CdM’s Willson advances to her first CIF Individuals semifinals
Reporting from Seal Beach — Marvin Willson let out a loud whistle after his daughter, Corona del Mar High senior Danielle Willson, won the final point of her CIF Southern Section Individuals singles quarterfinal match Wednesday afternoon at Seal Beach Tennis Center.
Danielle looked to her left, embarrassed, as she walked to the net to shake hands with Arcadia’s Rachelle Yang.
“Dad, stop,” she groaned.
Danielle’s play earned the recognition, though. She breezed through her round of 16 and quarterfinal matches, advancing to the semifinals for the first time.
“She’s on fire,” Marvin said. “Hopefully she can keep it up for one more day.”
Danielle Willson, who helped guide the Sea Kings to Pacific Coast League, CIF Southern Section Division 1 and CIF USTA Southern California Regional titles this season, is two wins away from the top individual honor. Willson, the No. 4 seed, plays No. 1 Casie Wooten, from Palos Verdes Peninsula Chadwick, in a semifinal match Thursday at 11 a.m. at Seal Beach Tennis Center.
No. 2 Vivian Cheng, from Santa Monica, plays No. 3 Lindsay Hung, from San Clemente, in the other semifinal. The championship match will follow Thursday afternoon.
This is where I expected her to be, on this last day. She’s going to have a great day [Thursday]. I have a good feeling about it.
— Corona del Mar coach Jamie Gresh
Willson has put herself in a good position. She beat Valencia West Ranch’s Jordyn McBride 6-1, 6-2 in the round of 16 before topping Yang 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
The second win helped Willson top her previous best showing in this tournament, when she lost in the quarterfinals last year to Rachel Wagner, from North Hollywood Campbell Hall.
“I thought I played really well, so hopefully I can bring that momentum into [Thursday],” Willson said. “I think if I execute my shots and play confidently, I have a really good chance [to win] this tournament.”
Her CdM teammates weren’t as fortunate in doubles. Shaya Northrup and Paulina Loredo did beat Ventura’s Maya Krishnasamy and Isabella Francis 6-0, 6-4 in the round of 16, before they lost in the quarterfinals to No. 1 Lauren Ko and Michelle Deng, from Arcadia, 6-4, 6-3.
CdM’s Annika Bassey and Kristina Evloeva came even closer to making the semifinals. Bassey and Evloeva beat San Clemente’s Samantha Neilson and Jenna Yeam 6-2, 6-1 in the round of 16 before losing to No. 3 Amanda Tabanera and Carlotta Nonis-Marzano, from Valencia of Valencia, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Mater Dei senior Katie Hernandez and sophomore Natasha Hill lost in the doubles round of 16 7-6, 6-4 to Dana Hills’ Dana Mackensen and Emilia Gorczyca. Hernandez is a Huntington Beach resident, and Hill lives in Newport Beach.
Willson is the last local player remaining, and CdM coach Jamie Gresh feels good about her chances. Wednesday’s quarterfinal win was her third win of the season over Yang, who she also beat in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals and the SoCal Regional final.
Willson also beat Yang last year in the CIF Individuals round of 32, but that was a tough three-set match.
“For Danielle to beat her 6-2, 6-1, she was kind of clicking on all cylinders today,” Gresh said. “She was being aggressive and being patient, and I thought she served well and returned well. Her first touch on the ball today was really strong. She just played good, high-percentage tennis.
“This is where I expected her to be, on this last day. She’s going to have a great day [Thursday]. I have a good feeling about it. She’s going to come out and play sharp, and play smart. She’s been playing great all year in the team format, and she’s going to try to finish this off for herself.”
Bassey and Evloeva had many chances in their quarterfinal match. They were up 3-1 in the third set before Evloeva’s serve was broken. The CdM duo broke back, but Bassey’s serve was broken at 4-2. The team from Valencia then won the final three games of the match to complete the comeback.
Still, the two transfers seemed to enjoy competing together. They always seemed to be smiling between the points and showing positive energy.
“I thought it was a fun experience,” Evloeva said. “I didn’t get to play with Annika a lot [during the regular season], [as] it was mostly just singles for us.”
Northrup and Loredo were up a break of serve in the first set against Ko and Deng, at 4-3. But they couldn’t hold the lead in a set full of close games.
They fell behind early in the second set as well and didn’t pull off the upset. But Gresh said it was the best that Northrup and Loredo, who played at No. 1 doubles most of the year for CdM, had played all season.
“We had good points, we just didn’t finish,” Loredo said. “I mean, they’re a really good team, and it came down to a couple of points. It’s my first and last time playing in [the Individuals tournament], so I’m kind of sad that it’s over, but I had a really good time playing with Shaya.”
Twitter: @mjszabo
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