M. Tennis: Falcons shut out San Diego Mesa

File Photo: Eliot Dota and the Falcons shut out SD Mesa
File Photo: Eliot Dota and the Falcons shut out SD Mesa

In their second match in as many days, the Cerritos College men's tennis team recorded their second straight shutout. The Falcons (6-1) traveled to San Diego Mesa College on Friday and recorded a 9-0 shutout against the Olympians. The team will play their third straight match in a row, as they head to Whittier College for a 2:00 p.m. non-conference match. In each of their six wins this season, Cerritos has shut out their opponent.

The match started two and a half hours late due to traffic issues, and once they got to the courts, the Falcons looked to get the day going in a positive manner. They swept through doubles play, with the closest match coming in the #2 position, as freshman Aleks Trifunovic (Katrinelunds Gymnasium, Sweden) and James Zhang (Shenzhen Luohu Foreign Language School, China) pulled out a tight 8-5 decision.

There were several tight matches in singles play, but Cerritos earned the win after a pair of quick victories. Freshman Eliot Dota (Paris, France) posted a 6-1, 6-0 win in the #6 singles spot, while freshman Nikita Katsnelson (Odessa Gymnasium No. 1, Ukraine) earned a 2-1, 6-1 win in the #2 position on the ladder.

At the top of the ladder, freshman Oleksandr Krasnov (School 106, Ukraine) earned a 6-3, 6-3 win, with sophomore Agustin Lombardi (E.S.D.S., Argentina) posted a 6-4 win in the first set and then won 6-2 in the second set. As for Trifunovic and Zhang, they earned their straight set wins by playing a pair of tough matches. Trifunovic played to a 6-4, 6-4 score in the #4 position, while Zhang earned a 6-3, 6-4 win in the #5 spot.

SINGLES

Oleksandr Krasnov (CERR) def. Jordan Lomas (SDM), 6-3, 6-3
Nikita Katsnelson (CERR) def. Ross Killingbeck (SDM), 6-2 6-1
Agustin Lombardi (CERR) def. Mathieu Usannaz-Joris (SDM), 6-4, 6-2
Aleks Trifunovic (CERR) def. Jesse Donahue (SDM), 6-4, 6-4
James Zhang (CERR) def. Tristen Shaw (SDM), 6-3, 6-4
Eliot Dota (CERR) def. Shane Fisher (SDM), 6-1, 6-0

DOUBLES

Oleksandr Krasnov/Nikita Katsnelson (CERR) def. Jordan Lomas/Shane Fisher (SDM), 8-4
Aleks Trifunovic/James Zhang (CERR) def. Jesse Donahue/Evertte Waterman (SDM), 8-5
Agustin Lombardi/Mark  Antoniuk (CERR) def. Mathieu Usannaz-Joris/Tristen Shaw (SDM), 8-3