For the second time this season, the Cerritos College men's tennis team has defeated an NCAA Division III school. On Thursday, the Falcons (3-0) posted a 9-0 win against Chapman University, while they also own a win against Cal Lutheran University. The team's home match scheduled for Friday against Grossmont College has been postponed due to impending inclimate weather.
The next match for Cerritos will be against Irvine Valley College at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are ranked #1 and #2 in the state, with the Lasers defeating the Falcons in the Southern California Team Dual Championship match last season.
Returning to their sophomore-laden squad at the top of the singles ladder, the Falcons earned straight set wins in five of the six matches. Sophomores Sasha Krasnov (School 106, Ukraine) and Nikita Katsnelson (Odessa Gymnasium No. 1, Ukraine) posted 6-4, 6-3 and 6-2, 6-1 wins, respectively in singles and teamed for an 8-5 win in doubles action.
Sliding up to the #3 singles spot, sophomore James Zhang (Shenzhen Luohu Foreign Language School, China) earned a 6-2, 6-4 win over Darrus Lee, while #4 singles player, sophomore Aleks Trifunovic (Katrinelunds Gymnasium, Sweden) dropped his first set, 2-6, but responded with 6-2, 6-4 wins to earn a team point. The pair also teamed up for an 8-0 doubles victory.
The freshmen pair of Bruno Duarte (Centro Educacional Rogêdo, Brazil) and Carlos Mendez (Instituto de Educación Secundaria Ies El Palo, Spain) each won their singles matches quite handily, with Duarte only surrendering two games. Duarte and doubles partner, freshman Marcos Paulo Silvestre (Colégio Tiradentes, Brazil), earned an 8-0 win in doubles action.
SINGLES
Sasha Krasnov (CERR) def. Charlie Weman (CHAP), 6-4, 6-3
Nikita Katsnelson (CERR) def. Len Kamemoto (CHAP), 6-2, 6-1
James Zhang (CERR) def. Darrus Lee (CHAP), 6-2, 6-4
Aleks Trifunovic (CERR) def. Joshua Sarsfield (CHAP), 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Bruno Duarte (CERR) def. Eli Weiner (CHAP), 6-1, 6-1
Carlos Mendez (CERR) def. Lee Sadler (CHAP), 6-3, 6-2
DOUBLES
Sasha Krasnov/Nikita Katsnelson (CERR) def. Charlei Weman/Joshua Sarsfield (CHAP), 8-5
James Zhang/Aleks Trifunovic (CERR) def. Len Kamemoto/Matthew Mead (CHAP), 8-0
Bruno Duarte/Marcos Paulo Silvestre (CERR) def. Darrus Lee/Lee Sadler (CHAP), 8-0
Photo by Elizabeth Aceves