Laguna juniors down Newport Beach

When the Laguna Beach juniors recreation 14-and-under tennis team

played the Newport Beach Tennis Club in its first match, it was

struggling to find a No. 3 girls’ and boys’ player.

Consequently, Laguna had to default three matches, all by 6-0

scores, which ultimately cost it the match.

In a rematch last weekend at home, Laguna got even by defeating

Newport Beach, which was without its No. 3 girls’ player, 51-21.

Laguna dominated six of the seven remaining matches.

At No. 1 boys’ singles, Andrew Shapiro defeated Evan McInerney,

6-4. Fareed Ahmed defeated Chris Anderson, 6-2, and Alex Gromet

defeated Steve Huang, 6-2.

Playing at No. 1 girls’ singles, Natasha Boulad crushed Emily

Carvelli, 6-0, with a display of punishing serves and penetrating

ground strokes.

At No. 2, McKenna Nokes played a strong set before finishing 6-3

over Nikki Klein, and No. 3 Alison Azera won by default, 6-0, as did

Nokes and Benito Romeo in mixed doubles.

Shapero and Gromet teamed to win, 6-4, against a strong pairing of

McInerney and Anderson, and Boulad and Azera defeated Carvelli and

Klein, 6-3.

Laguna’s 12-and-under intermediate junior tennis team was defeated

by an experienced Woodbridge Southlake squad, 57-18.

Laguna was without its No. 3 girls’ singles player.

Kira Hamilton and Kate Rogers fought hard before going down to

much older and stronger players. In boys’ play, No. 2 Erik Henrikson

was a convincing 6-1 winner over Jaewoo Chung, and No. 3 Teague

Hamilton was strong in a 6-2 win over Lucas Bean.

Kellan Lindley and Gian Salvini combined in boys’ doubles play to

eek out a 6-5 win after playing a tense tie-breaker.