Boys tennis: Bean, Kulmaticki lead Sea Kings

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - Earlier this season, Corona del Mar High junior

Michael Bean was shuffled around so often with different doubles partners

-- at least six -- that he probably felt like a suitcase at an airport.

But once Bean, a transfer from a tennis academy in Texas, and junior

Peter Kulmaticki discovered each other as compatible hard-court partners,

all flights were grounded.

Bean and Kulmaticki, a member of last year’s CIF Southern Section

Division I championship Sea King team, improved to 26-1 Tuesday since

becoming a team two months ago.

They led Corona del Mar in a sweep of the doubles as the host Sea Kings

defeated Dana Hills, 13-5, in the Division I quarterfinals.

Third-seeded CdM (19-4) will face second-seeded Harvard-Westlake of North

Hollywood in the semifinals Thursday at a site to be determined today by

a coin flip.

For Corona del Mar, reaching the semifinals has become almost automatic

since 1993, when Tim Mang took over as head coach. The Sea Kings are

making their sixth semifinal appearance in eight years, a span in which

their overall record is 151-29. It is also their fifth consecutive

semifinal.

In disposing of Dana Hills (16-6), the Sea Kings went 9-0 in doubles, led

by the attack of Bean-Kulmaticki, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 winners.

Bean-Kulmaticki, Pacific Coast League doubles champions, are the only Sea

Kings still alive in the CIF individual championships. They play in the

CIF doubles Round of 16 on Friday at SeaCliff Country Club in Huntington

Beach.

“Last Saturday -- that was the best we’ve played in our lives,” said

Bean, referring to their win against a Santa Margarita team.

Also sweeping their three doubles sets for CdM were juniors Robert

Kennedy and Randy Myers, playing No. 2, and junior Justin Ning and

sophomore Cameron Ball.

Ball, one of CdM’s top players, is still suffering from pain in his

knees, ankles and hips because of growth spurts, but played doubles,

anyway.

“If Cameron was ready, I knew we should sweep the doubles,” Mang said.

“The last time we played Dana Hills (a 12-6 CdM win on Feb. 29), we swept

(the Dolphins’) first and second doubles, but they swept our third

doubles. But, this time, Cameron was playing at No. 3, and that was the

difference.”

Junior Brian Morton won two of three sets at No. 1 singles for CdM, while

Sea King freshmen Issei Saida and Josh Stuart each won a singles set.

In the first round, it was Stuart’s 7-5 victory over Dana Hills junior

Kurt Strang that put the Sea Kings in control with a 5-1 lead.

“The third singles set (in the first round) is the one we were hoping to

get,” said Dana Hills assistant coach Armand Amoranto, filling in for Jim

Wilson. “We were hoping to go 4-2 in the first round, or maybe even 3-3,

but it didn’t work out that way.”

Stuart held a commanding 4-0 lead, then Strang came back, eventually

tying the set, 5-5. But Stuart rallied for the win, breaking Strang to go

up 6-5, following a cross-court forehand winner. Stuart then held serve

for the win, finishing his opponent off with another solid cross-court

forehand.

Dana Hills was playing without Chase Ora (shoulder injury) and Blake

Wilson-Hayden (back).

Ball’s availability for singles Thursday in the semifinals is unknown.

“We’re praying for a miracle,” Mang said.

CIF SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION I

QuarterfinalsCorona del Mar 13, Dana Hills 5 Singles -- Morton (CdM) def. Efstathiou, 6-3, lost to Menon, 1-6, def.

Strang, 6-0; Saida (CdM) lost 1-6, 1-6, won 6-4; Stuart (CdM) lost 1-6,

0-6, won 7-5.

Doubles -- Bean-Kulmaticki (CdM) def. T. Smith-Villwock, 6-4, def.

Wirek-Green, 6-1, def. Fan-C. Smith, 6-2; Kennedy-Myers (CdM) won 7-5,

6-3, 6-1; Ning-Ball (CdM) won 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.