Dao Advances at Teammates’ Expense

Jasmin Dao of Granada Hills High has yet to lose a game in the City Section individual girls’ tennis tournament.

But it was hard to tell if she was more happy than sad after her round-of-16 match Monday at the Warner Center Tennis Club in Woodland Hills.

That’s because both of her victims have been against fellow Highlanders.

“This tournament is more for yourself, but I still want to see my teammates do well,” Dao said after defeating teammate Tracey Takeshita, 6-0, 6-0.

“This was the second match in a row that I had to play my own teammate and it’s a little unfair. But that’s the way the draw worked out, so there’s nothing I could do about it.”

Dao, seeded No. 7 in the 32-player singles draw, blanked teammate Yuka Otaka, 6-0, 6-0, in the first round last Friday. Dao is the Highlanders’ only remaining singles player because Kelley Takeshita, Tracey’s older sister, lost to No. 5-seeded Judith De Vera of Carson, 6-3, 6-1.

In other matches, No. 3-seeded Dianna Friedland of Van Nuys was stricken with flu and had to default her second-round match against April McKinney of L.A. Center for Enriched Studies.

All three of Granada Hills’ doubles teams were seeded in the 32-team draw and all three advanced to the quarterfinals, set for Wednesday at the Warner Center.

Top-seeded Caryn Linder and Shannon Slotnick defeated Christina Chiu and Fontip Seeboonruang of Van Nuys, 6-0, 6-1.