by Chris Jones ·
Friday, June 19, 2026
Misha Kalava prepares for a backhand in her defeat of Hamilton-Wenham’s Krishna Guruju in the June 10 state semifinals. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
On a sweltering 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. John’s 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.”
Kalava then unleashed her entire arsenal of shots on Guruju and rolled to a reasonably quick victory. For the season, Kalava lost only once, and the loss came on a default due to injury.
Soon 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 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 hard court. 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 semifinals against Hamilton-Wenham. She and partner Khivi Nanra lost the close match in three sets.
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 was up for grabs.
The Trojans team of Khivi Nanra and Meghna Nambiar took the first set. But they appeared to tire as the Generals’ Gabriella Jewett and Madeline Fennel found a second wind, attacking the net at every opportunity. In the end, Nanra and Nambiar 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 an interesting year with such a small crew [of players],” he said. The team had barely 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 … was great. We were really close to beating a very good team.”
The Trojans ended the season with a win-loss record of 11-7.
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 (H-W) defeated Nina Livornese (B) 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