Flintridge Prep boys’ doubles team reaches second round at CIF Tournament
Following a season in which the Flintridge Prep boys’ tennis team qualified for the CIF playoffs, three Rebels also earned the right to participate in the CIF Individual Tournament.
Cartier Juan, Gillis Linde and Christian Yeghnazar of Flintridge Prep took to the court Thursday to compete in the tournament at the Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates.
Linde, Yeghnazar and Juan saw their runs end. Linde and Yeghnazar reached the second round, while Juan fell in the first round.
Linde, a freshman, and Yeghnazar, a junior, began the tournament with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 doubles victory against Parth Dahamukar and Tanmay Chawla of Cerritos. They then suffered a 6-1, 6-0 defeat against Hudson Graf and Patryk Kozlowski of University.
Flintridge Prep first-year Coach Morisa Yang, who led the Rebels to a second-place finish in the Prep League, said the duo fared well in its first tournament appearance.
“They got off to a very good start in the first round and then got a little tired before picking it back up,” said Yang, whose team reached the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs. “I liked the way they finished up in the first round, especially by dictating the points.
“They played well in the second round against a super-good team. There were a lot of long rallies, but the other team closed out well at the net. It’s great experience for Gillis and Christian and they will be back next year.”
Linde and Yeghnazar finished 29-14 overall, 12-3 in league.
Juan, a senior and reigning All-Area selection, made his third straight appearance in the tournament. Juan reached the second round each of the last two seasons.
On Thursday, Juan dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision to Nathan Benyowitz of Shalhevet.
“He just got off to a slow start and ran into a good opponent,” Yang said. “He started to find his way, but he couldn’t catch up or dictate the points.
“He tried to hit higher backhand shots. He had some difficulty with first serves and that put a little more pressure on him. He did well throughout the season and he got better as the season went along. In CIF, it’s all about the luck of the draw and he had a tough draw.”
Juan finished 41-6, 15-3 in league.
