- April 24, 2024
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Ania Martynuk and Anya Subachev have played No. 2 doubles together since last season. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ania Martynuk and Anya Subachev show off their special handshake. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Anya Subacheve and Ania Martynuk show off their special handshake. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Their handshake starts high and ends low. Photo by Brent Woronoff
They are the two Anyas. Or are they the Anias?
One thing is for sure, Flagler Palm Coast's No. 2 doubles team is nearly unbeatable.
Anya Subachev and Ania Martynuk are as close off the court as they are on it. On the court, they speak mostly Russian. Martynuk, whose parents are from the Ukraine, understands Russian but doesn't speak it well. Subachev, whose mother is Russian, is learning some Ukrainian from her doubles partner.
"They're really close," said FPC's No. 1 singles player, Marcella Warner. "They're like perfect together. They speak Russian. It's pretty funny. The other team can't understand them."
They laugh when an opponents says, "Wow, two Anyas. I've never heard that name before." Or, "What language are you speaking?"
"They complement each other well. They're constantly communicating. They're in sync. They switch without calling it."
JAVIER BEVACQUA, FPC girls tennis coach
They say speaking Russian on the tennis court makes them feel comfortable and allows them to focus on the match, but mostly they're able to strategize without their opponents overhearing.
"We don't have to whisper in each other's ears," Martynuk said. "We can just talk across the court."
Whatever their strategy, it's working. They won the No. 2 doubles title at the Five Star Conference tournament, helping the Bulldogs to the team title. And they're the No. 1 seed in the No. 2 doubles bracket at the District 2-4A championships, which are scheduled for April 14-15 at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.
They've lost only one match this year, 6-4 to Creekside on Feb. 23.
"It was getting dark, so it was decided the first team to 6 wins," FPC girls coach Javier Bevacqua said. "I would have loved to have seen them play the whole match."
Subachev, the Bulldogs' No. 2 singles player, is very good at the net and putting shots away down the line, Martynuk said. Martynuk, the team's No. 3 singles player, is a good server, especially in pressure situations, Subachev said.
"They complement each other well," Bevacqua said. "They're constantly communicating. They're in sync. They switch without calling it."
"Our whole family is (in the Ukraine), except for two cousins. We're sending stuff over and organizing fund raisers. My mom organized a Ukrainian festival in Orlando to raise money."
ANIA MARTYNUK
They've known each other since they were 9 or 10 when they had the same tennis coach. Now they are as close off the court as on it. They were ball persons together at the Miami Open earlier this month.
And Subachev will always provide an ear when Martynuk is worried about her family and friends who are still in the Ukraine.
"We're doing all we can," Martynuk said. "Our whole family is over there, except for two cousins. We're sending stuff over and organizing fund raisers. My mom organized a Ukrainian festival in Orlando to raise money."
Most of Martynuk's family are in the western part of the country, she said, and are well. They have been communicating on FaceTime and social media. Her cousins have gone to Poland, she said. Her grandparents are still in Lviv, the largest city in Western Ukraine.
Subachev and Martynuk have a special handshake. They clap hands high going toward each other and low going away. That's how they hope to celebrate at the end of the district tournament.
