CdM senior breaks through

SEAL BEACH — The rain teased the players at the CIF Southern Section Individuals boys’ tennis tournament all day Friday.

For stretches there’d be no rain at the Seal Beach Tennis Center. Sometimes the air would be misty, and sometimes there would be a light sprinkle.

The sky never really opened up in a downpour, but that was all right for Corona del Mar High senior Fabian Matthews. Instead, it was the tournament’s singles draw that opened up nicely for Matthews, as he advanced to the semifinals after posting a pair of victories.

No. 3-seeded Matthews overcame a spirited effort from San Luis Obispo junior Julian Arnold to win his Round of 16 match, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Matthews then received a break when Santa Monica Crossroads sophomore Clay Thompson was forced to retire from the quarterfinal match with a shoulder injury. Matthews was already up in the match, 6-3, 2-0.

Matthews, attempting to win his third straight CIF Individuals title after winning doubles the past two years with Dustin Hladek, doesn’t know today’s semifinal opponent yet. It will be either Claremont junior Torsten Keil-Long or Troy senior Justin Thompson. Keil-Long was winning the quarterfinal match, 7-5, 3-2, when rain caused play to be suspended for the day around 4 p.m. Friday. They will finish the match today at 10 a.m.

Mater Dei junior Chris Freeman said he was also satisfied with his tournament, even if he didn’t move on to today’s action.

In the Round of 16, Freeman, a Costa Mesa resident, got by Malibu senior Daniel Moss, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8). He then fell to No. 4-seeded Walker Kehrer of Brentwood, 6-4, 6-1, in the quarterfinals.

Arnold provided a fight for Matthews, even after the CdM player easily won the first set. At 1-1 in the second set, rain suspended play for about five minutes, and Arnold came back out to the court firing.

He broke Matthews’ serve twice and won the second set, 6-4, prompting Matthews to yell “You gave it away!”

“He’s hard to play, because if he gets a lead he’ll take off,” Matthews said. “It was hard to play today too because it was windy and rainy. I don’t really play that well in wind, because my balls are so flat. My toss was flying everywhere. I think I relaxed a little bit too much after [the break in play].

“He came back out banging balls. That always happens to me. Last time it was a rain delay, I waited for about an hour and the kid came back just banging balls and I lost the match. I was a little worried that might happen again.”

Instead, Matthews jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the third set and was able to hang on from there.

“That kid from San Luis Obispo came to play,” CdM Coach Tim Mang said. “Great volleys. I just told Fabian to get some rest, because CIF is all about who is in the best shape in the last match ... I think he knows what he’s doing.”

Matthews didn’t have to extend himself much against Thompson, who was forced to serve underhand after he said he suffered a shoulder injury on Tuesday. Frustrating for Thompson, who said he was forced to retire in the CIF Individuals semifinals last year due to a groin injury.

“My serve is usually big,” Thompson said. “It’s one of the biggest parts of my game. I think my ground strokes are on par with everybody here. But today with my underhand serve, [Matthews] hits his forehand and just destroys it.”

Matthews said he’s fared well in the past against both possible semifinal opponents, Keil-Long and Thompson. Plus, No. 2-seeded Kyle McMorrow of Thousand Oaks withdrew from the tournament, helping open up the draw for the CdM senior.

“I guess I’m destined to win,” Matthews said jokingly, before laughing.

For Freeman, it’s been a busy week. Mater Dei lost to Santa Barbara, 11-7, in the CIF Southern Section Division I semifinals on Tuesday, the first time the Monarchs had made it that far.

“That was huge,” Freeman said.

In turn, Freeman made it to the CIF Individuals quarterfinals Friday, the furthest he’d ever gone in the tournament. Against Moss in a tight Round of 16 match, Freeman was down 5-4 in the first set but rallied to win it.

The second set went to a tie-breaker, and Freeman took that as well.

“It was good,” Freeman said. “It was a little windy, so I had to focus on my court positioning and footwork a little more. But yeah, I just played solid all-around ... I definitely played well today. I’m not displeased with the way I played at all.”

He felt the same way against Kehrer, staying on-serve until late in the first set against the higher-seeded player. There’s no time to fret, anyway. Freeman, who won the CIF doubles division at Ojai this year with fellow Costa Mesa resident and Monarchs teammate Charlie Alvarado, starts play in the Quiksilver tournament today.

“Tournaments all the time,” he said, smiling. “That’s what we live for, though.”

Today, Matthews hopes to win yet another CIF Individuals tournament when the semifinals are scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Mang wouldn’t bet against him.

“I’d love to see him pull this thing out,” Mang said. “He can do it.”

In the other semifinal, Kehrer will play either top-seeded Arroyo Grande senior Andre Dome or University senior Jason Lin. Dome and Lin’s match is also scheduled to be completed this morning.

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