Crescenta Valley boys’ tennis singles, doubles players finish fourth in league tourney
BURBANK — A rolled ankle, a popped racket and a blistered index finger.
These were obstacles the Crescenta Valley singles and doubles boys’ tennis players had to overcome as they faced top-seeded Arcadia opponents in the Pacific League Tournament semifinals at Burroughs High on Thursday.
Crescenta Valley singles player Carlos Vicencio played through a rolled ankle in the semifinal and third-place matches to finish fourth behind the tournament’s third-seed Vincent Leong of Arcadia, 8-2, after falling in straight sets in the semifinals.
The Falcons doubles team of Patrick Chemielewski and Jun Augustine lost in straight sets in the semifinal round before falling to the second-seed Markis Cheng and Spencer Cheung of Arcadia, 8-2, in the third-place contest.
“Despite the injuries and stuff, we played our best against very good players,” Crescenta Valley coach Sam Hyun said. “We gave all that we could do, especially with Carlos limping. He decided to play the first round and not forfeit it, so he just went and got several games out of it. That was a good performance.”
Vicencio, who rolled his ankle at practice on Wednesday, took the first game against reigning Pacific League champion Matt Feng in the semifinal round, but the No. 1 seed from Arcadia won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
“I just played,” Vicencio said. “If I lose a point, I lose a point. I just had to do what I had to do. I tried to attack his backhand as much as I could. I just sliced it, but he ran around it with his forehand. Can’t run after that.”
Arcadia’s doubles Luke Feng and Herman Sham advanced to the finals with a win in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3, against fifth-seeded Chemielewski and Augustine, with the former dealing with an index finger blister and the latter rotating through three rackets.
“We’re a bit disappointed based on the circumstances, but that’s taking nothing away from Arcadia,” Chemielewski said. “They played really well. We did the best we could.”
The Falcons now wait for the CIF Southern Section Division II boys’ tennis draw slated for Monday at 11 a.m.
“This just made us stronger, mentally,” Augustine said. “We know what to do and how to work around it. We’re just going to try our best every time, even through a huge disadvantage. We’re just going to keep trying to see if we can get something out of them and maybe crack them under pressure.”
Feng faced Arcadia teammate and second-seed Jun Nakamine in the final and won, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8, to clinch his second consecutive Pacific League singles championships.
In doubles action, No. 3 Hellman Zao and Jimmy Liu of Arcadia downed teammates Feng and Sham, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 10-8.
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Twitter: @ReporterVince