Local tennis stars check out at Valley individuals
They were stars in their own right, dominating EYL and ESL competition in their sleep, but when it came time for the Porterville-area league tennis champions to face Valley foes, it proved to be an entirely different ball game.
Porterville and Monache each sent two individuals and a doubles team to Valley, held at Bakersfield Christian High on the weekend of May 14-15.
The EYL’s top player, Monache’s Goldie Rayani, easily handled his first-round opponent in a field of 64 — Orosi’s Alex Quevedo — 6-0, 6-0. But the senior, who went 12-0 in league, ran into stiffer competition in El Diamante’s Josh Lorendzen and lost 0-6, 1-6.
Monache’s Drexler Alcantara had less luck in the first round, bowing out to Clovis North’s Nazeen Heragu, 6-7, 2-6.
The Panthers’ No. 1 singles player all year, Chai Yang, used three sets to take out his first-round opponent — West High’s Zhiraz Kumar — 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. But the senior fell to Centennial’s Chris Yang, 2-6, 2-6 in the next round.
The Panthers’ No. 2 singles player, Patrick Lewis, was edged in the opening match, 1-6, 6-4, 2-6, to Taft’s Kyle Fleming, but, still just a sophomore, Lewis will likely return to Valley next season as the Panthers’ top singles player.
The Marauders’ top doubles combo of Brandon Nucum and Matt Ecobiza, who entertained all year by pulling out close wins, had a little less drama in their 2-6, 2-6 loss to Highland.
Porterville’s tandem of Johnny Nieto and Mitch Walters defeated Immanuel’s top duo, 6-4, 6-1, before falling in the next round to Clovis, 0-6, 0-6.
ESL champion Strathmore entered its top doubles team of Ivan Ceja and Braulio Lopez — the only Porterville-area team to be seeded (No. 16) — but they dropped a 3-6, 5-7 decision to their Clovis North counterparts.
