|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Menlo School’s No. 1 singles Tricia Zhang and No. 4 singles Natalie Westermann played their tiebreakers as though it were the deciding point of a major tournament, even when it didn’t affect the outcome.
But that’s Menlo tennis. It’s the postseason, the most wonderful time of the year for the Knights.
Zhang and Westermann completed their victories and Menlo completed its 7-0 win over Mountain View in the quarterfinals of the Central Coast Section girls tennis team tournament Thursday.
The second-seeded Knights (20-4) advance into Saturday’s 10 a.m. semifinal at Lynbrook against third-seeded St. Francis (17-2), which beat Los Altos 6-1.
Menlo-Atherton (19-4) also advanced, beating Homestead 7-0. The Bears meet top-seeded and defending CCS champion Harker at Saratoga on Saturday at 10 a.m.
The semifinal winners will play the championship match at Bay Club Courtside in Los Gatos at 5 p.m., also Saturday.
All three Menlo doubles teams completed straight set victories as most the singles matches were just getting started with their second sets. Sofia Labatt and CC Golub at No. 1, Charlotte Yao and Charlotte Makoni at No. 2 and Alex Viret and Izzy Klugman combined to drop six games total.
Brynn Brady’s 6-1, 6-1 victory over Mountain View senior Stephanie Hsu at No. 3 singles officially clinched the match for Menlo. No. 2 singles Andra Braicu added the fifth point minutes later with a 6-0, 6-4 win over senior Audrey Shen.
“The team did a good job of coming in and staying focused,” Menlo coach Bill Shine said. “We played probably our best match of the year. The girls went out there on a mission.”
Zhang’s 10-8 tiebreaker win over Mountain View sophomore Penelope Wong was notable in that Wong, seeded third in next week’s singles tournament, is a four-star recruit currently rated by Babolat as the 17th best sophomore in California.
Zhang, who will play in the doubles tournament with Brady, is a three-star recruit currently rated the 60th best senior in California. She also trains with Wong.
“The energy and focus helped all of us get off to a good start and continue the high level of play,” Zhang said. “I think I was able to pull out the win because I went into the match with a positive mindset and stayed calm and determined throughout. We had many long rallies and good points.”
Menlo has won 10 CCS titles since 1997 and have been runners up on five other occasions, including last year.
During that same time span, St. Francis has reached the championship match five times. The Lancers are looking for their first CCS title since 1996. They’ve won four titles overall.
Sienna Aylaian recorded a three-set victory at No. 4 singles and the No. 3 doubles team of Johanna Gulliksson and Christine Herbst did the same to help Menlo-Atherton down Homestead and reach the semifinals for the first time in over 22 years.
