Three locals in today’s round of 16

Corona del Mar High’s Sean Pham and Alex Nguyen continue their quest

for the CIF Southern Section doubles crown while Newport Harbor

sophomore Robert Khoury forges on in the singles draw of the section

tennis championships when play resumes today at SeaCliff Country Club

in Huntington Beach.

Khoury, along with Pham and Nguyen, will each begin their round of

16 matches about 1 p.m. today.

Players generally don’t know their opponents until check-in.

Khoury, last year’s Sea View League champion who reached the

league final this season, makes his first appearance in the round of

16 after two straight-set victories Saturday, losing only five games

in that span.

Former Corona del Mar standout Garrett Snyder, a freshman at the

University of Texas, defeated Khoury in the round of 32 last year.

Snyder reached the final before losing to Calabasas’ Gary Sacks.

Pham and Nguyen, both juniors, rode the momentum from winning the

Pacific Coast League doubles crown with two victories Saturday, the

latter a three-set triumph over Garden Grove’s Randy Ignacio and Long

Nguyen.

Pham and Nguyen (12-3 this season) trailed Nguyen and Ignacio,

9-4, in the super tiebreaker before rallying to post an 11-9 victory.

The duo is attempting to claim the program’s third CIF doubles

title in the last four years.

Snyder won consecutive CIF doubles crowns in 2001 and 2002 with

Brian Morton -- now at UC Irvine -- and junior Carsten Ball,

respectively.

CdM Coach Tim Mang began pairing Nguyen and Pham together toward

the latter stages of the season and the duo has responded.

Pham saw time at singles while Nguyen and Brennan Roberts were

paired in doubles for CdM earlier in the year.

The Sea Kings lost in the CIF Division I quarterfinals to Loyola,

11-7, Tuesday.

Semifinals in both singles and doubles will be held later today

following the round of 16 matches.

Semifinals and finals will be held Saturday at the same site.