HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS / CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS : Dorsey’s Williams Grabs Title

Trailing, 5-3, in the tiebreaker of the final set, Dorsey High’s Robert Williams scored four consecutive points to defeat Dylan Mann of Woodland Hills Taft, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), in the City Section individual singles final Thursday.

Mann appeared to have the edge early in the battle of sophomores. He went ahead in the first set, 4-1, and had Williams down three set points at the Studio City Racquet Center.

But Williams used lobs to win several key points and came from behind to win the set in a tiebreaker, 7-3.

“I just wasn’t concentrating early,” Williams said. “My dad showed me that lob, and after winning the first set I knew I had to just take it point by point.”

In a doubles final featuring a pair of teams from Palisades, the No. 1 duo of Oliver Catlin and Jeff Manson defeated Jason Ebin and Daniel Elperin, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-4.

The rare same-school matchup came about after the sixth-seeded team of Ebin and Elperin upset favored Eric Aron and Jeff Labovitch of Chatsworth in the semifinals Tuesday.

“We’re the defending champions and we never thought they would be the ones we would face,” Manson said of Ebin and Elperin. “It was just in the last month they began to really improve their play.”

After dropping the first set, and trailing in the second-set tiebreaker, 5-0, Ebin and Elperin scored seven consecutive points.

“Both teams were about even all year,” Palisades Coach Bud Kling said. “Ebin and Elperin have been coming from behind all year. How many times do you see someone score seven straight points in a tiebreaker?”