Bezonsky Twins Put It Together in Doubles Play

Twins Brian and Kevin Bezonsky of Harvard-Westlake High may be difficult to tell apart away from the tennis court, but on it they’re very different.

Brian specializes in backspin, topspin and lob shots. A one-handed swinger, he serves with finesse rather than power.

Kevin likes to grip and rip. Two-handed volleys and blistering serves are his forte.

Together, they make a formidable tandem.

Kevin, who plays No. 1 singles for the Wolverines, and Brian, part of Harvard-Westlake’s No. 1 doubles team, have joined forces for the Southern Section doubles tournament that began Saturday with the Northern Sectional at Cate High.

The Bezonskys, seniors who led Harvard-Westlake to the Southern Section Division III title last season, appear well on their way to adding a doubles trophy to their hardware collection.

The No. 1 seeded team in the Northern Sectional, they cruised to a pair of straight-set victories after receiving a bye in the first round.

They defeated Tyrel Carson and Derrik Goldie of Rio Mesa, 6-3, 6-4, in the second round and advanced to next week’s round of 16 with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Jeremy Quinlan and Jeremiah Waggoner of Simi Valley.

They will be reseeded for the round of 16, which takes place Friday at Seacliff Tennis Club in Huntington Beach. They are expected to be among the top four seeded teams.

“We were a little slow at the beginning and a little slow at the end,” Brian said after the second match. “But we played pretty well. We’re still working some things out.”

The twins haven’t teamed together very often. Last month at the Ojai Invitational tournament, they played as a doubles team and reached the CIF Division round of 16. That was the first tournament they had played together in four years.

They rarely even play against each other these days, opting just to hit balls for practice instead of keeping score.

“We played together a lot when we were younger,” said Brian, the elder twin by 40 minutes. “But after playing with and against each other for so long, it gets boring.”

Kevin, headed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on a tennis scholarship, takes the game a bit more serious than Brian, who says he is giving up the sport after the high school season ends and he heads to USC business school.

“I might try and walk on,” Brian said.

They have decided to team together for the Southern Section tournament as one last hurrah.

“It would be a nice way to end my career,” Brian said.

Their victories Saturday seemed effortless. While other teams bantered back and forth about strategy, the Bezonskys remained quiet, seemingly able to read each other’s minds.

“We don’t need to talk,” Brian said.

Added Kevin: “We know how each other is going to move and where we’re going to serve. We have a game plan coming in.”

A Southern Section doubles title may not be the only title the Bezonskys win this year. Top-ranked in Southern Section Division III as a team, Harvard-Westlake has cruised to consecutive 18-0 victories in the first two rounds of the team playoffs.

“I’m confident about the team winning. We just have to take care of business in doubles,” Kevin said.