Ventura’s Iankov Loses in State Tennis Final

Martin Thaler did it again against Ilian Iankov.

Two weeks after defeating Ventura College’s top singles player in the finals of the Ojai Valley tennis tournament, Thaler, a freshman from Desert, repeated the feat with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Iankov for the state junior college championship Saturday at the Claremont Club in Claremont.

Iankov, a native of Bulgaria who lost only two matches during the regular season, was the only entry among five Ventura players to reach the finals in the three-day tournament.

Iankov, ranked fourth in the state, fared better at Ojai against Thaler, who emerged with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Thaler, the top-seeded player of the state tournament, was undefeated in four matches.

The Ventura men’s and women’s doubles teams were eliminated Friday in quarterfinal matches.

Stefan Pongratz and Benny Andersson, Western State Conference and Ojai champions, were eliminated by Juan Cerda and Gabriel Pitta of Desert, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Andersson and Pongratz, who moved to Ventura last fall from their native Sweden, defeated Pitta and Golan Sassoon in the finals of the Ojai.

Andersson and Pongratz’s 6-3, 6-7 (7-3), 6-3 victory provided the margin of victory for Ventura, which won its first community college men’s title at Ojai in 45 years.

Pongratz and Andersson won a first-round match Friday over Kevin Jackson and Mike Feldman of Redwood City Canada, 6-3, 6-1.

In women’s doubles, Laila Bush and Aime Hull of Ventura were defeated in the quarterfinals, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, by the top-seeded De Anza team of Losaline Mafileo and Maka Clark.

Bush and Hull recorded a first-round victory over Leanne Leontieff and Reanne Swanson of Sequoias, 6-3, 6-1.

In men’s singles, Pongratz, who upset Iankov, 6-1, 6-1, last month in the WSC finals, advanced to the quarterfinals Friday before losing to John Hui of Foothill, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

Pongratz won a first-round singles match Friday against Gustavo Domit of Sacramento, 6-3, 6-3.

Iankov advanced Friday with victories over Heigo Karask of Fresno, 6-0, 6-2, and Dan Castro of Foothill, 7-6, 6-1.

In the semifinals Saturday, Iankov defeated Cerda, 6-0, 7-5.