very good team.”
The Trojans ended the season with a record of 11 wins and seven losses. Hamilton-Wenham (17-2) will play Manchester-Essex in the state finals Saturday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MIAA Division 4 Girls Tennis Tournament, Semifinals
First singles: Michelle Xu (Bromfield) defeated Emily McIntosh (Hamilton-Wenham) 6-4, 6-2
Second singles: Misha Kalava (B) defeated Krishna Guruju (H-W) 6-4, 6-1
Third singles: Charlotte Ireland defeated Nina Livornese (H-W) 6-3, 6-3
First Doubles: Gabriella Jewett and Madeline Fennel (H-W) defeated Khivi Nanra and Meghna Nambiar (B) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Second doubles: Evelyn Esdaile and Sofie Greene (H-W) defeated Fatima Mulyono and Anji Ramkumar (B) 6-0, 6-0