HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS PLAYOFFS : Chatsworth Punishes Palisades in Semifinals

Although many of his forehands lacked direction Thursday at Cal State Northridge, Saam Morshed undoubtedly made the right move in at least one respect.

Morshed, a junior at Palisades High who entered play Thursday with a 17-0 record, interrupted his match with Chatsworth’s Rafael Huerta and sprawled along the baseline.

Morshed, who already had lost to Rudy Vargas in a set that lasted more than an hour, trailed Huerta, 5-2. He sought refuge from the muggy weather, a sore shoulder and the Chancellors in some shade along the fence.

After several minutes, Morshed defaulted. It might have been the smoothest stroke for the Dolphins who, like Morshed, seemed to be on their backs much of the afternoon.

Chatsworth went on to hand Palisades a 27-2 1/2 loss in the semifinals of the City Section 4-A Division tennis playoffs.

The Chancellors (17-0) seemed intent on proving that their half-point victory over Palisades (11-6) in the semifinals of last year’s playoffs was no fluke. Chatsworth sailed to a 10-0 lead and secured the victory within 1 1/2 hours. Palisades has won 19 City titles.

“I’m surprised it was this easy,” Chatsworth Coach Joe Santellano said. “It didn’t look good at first. We came out a little nervous.”

Chatsworth’s nerves did not appear to fray. Huerta, a sophomore, lost only four games and improved to 26-0. He has not lost a set this season.

Vargas, a senior, also extended his record to 26-0 and might have recorded the Chancellors’ most important win when he disposed of Morshed, 7-6 (7-1).

“He played his heart out,” Santellano said. “He just wore him out, and (Morshed) couldn’t go anymore.”

After a string snapped in his racket, Vargas borrowed a racket from teammate Mike DiGiorigo and completed an unbeaten day with a 6-0 win over Ari Miller. Ron Charles also was unbeaten in singles play and improved to 26-0.

Chatsworth’s doubles team of DiGiorigo and Aaron Haaz, which has reached the quarterfinals in the individual championships, was unbeaten in three sets and improved to 8-2.

Mike Carone and Amir Fahimi lost just five games in three sets and improved to 15-2.

“We were just a little deeper than they were,” Santellano said.

Chatsworth, which lost to University in last year’s 4-A title match, will meet West Valley League rival Taft in the final next Friday at The Racquet Centre in Studio City.

Chatsworth defeated Taft in two head-to-head matches this season. Taft, which won the 4-A title in 1989, advanced with a 16-13 1/2 win over University on Monday.

SOUTHERN SECTION 2-A DIVISION

Harvard 15, Quartz Hill 3--No. 1 singles player Phil Tseng won all three of his singles matches to lead Harvard in a semifinal match at the Studio City Golf and Tennis Center.

Harvard’s No. 1 doubles team of Steve Jang and Josh Litter also recorded a sweep for the Saracens, who are seeking their third consecutive Southern Section 2-A Division title. Harvard (18-2) will play Righetti, a 12-6 winner over Cate, in the final Wednesday at a site to be determined.

The No. 2 doubles team of J. W. Hobson and Aaron Cohen also went 3-0 for Harvard, the top-seeded team in the division.

Quartz Hill lost its first match in 23 outings.