The South Pasadena High School varsity boys’ tennis team sent individuals to compete in the Rio Hondo League Tournament on April 29.
The pairing of Aidan Liu and Lucas Cornforth finished as the doubles tournament runner-up after losing to La Cañada’s team, 3-6, 3-6. The duo advanced to the title match with a two-set victory over La Cañada, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, in the semifinal round. Liu and Cornforth defeated San Marino’s team 8-3 in the quarterfinals after receiving a first-round bye.
The SPHS team of Emett Mendel and Sebastian Thompson won their tournament opener against Monrovia 8-2 but lost in the quarterfinals against La Cañada. The tandem of Zachary Lee and Christopher Wong also defeated a Monrovia team 8-1 in their tournament opener but lost to La Cañada in the quarterfinals.
In singles play, Louis Jones defeated his San Marino opponent 8-2 in the first round but lost to Temple City in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Max Slattery lost to Temple City in his tournament opener.
The Tigers, who finished the regular season as league co-champions with a 7-1 record (13-2 overall), hosted San Clemente (11-5) on May 1. The CIF Southern Section Division II first-round match ended after the Review’s press deadline and will be included in next week’s issue. If victorious, SPHS would advance to the second round and meet either Long Beach Wilson (20-2) or Crossroads High of Santa Monica (7-6) on May 3.
First published in the May 3 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
