Two CdM players advance

Fabian Matthews and Cierra Gaytan-Leach played mixed doubles together last month at the Adoption Guild Classic. Now, they have something else in common.

Other than Newport Beach’s Joseph DiGiulio, Matthews and Gaytan-Leach were the only Newport-Mesa players to advance Friday at the 105th annual Southern California Junior Sectionals tennis tournament.

Matthews, who just finished his junior year at Corona del Mar High, defeated Benjamin Lankenau of Rancho Palos Verdes, 6-2, 6-2, in the boys’ 18 singles Round of 32. Matthews advances to the Round of 16 against No. 7-seeded Andre Dome of Arroyo Grande, scheduled for today at 10:45 a.m. at Los Caballeros Racquet and Sports Club in Fountain Valley.

Should Matthews win, he would have a quarterfinal match today at 2:45 p.m., also at Los Cab.

Gaytan-Leach, playing in the girls’ 18 singles, got a bit of revenge by defeating Kaitlyn Christian of Orange, 6-2, 6-2, in the Round of 32 on Friday. Christian and partner Catherine Isip had beaten Gaytan-Leach and partner Jordan Dockendorf in the 18 doubles semifinals on Thursday.

Gaytan-Leach has a Round of 16 match today at 10 a.m. at Los Cab. Should she prevail, she’d have a quarterfinal match at 2 p.m., also at Los Cab.

Among the losers Friday was another CdM player, Melissa Matsuoka. She fell to No. 5-seeded Gabrielle Desimone of Rancho Santa Fe, 6-4, 6-3, in the girls’ 16 singles Round of 32 on Friday.

Matsuoka was up on games 3-1 in the first set and tied, 3-3, in the second set before Desimone rallied to take each set and the match.

“I just wanted to play out my matches and see how it goes, try my best,” said Matsuoka, who just finished her freshman year at CdM. “This past week I’ve been studying really hard for all my classes. I haven’t really played since [the preliminary rounds on] Monday or Tuesday.”

But she was quick to give credit to her opponent as well.

“She played well, and I let up,” Matsuoka said. “I just tried to throw everything I could at her. It was a good match.”

Hailey Hogan, fell in the girls’ 16s Round of 32 to No. 2-seeded Sabrina Santamaria of Los Angeles, 6-4, 6-2.

Matsuoka and Hogan were a part of the Sea Kings’ undefeated team that won the CIF Southern Section Division I title last fall.

Jungyeun Lee of Newport Coast defeated Kristine Kouyoumjian of Torrance, 6-2, 7-6, in the Round of 32 before falling to No. 1-seeded Britney Sanders of Chino, 6-3, 4-1 (retired) in the Round of 16.

No. 8-seeded Ali Walters of Newport Beach lost in the girls’ 18 singles Round of 32 to Zoe Scandalis of San Diego, 6-2, 6-3.

On the boys’ side, a trio of locals fell in boys’ 16 singles. Omeed Ghassemi of Corona del Mar, who attends Mater Dei High, lost in the Round of 32 to No. 4-seeded Matthew Siow of Irvine, 6-2, 6-1.

Costa Mesa’s Charlie Alvarado and Christopher Freeman, who also attend Mater Dei, also fell in the Round of 32 of the boys’ 16s draw. Alvarado lost to Torsten Keil-Long of Claremont, 6-4, 6-3, while Freeman fell to Billy Pecor of Ojai, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.