It’s a good day for the Knights in WBAL tennis

When Menlo’s Daniel Hoffman won the PAL Bay Division singles title in 2007 and ’08, he didn’t face teammate Jamin Ball, who was busy with school work during the individual tournament those seasons.

Hoffman, a senior, and Ball, a junior, finally met in the West Bay Athletic League singles finale on Monday and the two produced a memorable match.

Battling for nearly three hours, Hoffman overcame a ragged second set to win his third consecutive league title, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, at the Menlo College courts.

“That was my toughest match of the season, most definitely,” said Hoffman, who is ranked No. 1 in Northern California in Boys’ 18 singles. “Being friends makes it harder.”

Hoffman and Ball did their best to put their friendship aside as they battled each other like a CCS title was at stake.

“They’ve done this before, in ladder matches,” explained Menlo coach Bill Shine. “It got to where we just had to stop it because it got too late.”

The title match was prolonged when Hoffman began cramping up in the third set, likely due to the fact it was his third match of the day.

With last Friday’s opening day of the tournament rained out, the format was changed to eight-game pro sets prior to the finals. Thus, the entire tourney began on Monday with Hoffman and Ball both winning two pro sets before meeting in the finals.

“It was the longest day of my high school career,” said a tired Hoffman, who endured a left leg cramp in the third set that needed attention from the Menlo trainers. By that time, Hoffman had been playing for nearly four hours, but he wasn’t going to quit. “If Jamin was going to win, he was going to have to earn it,” Hoffman said.

At stake in their showdown was the league title, the team’s No. 1 singles spot heading into the Central Coast Section tournament and, most likely, a lot of pride.

“They go at it like it’s the finals of Wimbledon,” Shine said. “That’s what makes them so special; they have it in them.”

Hoffman appeared in total control after the opening set, but things got shaky in the second.

“He stepped it up and I let it get to me,” Hoffman said. “Some friends came by to watch and I sort of lost focus. I started spiraling down.”

After losing the second set and with Ball grabbing all the momentum, Hoffman began the third set by taking the first game.

“After losing six of the previous seven games, I had to come out strong,” Hoffman explained. “Winning that first game was important . . . I kept fighting when I was down.”

With Hoffman serving and holding a 4-2 lead in the third set, he was forced to take a medical timeout to get attention for his cramping left leg. When action resumed, Hoffman was broken by Ball, who then held serve for a 4-4 match. The two held serve for a 5-5 match, Hoffman held for a 6-5 lead and then broke Ball for the match.

“The league title is pretty cool,” Hoffman said. “It’s a big achievement for me.”

The tournament will wrap up on Tuesday with the doubles final, set for around 4 p.m. It will be another all-Menlo affair with senior Max Glenn and junior Patrick Chase taking on senior Ryan Duggal and sophomore Kyle Sum.

The winning doubles team will join Hoffman and Ball in the CCS Individual Tournament that begins May 26. Hoffman qualifies automatically while Ball should get an at-large berth. The two could meet again in the championship match. Should that happen, don’t be surprised to see it go three sets.

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