3C2A Men's Tennis Singles Championship set for on Sunday as doubles move into semis
OJAI - The Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament's 122nd edition enjoyed a picturesque day. The early matches began at 8:00 a.m., and the weather remained comfortable at 72 degrees. While Indian Wells is often cited as a tennis paradise, some believe that the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament is the true paradise for tennis enthusiasts.
On court six, Jean-Baptiste Badon, the No. 1 seed from Glendale College, faced off against Chabot College's sophomore, Arav Waghray. Badon took control of the game from the outset, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead and maintaining pressure on Waghray. Waghray struggled to counter Badon’s aggressive baseline game. His shots often pinned Waghray deep in the corner, allowing Badon to drive the ball or approach the net for an easy volley. Despite Waghray's impressive agility and quickness, Badon's shot selection proved too much; Badon advanced to the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.
Following his quarterfinal victory, Badon set up an intriguing match with Ventura's No. 1 player, Ray Emery, who had earlier defeated teammate Robinson Pellualt 6-2, 6-1. Emery, who shares a similar playing style, likes to control the point by hitting aggressive and deep shots from the baseline. This would be a test of who can keep the ball deep and find the first ball to attack. Badon jumped out early to a 4-1 lead and kept the pressure on, winning the first set 6-1. Deep into the second set, Emery attempted to adopt a few different tactics, including changing the pace of play and throwing ‘moon balls’ or off-speed shots. Still, Badon's fitness and shots were too much for him to handle. Badon finished the match-breaking serve to capture the match 6-1, 6-2, advancing him to the championship round.
In the other quarterfinal rounds, on court 5, Keisuke Ariga, representing Foothill College, faced off against Nick Grove from Irvine Valley College. On court 7, the match of the day featured Sebastian Junghanns of Bakersfield College and Adam Ridaoui from Glendale College.
Grove's serve, characterized by a distinctive sound, can be heard throughout the playing compound. Despite the speed, Ariga somehow managed to return it effectively, at times just blocking back the 120 miles per hour serve. Ariga's ability to neutralize Grove's serve and well-placed shots kept Grove off balance and the game close. One disadvantage of Grove's towering height, measuring over 6’2, was his difficulty bending down to return low shots. Grove broke Ariga at 2-2 in the first set to give him the 3-2 lead he needed. Grove ultimately took the first set 6-4. Similarly, a single break was all that was required for Grove to advance to the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Sebastian Junghanns and Adam Ridaoui played a wonderful match for over three hours. It was the best match of the day, with most rallies consisting of 10-15 ball exchanges before one player could find an opportunity to attack. Despite Ridaoui's strong effort, Junghanns emerged victorious with a 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 win.
After taking a mandatory break between sets, Junghanns returned to the court to face hard-serving Nick Grove in the semifinals. The match again went the distance, with both players relying on their serving as a primary weapon. Both players served at speeds exceeding 120 miles per hour, making the match a battle of whose serve would falter first. Junghanns had an advantage in mixing up his serves, sometimes giving Grove trouble. However, Grove quickly adjusted by moving 5 feet inside the baseline to attack Junghanns' off-speed serve.
Junghanns gained an early advantage in the first set, capturing it 6-4. Grove fought back and won the second set 6-3. The quality of play from both players improved as the match went on and became tied at one set each. Junghanns didn't show any signs of fatigue despite a three-hour match earlier.
At 3-2 in the third and final set, the momentum shifted to Junghanns after he broke Grove’s serve to go up 4-2. After holding his serve to increase a commanding 5-2 lead, Junghanns was able to close out the match 6-3, propelling him into the championship match against Jean-Baptiste Badon of Glendale College.
In the men's doubles competition, Julian Tellez and Rafael Matias from Ventura College won over Brett Yackovich and Sebastian Junghanns of Bakersfield College, 2-6, 7-6, 10-8. The next match for Tellez and Matias will be against the Glendale College team of Lance Morgan and Adam Ridaoui, who defeated Matias Almeida and Emilio Real from Riverside City College 7-6 and 6-1.
On the other half of the men's doubles draw, Gavin Sontagg and Enrique Silveira from American River College beat Lucas Abreu and Cody Ray Emery 6-2, 3-6, 10-6. They will face Nick Grove and Luciano Pardo from Irvine Valley College, who defeated Jean-Baptiste Badon and Andy Zau from Glendale College, 6-1, 4-6, 14-12.
Both semifinal doubles matches are scheduled for 8:30 a.m at Libbey Park.
(Bo Navarro, CCCSIA)