Pleasant Tunes Up for Title : Westlake Standout Moves Into Final

Forgive Darin Pleasant if he doesn’t get too excited about winning--or losing--the 10th Summer Juniors Tennis tournament at the Racquet Centre in Universal City this weekend.

It’s not that Pleasant doesn’t want to win. The recent graduate of Westlake High has no qualms about putting another trophy on the mantle in the Pleasants’ Thousand Oaks home.

It’s just that winning this tournament is not No. 1 on his list of priorities.

Pleasant’s top priority is doing well in a national tournament in Northern California next week. And a strong showing, such as the one Pleasant had in his 7-6 (7-4 in the tiebreaker), 6-1 victory over Art Thomloi in the semifinals of the 18-year-and-under division Friday, could mean success next week.

“This is kind of like a warm-up for nationals,” Pleasant said. “It’s to get my circulation going.”

Pleasant was definitely limber in the semifinals, and most of his shots were sending Thomloi in circles. Pleasant, who led the Warriors to the Southern Section 4-A Division championship match this season, will play Robert Rao in the final today at 1:30 p.m.

Pleasant dominated Thomloi by following his powerful serves to the net and putting away most of Thomloi’s returns. And even though Thomloi won five of his first six service games, it wasn’t easy; Pleasant took the 17-year-old Notre Dame junior to deuce three times in Thomloi’s last two service games of the first set.

Thomloi took a 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker, but Pleasant rallied behind his strong play at the net and Thomloi’s surprisingly weak backhand. In the beginning of the match, Thomloi was able to place his backhand shot for winners, but at the end of the first set and throughout the second, Thomloi lost control.

Trailing, 3-1, Pleasant hit two cross-court winners to even the tiebreaker. Thomloi hit a cross-court winner past Pleasant, who was camped at the net, to move ahead, 4-3, but Pleasant scored the final four points on three Thomloi backhand errors and a Pleasant drop shot.

In other matches, Arnold Thomloi, Art’s brother, beat Stefan Hura of Westlake Village, 6-1, 6-1, in a boys’ 14-and-under semifinal and will play Reid Slattery of San Marino at 10:30 a.m. for the championship.

Gary Potter, Jennifer Cotone and Jeanette Davis also advanced to the finals. Potter of Thousand Oaks beat Danny Roberts, 6-2, 6-2, and will face Scott Hansen, the No. 4-seeded player, in the boys’ 16-and-under division.

Cotone, who lives in North Hollywood and is the No. 2-seeded player in the girls’ 16-and-under, beat Kendra Harris of Santa Paula, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, and will play Nancene Hayden, the top-seeded player, at 10:30 a.m. Davis of Simi Valley beat Trina Eggers, 6-0, 6-3, to advance to the girls’ 18-and-under championship, in which she will face Ali Yoshimoto, the No. 2-seeded player, at noon.