In their second of four matches this season against NCAA Division III schools, the Cerritos College men's tennis team suffered a 6-3 loss on Tuesday. Facing #6-ranked Case Western Reserve (OH) University, the Falcons lost three close doubles matches and saw two of their singles losses go to a third set tie-breaker. Cerritos (13-2) will host Ventura College in a non-conference match at 2:00 p.m. this Friday.

Starting the day with doubles play, the Falcons saw the team of freshman Aleks Trifunovic (Katrinelunds Gymnasium, Sweden) and James Zhang (Shenzhen Luohu Foreign Language School, China) play to a thrilling 9-8 match, while the other two matches were decided by 8-6 scores. In the top match, freshman Oleksandr Krasnov (School 106, Ukraine) and Nikita Katsnelson (Odessa Gymnasium No. 1, Ukraine) were defeated, as were sophomores Agustin Lombardi (E.S.D.S., Argentina) and Mark Antoniuk (W. 124 School, Russia), with all three steam losing for just the second time all year.

The close matches continued in singles play, as Krasnov suffered a 6-7, 6-2, 4-6 loss to CJ Krimbill in the #1 position, while Trifunovic came up short in a 1-6, 7-5, 2-6 match in the #4 position against Luis Stuerke. Only Zhang was able to win a three-set match, as he posted a come-from-behind 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win in the #5 match.

Also winning in singles play were Lombardi, with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph, with Antoniuk coming away with a 6-3, 6-3 decision in the #6 match.

SINGLES

CJ Krimbill (CWR) def. Oleksandr Krasnov (CERR), 7-6, 2-6, 6-4
James Fojtasel (CWR) def. Nikita Katsnelson (CERR), 6-0, 6-1
Agustin Lombardi (CERR) def. Robert Stroup (CWR), 6-1, 6-3
Louis Stuerke (CWR) def. Aleks Trifunovic (CERR), 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
James Zhang (CERR) def. Kevin Dong (CWR), 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
Mark Antoniuk (CERR) def. Joshua Dughi (CWR), 6-3, 6-3

DOUBLES

CJ Krimbill/Louis Stuerke (CWR) def. Oleksandr Krasnov/Nikita Katsnelson (CERR), 8-6
Freddy Daum/John Benedetto (CWR) def. Aleks Trifunovic/James Zhang (CERR), 9-8
James Fojtasek/Phil Gruber (CWR) def. Agustin Lombardi/Mark Antoniuk (CERR), 8-6

Photos by Daryl Peterson