TeamTennis : Nelson Leads Buds Past Aces
Todd Nelson rallied Thursday night to defeat Marty Davis, 6-4, in a men’s singles match and led the San Diego Buds to a 26-19 victory over the Oakland Aces in a TeamTennis semifinal match at Oakland.
The Buds will play the St. Louis Slims in Sunday’s championship match at San Antonio. The Slims surprised top-seeded Miami Beach, 22-21, at Miami in Thursday’s other semifinal.
San Diego started fast Thursday night, opening a 12-6 lead after the women’s doubles and singles matches. Robin White and Mary Lou Piatek defeated Sharon Walsh and Barbara Jordan, 6-2, and White beat Walsh, 6-4. The Aces pulled within 14-12, however, after men’s doubles thanks to Davis and Chris Dunk, who beat Nelson and Butch Walts, 6-2.
After Davis opened his 3-0 lead over Nelson and put Oakland in front, 15-14, Nelson used his strong serve to put San Diego back in control.
“He was just on top all the way,” Bud Coach Larry Willens said. “Even though he fell behind, he knew he was going to win. He just got tougher and tougher as the match went on.”
After Nelson’s win, Walts and Piatek combined for a 6-3 mixed doubles win over Dunk and Jordan to secure the Buds’ berth in Sunday’s final.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
