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Warriors Sail Despite Sea Kings’ Best Effort

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Although the Woodbridge tennis players didn’t share the same opinion when discussing Corona del Mar’s strategy on Thursday, they did come to one general conclusion. No matter what the Sea Kings tried, they couldn’t have beaten the top-seeded Warriors.

Corona del Mar moved its best players into doubles for the Division I semifinal match, but the result was not much different than two previous meetings, as top-seeded Woodbridge easily defeated the Sea Kings, 14-4, at Corona del Mar.

Woodbridge will meet second-seeded Los Angeles Loyola, an 11-7 winner over Palos Verdes Peninsula, in the final Wednesday.

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“I don’t know why they don’t play straight up, I think they have a better chance that way,” said Adam Artunian, who played No. 2 singles for Woodbridge.

Others felt Corona del Mar Coach Tim Mang was doing the only thing he could.

“I think they changed their lineup as best as they could,” said Greg Levy, who swept at No. 2 doubles with Brandon Shainfeld. “I would have done the same thing.”

Mang moved Curtis Ellmore and Sam Shahmardi into No. 3 doubles, and they won only one of three sets, 6-3, 0-6, 3-6.

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“If you put all your best players in doubles, our team is still just too strong,” David Lingman said. “There’s not much you can do, our doubles are just too solid. I think they played their best lineup.”

The first round was somewhat promising for the fourth-seeded Sea Kings (15-8), who came away tied, 3-3. Corona del Mar’s Greg Coleman and Cameron Taylor, playing at No. 1 doubles, won a hard-fought set against Reza Farokhpay and Tyler Call, 7-5.

Coleman and Taylor broke Farokhpay’s serve to go up 5-3, but the Warrior’s broke Coleman’s serve and then evened the set, 5-5. After Coleman and Taylor won the next game, they were able to put away the set on their fifth set-point opportunity.

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Meanwhile, Ellmore and Shahmardi won their opening doubles set, 6-3, and Christian Jensen had defeated Amir Bagherpour, 6-1.

It didn’t get any closer, however. The Sea Kings won only one of the next 12 sets, a 6-4 victory by Coleman and Taylor.

“We were going to win eight or nine singles sets the way they had their lineup set,” Artunian said. “Our doubles are strong. They aren’t going to go out and sweep our doubles even by stacking them.”

Artunian dropped only four games in sweeping his sets, 6-1, 6-0, 6-3. Lingman didn’t lose any in his 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 victory.

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