Palisades’ Nikolova reaches third City tennis final in a row
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Katy Nikolova of Palisades has already been there, done that. Now she’s one win away from doing it again.
The Dolphins’ senior reached the finals of the City Section Individual singles tennis championships for the third consecutive year with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Taft’s Sarah Cohen Friday afternoon at the Balboa Sports Center in Encino.
Nikolova’s victory was a little easier than her previous meeting with Cohen in the City team finals on Nov. 16, when their match lasted more than 3 1/2 hours before Nikolova prevailed, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(4). This time, Nikolova led, 4-3, but Cohen won three straight games to take the first set. The players traded service breaks early in the second set before Nikolova took command, winning seven straight games to close out the match.
The top-seeded Nikolova will defend her title against second-seeded Alexandra Tallas of Granada Hills at 1 p.m. on Monday, also at the Balboa Sports Center. Tallas beat third-seeded Yuliya Maystruk of Taft, 6-3, 6-3, in Friday’s second semifinal.
Nikolova lost to Desiree Stone of North Hollywood, 6-4, 6-0, in the 2005 final and defeated Cohen, 6-2, 7-5, to win the championship last year.
Two Granada Hills teams will meet in Monday’s Individual doubles final, also starting at 1 p.m. Eighth-seeded Becky Friedman and Leeann Hsueh defeated Highlanders teammates Nikki Hsueh and Monica Sirathanuran, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, in Friday’s first semifinal and Granada Hills’ Allie Amor and Kelly Paris beat El Camino Real’s Kelsey Fin and Candace Sakamoto, 6-4, 6-1, in the other.
-- Steve Galluzzo, guest blogger
-- Image from www.soimmature.com/