M. Tennis: Season opens with solid 9-0 win

Men's Tennis opens season with 9-0 win
Men's Tennis opens season with 9-0 win

Competing in their first match of the season, the Cerritos College men's tennis team recording a convincing 9-0 win over visiting Santa Barbara City College on Tuesday. The Falcons (1-0) will play their next five matches on the road, with the first being a 2:00 p.m. match on Thursday at Los Angeles Pierce College.

With only three returning players in action on the day, Cerritos was still able to post a sweep over the Vaqueros. Looking to remain in the thick of the state championship hunt, the Falcons have brought in a solid group of players to take over from a team that went 27-2 last season. Although none of the three sophomores played in the majority of matches last year, their improvements warranted them to be inserted into the lineup for the first match of the season.

In singles action, Biel Roca Carreras (Iguolada, Spain) played in the #4 position and recorded a strong 6-1, 6-4 win, while #5 singles player Marcos Paulo Silvestre (Colégio Tiradentes of PMMG, Brazil) earned a 6-3, 6-0 victory. Silvestre also teamed with freshman Victor Castro (Novo Hamburgo, Brazil) for an 8-0 doubles win, while sophomore Kwangeun Lee (Sunny Hills HS) was teamed with freshman Kent Hunter (Home Schooled) for the top doubles pairing and they recorded an 8-2 win. The Falcons other doubles team consisted of freshmen Alex Prokopchuk (School 45, Ukraine) and Dario Rico-Altozano (Colegio Cumbre, Spain), who also shut out their opponent, 8-0.

Singles play was more of the same with Rico-Altozano shutting out Kyle Wells, 6-0, 6-0 in the #6 match, while Castro posted a 6-2, 6-1 win in the #2 position on the ladder. Hunter, who earned the #1 position based on his play at the ITA Regional Tournament, recorded a 6-0, 6-4 win, with Prokopchuk surrendering just three games in a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

SINGLES

Kent Hunter (CERR) def. Guillaume Daurelle (SBCC), 6-0, 6-4
Victor Castro (CERR) def. Arthur Scharff (SBCC), 6-2, 6-1
Alex Prokopchuk (CERR) def. P.A. Fumat (SBCC), 6-1, 6-2
Biel Roca Carreras (CERR) def. Albert Chami (SBCC), 6-1, 6-4
Marcos Paulo Silvestre (CERR) def. Johannes Bunse (SBCC), 6-3, 6-0
Dario Rico-Altozano (CERR) def. Kyle Wells (SBCC), 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES

Kent Hunter/Kwangeun Lee (CERR) def. Guillauma Daurelle/P.A. Fumat (SBCC), 8-2
Victor Castro/Marcos Paulo Silvestre (CERR) def. Arthur Scharff/Albert Chami (SBCC), 8-0
Alex Prokopchuk/Dario Rico-Altozano def. Johannes Bunse/Kyle Wells (SBCC), 8-0

Photos by Daryl Peterson