Tars’ best not quite enough

Bryce Alderton

There were no raindrops for the Woodbridge High boys tennis team to

wade through Thursday to reach the Magic Number of 10 against

visiting Newport Harbor.

Woodbridge just needed to pull from its deep well to cap an

undefeated Sea View League season, winning the league title outright

with a 10-8 decision over the Sailors, who could have earned at least

a share of the crown with a win.

The Warriors (18-2, 10-0 in league), ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern

Section Division I, claimed 6 of 9 singles sets in winning their

fourth outright league title in the past five years. They were

co-champions with Foothill last season.

Tyler Deck and Dylan Espley-Jones swept all three doubles sets

while Charlie Farmer and Ruslan Serydyk won two for the Sailors

(13-6, 8-2), who didn’t quite have enough firepower.

“[The Sailors] are just as strong as we are at the top, but the

difference is depth,” Woodbridge Coach Ric Barth said, whose team

claimed a 10-4 victory at Newport Harbor April 1 in a rain-shortened

match. “Our No. 3 [singles and doubles teams] beat theirs, 6-1, 6-1.

I was hoping for five singles [set victories] and five doubles [wins]

and I got six singles. Give credit to [Newport’s doubles teams]. They

played really well.”

Deck and Espley-Jones sent Kian Fattahi and Salim Nawaey,

Woodbridge’s No. 1 doubles team, to their first league loss with a

7-5 victory, winning the last five games.

Newport, though, couldn’t maintain consistency at No. 3 doubles.

Newport Coach Jeff Thomsen paired Jonathan Cefalia with three

different partners.

“We have struggled with that position all year,” said Thomsen, who

has guided Newport to its best regular season in his three-year

coaching tenure. “Some of the guys are inexperienced at this level.

Hopefully, this will make us better.”

Early on, it appeared the match could come down to the final few

sets. The teams were tied, 3-3, after the first round, but Woodbridge

gained control in the second stanza, adding four victories to

Newport’s two.

Freshman Jake Fleming kept the Sailors within striking distance

with a 7-6 (7-1 in the tiebreaker) victory over Shimpei Suzuki, which

trimmed Woodbridge’s lead to 7-5 entering the third round.

Fleming went on to defeat Daniel Desatnik, 6-0, in the third

round, but the Warriors had already sealed the match with three early

victories.

Michael McClune swept at No. 1 singles for Woodbridge while Suzuki

won twice, the final one coming against Newport sophomore Robert

Khoury, the defending league champion, who played with a heavy heart.

Khoury’s father had bypass surgery earlier in the week, after

suffering an apparent heart attack, Thomsen said.

“I am proud of these guys. This is a resilient, confident bunch

and I think they will respond,” Thomsen said.

The Sailors begin play in the league’s singles and doubles

tournament at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Harbor Heritage Park in Irvine.

*--*

Sea View League

Woodbridge 10, Newport Harbor 8

Singles -- Fleming (NH) lost to McClune, 2-6, def. Suzuki, 7-6 (7-1), def. Desatnik, 6-0; Casserly (NH) lost, 0-6, 0-6, 1-6; Khoury (NH) lost, 0-6, 0-6, won, 6-1, against Sheiness.

Doubles -- Davis-Cefalia (NH) lost to Fattahi-Nawaey, 0-6, (sub) Bendheim for Davis (NH) lost to Calderon-Loney, 0-6, (sub) McLaren for Bendheim (NH) lost to Mitton-Grishkoff, 1-6; Deck/Espley-Jones (NH) won, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4; Farmer-Serydyk (NH) lost,

2-6, won, 6-4, 6-4.

*--*