TENNIS ROUNDUP : France Effort Not Enough; Dana Hills Tops El Toro

By DAVE McKIBBEN

April 29, 1993 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Johnny France did his part in trying to end the El Toro boys’ tennis team’s 28-year string without winning a league title, but he had little help Wednesday afternoon against Dana Hills.

France gave El Toro three points by winning his sets, 6-1, 6-0, 6-0, but his teammates accounted for only two points in a 13-5 loss to Dana Hills. The Chargers (10-6, 6-2) slipped into second place in the South Coast League, a game behind Dana Hills (10-7, 6-1), with three league matches to play.

“If I win all three of my matches and we lose, I don’t even think about my scores,” said France, who has lost only one set all season in dual matches. “This is a team game.”

El Toro’s doubles teams won only two matches, both by No. 1 Arnaud Sauvage and Alex Brown. Its No. 2 and No. 3 singles players and No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams were swept.

Earlier in the month, El Toro handed Dana Hills its only league loss, 9-9 and 70-69 in games.

“The kids felt like they could win (Wednesday),” Dana Hills Coach John Stephens said. “They felt like they gave the last one away.”

Dana Hills didn’t give El Toro much Wednesday. David Bailey, Erik Lundblad and Ty Comstock won two of three singles matches and Carlos Betancourt and Mike Baxi swept at No. 3 doubles, including a 6-0 victory over El Toro’s top team of Christian Spaulding and Justin Rimel.

If El Toro is to end its 28-year dry spell, it must win its last three and hope for a Dana Hills loss.

In the Century League:

Villa Park 10, El Modena 8--Ryan Hollis swept at singles for host Villa Park (7-1 in league), 6-1, 6-0, 6-0. El Modena is 3-4 in league.

In the Sea View League:

Corona del Mar 18, Tustin 0--Jed Weinstein and Beat Baudenbacher swept 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 in doubles for Corona del Mar (16-1, 11-0). Tustin is 0-11 in league.

Irvine 11, Santa Margarita 7--Todd Herrington swept, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, in singles for host Irvine (11-6, 6-5).

University 11, Saddleback 7--Robbie Wilkins swept in singles, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3, for University (14-2, 9-1).