Oh by the Way, Mann Stays Undefeated : City Section tennis: Taft High sophomore is one match shy of completing a perfect season.

He is 15 and playing his first season of varsity tennis. But so far Taft High sophomore Dylan Mann has made most of his high-school opponents look like rookies.

After defeating James Oh of Chatsworth, 6-1, 6-3, at the Racquet Centre in the semifinals of the City Section Individual championships Tuesday, Mann is one victory away from the title and an undefeated season.

In the final, Mann will play Dorsey sophomore Robert Williams, who defeated Bobak Morshed of Palisades, 6-4, 7-5. Williams improved his match record to 16-0. Mann has a match record of 15-0 and was undefeated in 12 sets during the recent city team tournament.

Williams defeated Mann, 6-2, 6-2, in an age-group tournament last January. But judging by Mann’s performance against Oh, Thursday’s 2 p.m. final might be different.

Mann broke Oh’s service six times and breezed.

“He had a slow start and I picked up on it,” Mann said. “(Oh) was missing the second and third ball (on rallies). I felt he wasn’t warmed up. So I forced a much quicker pace. I was coming in on balls I normally hit on the base line.”

With Oh nursing a bad back, Mann jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set. After Oh held serve to make it 4-1, Mann held and then broke Oh again to close out the set, thanks in part to a pair of double faults by Oh in the final game.

Oh rallied to a 2-0 lead to open the second set. Then Mann, who said he had lost his concentration, came charging back to break three of Oh’s last four services.

“I haven’t played much the last three weeks, and not that seriously,” said Oh, a freshman who turned 15 in January. “My back’s been healing pretty good, but it took about 10% of my game away.

“Right now, (Mann is) better. I just need to get healthy and get back to my game.”

Oh is now 0-4 in matches against Mann, who turns 16 on Oct. 2. Chatsworth Coach John Sayer downplayed Oh’s injury and credited Mann.

“That’s no excuse,” Sayer said. “He’s just not at Mann’s level right now. Dylan is just a little more experienced, he hits the ball a little harder and has more control of his shots. But I know (Oh) will come along.”