TENNIS ROUNDUP : Sea Kings Dominate Eagles, 15-3

Corona del Mar tennis Coach Tim Mang found little to comment on during his team’s 15-3 victory over Santa Margarita in a Sea View League match Friday at Coto de Caza.

The Sea Kings (13-1, 9-0) seemed casual, almost indifferent while dominating their matches. But Mang was excited about one thing: No. 3 singles.

“I think I finally have a third singles player,” he said. “We’ve only lost once--to Santa Barbara, the No. 1 team in the nation--so now that singles is taken care of, maybe I’ll have a third doubles team by the time we play them again.”

Ali Jahangiri pleased his coach at No. 3 singles, beating No. 1 Kevin Westberg, 6-1 and No. 2 Glen Reneau, 6-0, and losing to No. 3 Matt Moore, 6-4.

Moore’s victory over Jahangiri gave Santa Margarita its only point in singles. But while trailing, 1-0, to No. 2 Brian Walden, Moore threw his racket. Coach Doug Williams first chastised Moore, then kicked the junior off the court and off the team for his increasingly belligerent behavior.

Walden, who played No. 2 but shares time at No. 1 singles with Trenton Rhodes, won his three sets, 6-0. Walden’s powerful, accurate ground strokes forced opponents into numerous errors. He is 19-4 overall, 8-1 in league. Mang said Walden’s biggest disappointment this season has been a rejection from Princeton, which narrows his choice to Duke or Rice.

The No. 1 doubles team of Jeff Larson and Kevin Cimini provided Santa Margarita (2-13, 1-8) with its other two points, defeating No. 1 Rodolfo Prieto and Paul Fruchbom, 6-3, and No. 3 Doug Smith and Ricky Bahador, 6-1.

Williams said the season has been a learning experience for his young team, only three of whom are seniors.

“When you’re not winning much, it’s easy to get negative,” he said. “So we’re going to work through it, get some experience and try to keep improving.”