Boys’ tennis: Palisades and Taft set to face off for City title

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About 40 minutes from now the first ball will be served and the battle for the City Section championship will be on between defending champion Taft and perennial powerhouse Palisades at Balboa Sports Complex in Encino. It’s a rematch of last spring’s final in which Taft ended the Dolphins’ quest for a third consecutive title with a 21-8 1/2 victory. Don’t expect the score to be that one-sided this afternoon.

Palisades, the No. 2-seeded team, is playing in its fourth consecutive final and seeks its 27th section crown. Top-seeded Taft is pursuing its fourth championship and second in a row under Coach Tom Wright. The Toreadors clearly have the best player on the court in Josh Tchan, but it remains to be seen which school has the better team. Depth is the key in round-robin play, where 15 points are needed to win.

Neither team has lost to a City opponent this season. Taft (14-1) suffered its lone defeat to Westlake in an intersectional match in March. Palisades (22-2) lost twice in the Bay Area Classic, to Southern Section playoff squads Mira Costa and Beverly Hills.

-- Steve Galluzzo