Top-seeded Yorba Linda eliminates Fountain Valley in quarterfinals

If the cast of characters has not changed, the feeling is not quite the same.

High school boys’ tennis stalwarts have found their way to the postseason, but thanks to CIF’s focus on competitive equity, the playoffs have a different look.

Two teams gathered for a CIF Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinal on Monday, neither of which was competing in the same division as the year prior.

A year after reaching the Division 3 semifinals, top-seeded Yorba Linda High proved that it is perfectly capable of handling a bigger stage.

Behind a doubles sweep, the Mustangs dismissed host Fountain Valley, 11-7, to advance to their second consecutive semifinals appearance.

Yorba Linda’s No. 1 doubles team of Brandon Tong and Kyle Yee dropped just three games over their three sets, providing an example for their teammates to follow.

The duo supplied tremendous power from the baseline, and when given the opportunity, they did not hesitate to send a message with their overheads. When the point appeared to be over, they made sure of it.

Fountain Valley’s only look at winning a doubles set came in the third round, when the Barons’ No. 2 pairing of Brandon Keller and Tomas Trinh fell to the Mustangs’ No. 3 team of David Johnson and Ryan Lowery, 7-5.

Isaiah Seo and Darius Modarres swept their doubles sets with a trio of 6-2 scores.

“The most gratifying thing as a coach is when you [use] everything that you work on in the season, in practices, and you see them executed,” Mustangs coach Rey Lejano said. “Our doubles did that today.”

“We’re really excited about returning to the semifinals, this time in Division 2.”

A critical match came at the end of the first round. Hoping to apply some scoreboard pressure, the Barons (12-9) watched as their top singles player, Justin Nguyen, battled against Ryan Yang.

While their games were comparable, Yang’s body language exemplified that of someone who knew he was in control. He wound up winning the set, 6-4, giving the Mustangs a 4-2 lead in the match after the first round.

“It’s a mindset,” Barons coach Harshul Patel said of the importance of the mental game. “You really prepare to have a game plan. You can turn around and change things. It’s a one-set deal. If you can’t do that really quickly, it’s a long way home.”

Arguably, Nguyen’s dissatisfaction with his performance tore him down in the set. Barons No. 3 singles player Justin Pham was sympathetic.

“He’s younger,” Pham said of the sophomore. “I don’t know if the year helps, but it’s just the experience to not get mad. I used to be in his shoes last year, too.”

Logistically speaking, that was not the case. Pham transferred into Fountain Valley’s program from Westminster this year.

Patel said that the junior paid the price, as it took him time to adjust to the level of play in the Sunset League. The deficit of match play from the mandatory sit-out period was the root cause.

Pham grinded his way to a sweep of his matches, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1. His coach said that he was worth the wait, describing Pham as the kind of player he wished he had nine of to fill his starting lineup.

“He knows he’s not perfect,” Patel said. “He knows that he has a lot of holes. He has a tough time even talking to you when he loses matches because he feels that he let the team down.

“[The game] cuts deep, and that’s why he comes back strong.”

Nguyen did not surrender a game after his first-round defeat. Ryan Trinh also won two sets, defeating both AJ Song and Benjamin Trenery by the count of 6-3.

Yorba Linda (22-1) rejoiced at its ability to make the semifinals after moving up a division. The Mustangs will play host to Newport Harbor on Wednesday.

Fountain Valley has its own reasons to be happy after being dropped down from Division 1.

Winning cures a lot of ills, and the move allowed Fountain Valley to produce a deep playoff run after the Barons lost to Beverly Hills, 16-2, in the first round last season.

The Barons notched playoff victories against Long Beach Poly (17-1) and Camarillo (12-6).

CIF-SS Division 2 Playoffs

Quarterfinals

Yorba Linda 11, Fountain Valley 7

Singles: Yang (YL) def. Nguyen (FV) 6-4, def. R. Trinh (FV) 6-2, lost to Pham (FV) 4-6; Song (YL) 0-6, 3-6, 2-6; Trenery (YL) 0-6, 3-6, 1-6.

Doubles: Tong/Yee (YL) def. Tran/Tadros (FV) 6-1, def. Keller/T. Trinh (FV) 6-1, def. Dang/Savsani (FV) 6-1; Seo/Modarres (YL) 6-2, 6-2, 6-2; Johnson/Lowery (YL) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.

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