Host of locals move on at Ojai

GLENDALE — The 110th Ojai Valley Tournament got under way with assorted qualifying matches on Tuesday and truly got into the full swing on Thursday with a share of local flavor sprinkled in.

Glendale Community College’s men’s and women’s teams sent two singles players and two doubles squads apiece to the event, but unfortunately for the Vaqueros contingent, only the doubles pairings of Mike Astorian and Paul Nagapetyan and Sarah Aguilar and Minelli Ebrahimi remain.

They’re joined by Glendale graduate Robert Yim, La Crescenta’s Sarah Ali and Glendale’s Andrea Kevakian and Alexander Sarkissian as locals who will continue on today.

Ali, a former All-Area Girls’ Tennis Singles Player of the Year Sarah, opened up play in the Girls’ 16 Singles with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 win against Natalie Etchegaray of Yorba Linda on Thursday.

Ali, the seventh seed, is set to face Rebekkah Ermac of Riverside today at 11 a.m.

In Girls’ 14 Singles, Kevakian disposed of Lisa Santry of Santa Barbara in a flawless win, 6-0, 6-0. However, Kevakian is likely to encounter a tougher task today when she faces third-seeded Elizabeth Malville of Simi Valley at 12:30 p.m.

Yim, a former standout at Glendale High who now plays out of Henderson, Nev., beat Michael Hui of Oakland in the opening round of the Men’s Open Singles Main Draw, 6-2, 6-2. Yim was set to take on sixth-seeded Luis Perez, but the match did not take place on Thursday, likely due to three delays because of rain.

In the Men’s Open Singles Qualifier’s Draw, Sarkissian began on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-1 win against Sohrab Alberzian before defeating Seattle’s Marton Bots on Thursday, 1-6, 6-2, 10-8.

Sarkissian is scheduled to take on Marcus Giron of Thousand Oaks in the Round of 16.

Nagapetyan and Glendale High graduate Astorian moved past American River’s Lane Bacchi and Ron Hooper, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The tandem will face Orange Coast’s Brad Fisher and Yannick Lepage at noon today.

On the women’s side, Aguilar and Ebrahimi defeated Orange Coast’s Heather Wong and Nicole Rorick, 6-0, 6-4.

They will face Lauren and Ashley Wells of Cuamaca at 1:30 p.m. today.

In singles action, Nagapetyan defeated Sierra’s Kurt Grinsell, 6-2, 6-2, before falling to third-seeded Nico Combes of College of the Desert, 6-2, 6-3.

GCC’s Joe Tresierras beat Reedley’s Eric Garner, 6-2, 6-0, but also lost in the Round of 32, falling against San Diego Mesa’s Dane Thompson, 6-2, 6-2.

Tresierras and Emanuel Haug, the ninth seed in community college doubles, were upset in the opening round, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 by Matt Miller and Kevin Tran of Orange Coast.

In Boys’ 14 singles, Glendale’s Alex Kevakian lost to Kevin Du of Ojai in the Round of 64, 6-3, 6-4.

Yim and Lester Cook are set to begin play in the Men’s Open Doubles as the No. 2 seed today at 3:30 p.m.

Glendale’s Maureen Diaz will take part in both the Women’s Open Singles and doubles tournaments, with singles set for today and doubles on Saturday.