CdM’s Niels Hoffmann and Jack Cross advance to CIF Individuals boys’ tennis semifinals
Niels Hoffmann and Jack Cross like to yell across the court to each other during Corona del Mar High boys’ tennis matches.
Since Hoffmann and Cross decided to team together for the postseason, the yells are just coming from closer proximity nowadays for the two sophomores.
To be sure, making it into the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Individuals doubles tournament is something to be excited about.
Hoffmann and Cross did so Wednesday at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center, winning round of 16 and quarterfinal matches to advance. They now find themselves among the top four doubles teams in the entire section.
The CdM duo, seeded No. 3, will play No. 2-seeded Derek Shiffer and Darius Tamaddon of Calabasas in the CIF Individuals semifinals Thursday at 10:30 a.m. back at Whittier Narrows. Top-seeded Advik Mareeda and Warren Pham of Valencia of Placentia meet Sanghyuk Im and Konrad Walter Wu of University in the other semifinal.
The title match will follow.
Hoffmann and Cross, the Surf League doubles champions, did not drop a set Wednesday. They topped a team from Los Angeles Loyola 6-2, 6-2 in the round of 16 before getting past Charlie Friedman and Masato Perera of San Marcos, 6-3, 7-5, in the quarterfinals.
They trailed the San Marcos team 3-1 in the first set and 4-0 in the second set, but were able to rally each time.
“I think we just needed to bolt down a few games, a few points here and there,” Hoffmann said. “I thought it was a competitive match, even when we were down. We just needed to play well in the bigger points ... It’s super-fun. I came with pretty high expectations, and they’re getting fulfilled. We’re playing pretty well and having fun. It’s a good experience so far.”
Hoffmann and Cross were nearly joined in the doubles semifinals by CdM teammates Jonathan Hinkel and Jack Knox, another sophomore tandem. Hinkel and Knox beat a team from Calabasas 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 in the round of 32 before upsetting No. 4-seeded Ben Jorgenson and Tristan Messerli of Palos Verdes, 6-4, 7-6, in the round of 16.
Hinkel and Knox’s day ended with a tough 7-5, 6-4 loss to University in the quarterfinals.
“My leg started cramping pretty bad toward the end there,” Hinkel said. “I could barely bend down on my serve, so I think that did cost us a few games. My partner Jack did a good job of staying steady, though. Not just playing two matches, but two really close matches, I think that had an effect on how we played [against Uni] ... but I’m content with how we did. We had two good wins there.”
Fountain Valley junior Alan Ton, meanwhile, became the first Baron in school history to advance to the CIF Individuals singles quarterfinals. No. 4-seeded Ton topped Sage Hill’s Grant Gallagher 6-2, 6-0 in the round of 16.
Ton, the two-time Surf League singles champion, then fell 6-1, 7-5 to Nathaniel Suh of Villa Park in the quarterfinals. A 5-2 lead in the second set slipped away for Ton.
“I couldn’t convert any of my chances in the second set, and he played well on those important points,” Ton said. “But it’s been an honor to get all the way here. I’ve learned a lot of things in the last few months in high school tennis, and I’m just really glad to make it so far.”
Marina’s Bradley Gallo and Trevor Nguyen, the Wave League doubles champions, fell in three sets to a team from Cerritos in the round of 32.
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