Looking to avoid their second loss in a row, the Cerritos College men's tennis team fought back to defeat host Ventura College, 5-4 in a non-conference match on Friday. The Falcons (11-2) will resume South Coast Conference play on Thursday when they travel to Mt. San Antonio College and then head north for the North/South Tournament in Fresno.

Cerritos found themselves down, 2-1 after doubles play, and when singles started, they won the first game in four of the six matches. The key to the team's victory was their ability to get stronger as the match progressed. Four of the singles matches were extended to a super tie-breaker, with Cerritos winning three of them to clinch the team victory.

Quick adjustments by freshman Agustin Lombardi (E.S.O.S., Argentina) in the #4 match on the ladder propelled him to capture the second set and he cruised through the super breaker comfortably, 10-3 over Michael Burr. Freshman Mathieu David (Nimes, France) closed out the #6 match in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 10-7, while a loss by freshman Antonio Torrebella-Clark (Cypress HS) put the score in favor of the Pirates, 4-3. Freshman Mark Antoniuk (W. 124 School, Russia) rallied from being down 1-5 in the super breaker to capture the team's fourth point. Freshman Henry Ayesiga (Malezi School, Kenya) earned the final point when he battled through sickness to clinch the victory in the #5 position, 6-2, 7-6.

Sophomore Amadi Kagoma (Malezi School, Kenya) suffered his first singles loss of the season, as he fell to Hironori Koyanagi, 6-1, 6-3, while he and Torrebella-Clark also lost in doubles, 8-4. The lone doubles win came from Antoniuk and Lombardi, 8-6.

DOUBLES

Hironori Koyanagi/Corey Karen (VENT) def. Amadi Kagoma/Antonio Torrebella-Clark (CERR), 8-4
Mark Antoniuk/Agustin Lombardi (CERR) def. Guenter Newman (VENT), 8-6
Victor Ribiero/Leonardo Santos (VENT) def. Mathieu David/Milos Zoric (CERR), 8-1

SINGLES

Hironori Koyanagi (VENT) def. Amadi Kagoma (CERR), 6-1, 6-3
Corey Karen (VENT) def. Antonio Torrebella-Clark (CERR), 6-3, 0-6, 10-7
Mark Antoniuk (CERR) def. Guenter Newman (VENT), 7-6, 4-6, 10-8
Agustin Lombardi (CERR) def. Michael Burr (VENT), 3-6, 6-0, 10-3
Henry Ayesiga (CERR) def. Victor Ribiero (VENT), 6-2, 7-6
Mathieu David (CERR) def. Florent Auteuil (VENT), 6-3, 1-6, 10-7