Acorns bounce back from season-opening loss to beat Sobrato on
Thursday
MORGAN HILL — The Acorns received a big win by Dylan Johnson, caught a break in the No. 4 singles match and prevailed in a thrilling doubles segment to edge Sobrato 4-3 Thursday in the inaugural ‘El Toro Open’ at Live Oak High.
It was a marquee win for the Acorns, who were coming off a season-opening 7-0 loss to Mount Hamilton Division power Leigh.
Against their rivals from the Blossom Valley Athletic League ‘B’ division, the ‘C’ division hosts dropped the top two singles matches but stayed alive with Johnson’s 6-2, 6-4 victory and Bryan Freitas’ win by default — 1-6, 7-5 — over Nick Garber of Sobrato. Garber withdrew during a heated third set for personal reasons.
With little room for error, Live Oak’s Nos. 1 and 3 pairs rose to the occasion.
Juniors Q. Farrooqui and Bryant Gamboa came from behind to beat the Bulldogs’ Jacob Mendiola and Mitchell Pasek 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a top doubles match that could have gone either way. Gamboa delivered the winning serve.
Sobrato’s Ravneet Grewaly and Praveen Sinha rallied to win a close three-set battle 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 over Mark Fischer and Alec Malakis. But Live Oak clinched it when senior Spencer McClellan and freshman Clay Carlson defeated Taylor Melody and Adrian Quintana 6-1, 6-3.
The Bulldogs won the top two singles games with crafty performances by three-year starters Tyler Pecsok and Zach Thomas. Pecsok beat Derek Johnson, a hard-hitting junior, 6-3, 6-4, and Thomas outlasted senior Ryan Campbell in the No. 2 singles match, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Friday, the Acorns (1-2) lost 5-2 to their other rival, Tri County Athletic League stalwart Gilroy, in their final nonconference tune-up at LOHS.
Dylan Johnson and Freitas delivered the Acorns’ only wins. Johnson outlasted Ryan Azad 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, and Freitas overcame a first-set loss to beat Victor Vong 6-7(9), 6-3, 10-2 in a super-tie break decider.
Second-year Live Oak coach Brad Leach liked what he saw from his team going into today’s 3:15 p.m. West Valley Division opener against visiting Mount Pleasant.
Sobrato will play its first Santa Teresa Division match at that same time Thursday at Prospect.
“I am encouraged by this outcome,” he said in an e-mail. “Three of these lost matches were actually close, and Gilroy is a very strong team. If the boys play to this level of tennis during league, Live Oak could be hoisting a league championship trophy by year end.”
The Acorns gave Gilroy a run in two other matches.
Derek Johnson matched wits with the very quick and talented Vinh Vong only to fall 3-6, 5-7. Johnson missed a volley in the second set that would have forced a third. Vong regrouped to close out the superbly played contest.
Farrooqui and Gamboa were on track to to clinch their No. 1 doubles match, leading 3-1 in the second set after winning the first, 6-4. But Kevin Lee and Joseph Leong won 10 straight games to triumph 4-6, 6-3 6-1; Farrooqui and Gamboa put one on the board late.
