Pietrowski Waiting for Next Year : Player of the year: After doing well in the individual tournament, he faces great expectations for his senior season.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The 1994 boys’ high school tennis season is nine months away, but the pressure is already on Ocean View’s Jakub Pietrowski.

“He’ll be the one to look at next year,” said Tim Mang, Corona del Mar’s tennis coach. “He’ll be the No. 1 guy coming back.”

Probably so, considering Pietrowski was the No. 1 guy in Orange County this year. As a junior, Pietrowski advanced further than any other Orange County player in the Southern Section individual singles tournament, reaching the semifinals before losing to Palos Verdes Peninsula’s Loren Peters in three sets.

He might have surprised others, but Pietrowski insists he didn’t surprise himself.

“Deep down, with the way I was playing, I expected myself to do well,” he said.

But the ease with which he got that far was surprising. He handled Villa Park’s Jason DeVera and Santa Barbara’s Jimmy Walker, 6-2, 6-1, and 6-0, 6-2, before succumbing to Peters in a three-hour match.

Pietrowski said there were some reasons for his success this year.

“I’ve improved my serve and I’m a lot more aggressive than I used to be,” he said. “I never made use of my height (6-foot-1) until now. A year ago I would have not even tried to come to the net. Now, it’s a big part of my game.”

Pietrowski, who is coached by his father Wojtek, said another key this year was his health. He pulled a back muscle and could not play in the section individuals as a freshman. Last year, the flu contributed to a third-round finish.

“I didn’t think I was jinxed,” Pietrowski said, “I just had bad timing.”

This year, Pietrowski’s timing couldn’t have been better.