PREP TENNIS / SOUTHERN SECTION INDIVIDUALS : Thompson Gets Focused, Gilbert Shakes Slow Start

A day after their teams were eliminated from the Southern Section playoffs, Foothill’s Ryan Thompson and Sunny Hills’ Joseph Gilbert eased the pain by advancing to the individual semifinals Friday at the SeaCliff Tennis Club.

Thompson advanced to the final day by defeating Bret Hankey of Mater Dei, 6-2, 6-3, and fourth-seeded Elliott West of Laguna Beach, 6-2, 6-4, in the quarterfinals.

Tied, 3-3, in the second set against West, Thompson broke the senior’s serve twice in a row then overcame a 0-30 deficit in the 10th game to win the match.

“I was really focused today and I played the big points well,” Thompson said. “I knew it was going to be tough when I got here, but I also knew if I played good tennis, I could beat anybody here.”

Gilbert started the day slowly, dropping his opening set, 7-6, to Chris Lee of Palos Verdes Peninsula. However, the second-seeded junior won 12 of the next 13 games.

“I came out real nervous,” Gilbert said. “Me and Lee are pretty good friends and we’ve played each other a bunch of times. I just came out a little slow and not really intense, then I knew I was going to have to step it up in the second set and get him down early.”

Gilbert kept the momentum in the quarterfinals and slipped past Jose Lieberman of Beverly Hills, 6-4, 6-3.

In doubles, Erik Lundblad and Hanley Ernst of Dana Hills advanced to the semifinals by upsetting fourth-seeded Jason Yardi and Travis Loque of Santa Barbara, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

The seniors, who reached the quarterfinals by defeating Beverly Hills’ Bobby Croll and Jordan DuBoff, 6-2, 6-2, only started playing together before the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament last month.

“We got to the quarters at Ojai after playing only three matches together and we have only played 20 matches together to this point,” Ernst said.

Gilbert will face third-seeded Eni Ghidirmic of Palm Desert, who advanced with an impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory over freshman Ryan Moore of Servite, and Thompson will play San Marino’s Andrew Park, who upset top-seeded Adam Webster of Santa Barbara, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, in a tremendous match.

Lundblad and Ernst will meet top-seeded Dann Battistone and Andy Scorteanu of Palm Desert, who advanced by defeating University’s Min Lee and Felix Ling, 6-0, 6-3. The semifinal round will begin at 10:30 a.m.