WAR BY THE SHORE TOURNAMENT:Newport’s Saleh battles hard in loss in 12s semis

NEWPORT BEACH — Even at the age of 12, Dante Saleh looks for an edge in the sport of tennis.

Saleh, a Newport Beach resident, took part of the summer off from tournament tennis so he could learn how to play soccer.

“We wanted him to develop some athleticism, to pick up some footwork skills,” said his father, Terek Saleh. “He’s a good kid and he works hard.”

All of those traits were on display Thursday, during Dante’s boys’ 12s semifinal match at the War by the Shore. But in the end, Saleh, the No. 3 seed, fell to No. 2-seeded Tomas Aranguiz of Chino, 6-4, 6-2, at the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club.

“I was pretty nervous,” Dante Saleh said. “It was the semifinals, and I really wanted to win.”

The chances looked good for Saleh, who is home-schooled and attends Woodbridge Tennis Academy in Irvine. Especially in the first set, which was extremely close.

Saleh’s serve was broken in the very first game, but he broke Aranguiz’s serve back. One of the points was a long one, which Saleh won with a sweet forehand winner.

“That’s it, right there,” he yelled to himself. “Do that the rest of the match and you’re good.”

With the set still on serve, Saleh was broken at 3-3. Then, he immediately broke Aranguiz back at love, leveling the set at 4-4.

“That’s how you do it,” he again yelled to himself.

But Aranguiz won the next two games to take the set. How close was it? Saleh won 26 points in that first set, while Aranguiz won 28.

Terek Saleh knows this because he keeps track of every point during the matches. He said he is also proud of the way his son mixes up his game.

Thursday, that meant Saleh came to the net far more often than Aranguiz. But the No. 2 seed was proficient at hitting passing shots and good lobs.

“He’s been coached to have an all-around game,” Terek Saleh said. “Unfortunately, for a 12 year old, variety comes at a price. Lots of losing.”

But Dante Saleh, whose 7-year-old brother Andre also plays tennis, hates to lose, even if it is to a higher seed.

“That doesn’t really matter,” Dante said. “I’ve beaten No. 1 and 2 seeds in the semis and finals of tournaments. The first set [Thursday] was pretty good. The second set wasn’t very good.”

It was in the second set where Aranguiz, up a break at 3-2, won the last three games.

Even down, 5-2, Saleh was thinking — and saying — he would come back.

“I usually try to pump myself up,” he said. “That’s helped me a lot in the past.”

And it’ll probably help Saleh a lot in the future, too. Even when he’s not playing soccer, he likes to use his head.

“I would have really wanted to get to the finals,” he said. “But I got to the semis, and that’s OK.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at [email protected].