It was as close as a high school tennis match could possibly be on Thursday, as visiting No. 7 Ventura defeated No. 10 Dos Pueblos in a 9-9 deadlock by winning in games, 70-69.
“Everyone from both teams played with so much heart and enthusiasm. Not only were the head coaches close friends, but so were some of the singles’ players,” noted coach Liz Frech.
In singles, Sasha Gryaznov won DP’s only two sets, defeating two ranked opponents before falling in a long battle to Brendan McClain, the third-ranked player in Boys 16s. In doubles, DP won seven sets despite missing captain Andy Silverstein, who was away with the robotics team. Austin Cano and Eric Katz never let their momentum drop and swept their sets, losing only seven games.
Sean Handley and Eric Zmolek took two solid sets before succumbing to the top Ventura team of Bobby Oldt and Jacob Rucker. That top team gave DP’s Christian Edstrom and Malcolm Sutton a tough run. The set lasted well over an hour and included observed many incredible rallies, according to Frech.
DP hosts Santa Ynez on Friday.
DOS PUEBLOS 9, VENTURA 9 (DP lost in games 69-70)
Singles — DP: Sasha Gryaznov 2-1, Richard Cheng 0-3, Peter Shao 0-2, Robert Laskin 0-1. V: Michael Lowe 2-1, Brendan McClain 3-0, Sean Levesque 2-1.
Doubles — DP: Christian Edstrom/Malcolm Sutton 2-1, Austin Cano/Eric Katz 3-0, Sean Handley/Eric Zmolek 2-1. V: Bobby Oldt/Jacob Rucker 2-1, Brandon Bushnell/Parker Harris 0-3, Collin Masiel/Connor Dann 0-3.
DP Record: Overall: 10-5; Channel League 2-3
Ventura Record: Overall: 8-7; Channel League: unknown.
