On Thursday afternoon, the Cerritos College men's tennis team won their fourth consecutive match, as they defeated visiting Mesa (AZ) CC, 8-1. The Falcons (7-1) will get a couple days rest before they host undefeated Orange Coast College (5-0) at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. 

It was a comfortable clean sweep in doubles play for the Falcons, who won all three by identical 8-3 scores. However, in singles play, there would be dramatic comebacks and finishes, with Cerritos coming out on top in five of the six matches.

In a match that featured hometown friends who attended school together in Brazil, freshman Victor Castro (Novo Hamburgo, Brazil) handled Artur Etzburger by a 6-0, 6-1 score in the #2 singles match, which was countered by the Thunderbirds posting the same score in the #5 match. The Falcons clinched the team win after freshman Alex Prokopchuk (School 45, Ukraine) finished off Lucas Severo, 6-2, 6-1 in the #3 position. 

The final three matches all went to a third set, with sophomore Kwangeun Lee (Sunny Hills HS) fighting back after losing the first set, 6-7(5) in the #6 spot on the ladder. He was able regroup and won the next two sets, 6-2, 6-1 against Griffin Saver. Freshman Kent Hunter (Home Schooled) found himself extended to a third set for the first time this season. After winning the first set, 6-0 against Jorge Sala Frigeri, he suffered a 2-6 loss, which sent the match to a third set. Regaining his composure, Hunter went on to record a 6-2 win in the third set. The day came down to the #4 match, with sophomore Biel Roca Carreras (Iguolada, Spain) coming back in the tie-breaker to defeat Yohann Prinsen, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5).

SINGLES
Kent Hunter (CERR) def. Jorge Sala Frigeri (MCC), 6-0, 2-6, 6-2
Victor Castro (CERR) def. Artur Etzburger (MCC), 6-0, 6-1
Alex Prokopchuk (CERR) def. Lucas Severo (MCC), 6-2, 6-1
Biel Roca Carreras (CERR) def. Yohann Prinsen (MCC), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5)
Jeffrey Martin (MCC) def. Dario Rico-Altozano (CERR), 6-1, 6-0
Kwangeun Lee (CERR) def. Griffin Saver (MCC), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-1

DOUBLES
Kent Hunter/Victor Castro (CERR) def. Jeffrey Martin/Gergo Rednek (MCC), 8-3
Dario Rico-Altozano/Kwangeun Lee (CERR) def. Jorge Sala Frigeri/Lucas Severo (MCC), 8-3
Alex Prokopchuk/Biel Roca Carreras (CERR) def. Griffin Saver/Artur Etzburger (MCC), 8-3

Photos by Daryl Peterson