University boys’ tennis tops CdM in nonleague showdown

University High boys’ tennis coach John Kessler always has complimentary things to say about rival Corona del Mar, and Wednesday was no exception.

Kessler noted the great leadership that four-year Sea Kings Niels Hoffmann and Jack Cross have shown across their high school careers.

That kind of commitment to high school tennis isn’t always the norm, and Kessler certainly knows it. Wednesday’s nonleague showdown at University High was the last scheduled match between the two teams before Hoffmann and Cross head off to play at USC and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next year.

“You cannot say enough about Jack and Niels and what they’ve meant to high school tennis,” Kessler said. “They are just amazing. They’re everything that high school tennis should be. I think that them playing encourages other people to play.”

Corona del Mar No. 1 player Niels Hoffmann rips a serve in his match on Wednesday at University High in Irvine.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Hoffmann and Cross held up their end of the bargain, each sweeping in singles. But Kessler’s doubles teams came through to help host University earn an 11-7 victory.

Corona del Mar came into the match top-ranked in the CIF Southern Section Open Division/Division 1 poll, with two-time defending Open Division champion University right behind at No. 2.

CdM (8-1) had beaten University on games in the teams’ first matchup on Feb. 15, its first victory over the Trojans since 2006. But University (13-1) got a bit of revenge on Wednesday, winning eight of nine doubles sets.

The doubles teams of Langston Walter-Wu and Mimo Alajeely, as well as Sang Hyuk Im and Bradley Yung, each swept in doubles for the Trojans. Cedric Lichtsteiner and Joseph Chan won twice at No. 3 doubles.

Corona del Mar’s Roger Geng hits a forehand at No. 1 doubles against University on Wednesday at University High in Irvine.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“We were kind of going uphill the whole day,” said CdM coach Jamie Gresh, whose team trailed 4-2 after the first round and 8-4 after two rounds. “You could feel they were playing very well. Their doubles tandems were moving well together, serving to spots. I thought they returned very well, too. Returns in play, their percentage was way higher than ours, and they put the ball away.”

Hoffmann easily swept in singles, 6-1, 6-1, 6-0. And it was a tough-earned 7-5 win by Cross in the first round over University freshman Kusa Krishna, in a set that lasted about 75 minutes, that kept the Sea Kings competitive early.

But Jonathan Hinkel and Roger Geng, CdM’s top doubles team which had swept in the teams’ first meeting last month, were able to win just one set in the rematch.

Corona del Mar’s Brody Jao reacts to dropping a set against University on Wednesday at University High in Irvine.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“Uni’s doubles as a whole looked vastly improved,” Gresh said. “I think our guys competed pretty well, but to beat this team, you need to play an A-level match. I just don’t think we did today. It wasn’t by lack of effort or execution, but I just think Uni jumped on us early and stayed on it.”

Kessler came over to chat with Gresh after the match, bringing Rice Krispy treats for a snack. If the teams end up meeting in the Open Division championship for the third straight year, both coaches will again expect a respectful match.

“We didn’t have one line judge out there, and there wasn’t any discrepancies about the score or anything like that,” Gresh said. “It just comes down to doing it the right way and having a quality match. Who is going to play the best tennis today? There’s not that many outside stories. It’s just who played the better tennis, and Uni played the better tennis today.”

Corona del Mar continued Surf League play with a match at Marina on Thursday.

Corona del Mar’s Jack Cross reacts to winning a lengthy match against University’s Kusa Keishna on Wednesday in Irvine.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)