Boys tennis: Bean, Kulmaticki capture PCL doubles title

Richard Dunn

IRVINE - They see each other in class, down the halls and every day

on the tennis courts.

But when four Corona del Mar High juniors went face to face Wednesday in

the Pacific Coast League boys tennis championships at the Racquet Club of

Irvine, they were staring at a doubles title.

“We still wanted it,” said Peter Kulmaticki, who teamed with Michael Bean

for the PCL crown, as they knocked off Sea King teammates Robert Kennedy

and Randy Myers, 6-1, 7-6 (7-0), in the final.

Bean, a transfer from Saint Stephens Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas, and

Kulmaticki, a returning member of CdM’s CIF Southern Section Division I

championship squad of last year, were seeded No. 1 and played like it.

After beating University’s Scott Morgan and Edwin Chen in the semifinals,

7-5, 6-2, Bean-Kulmaticki had some familiar company at the center court

for the doubles title.

“We were all able to play loose, because we had CIF berths all locked

up,” Bean said.

In the final, Bean-Kulmaticki were behind in the second set, 4-1, and

rallied for the win.

“I’d say we were a little nervous at 4-1,” Kulmaticki said. “I wouldn’t

say we were less intense (than during the opening set), but I think we

were just too relaxed.”

Myers and Kennedy were unseeded in the tournament, but they were winners

over No. 2 seeded Jeff Lawrence and Anson Hsu of University in the

semifinals, 6-3, 6-4.

Myers, Kennedy, Bean, Kulmaticki and CdM’s No. 1 singles player, Brian

Morton, are all juniors. Cameron Ball, who won the PCL singles title

Wednesday at RCI, is a sophomore.

Uni, however, which won the PCL team title this season with two victories

over Corona del Mar, has several outstanding sophomores, as well as

freshman Jack Li, the top-seeded player in the singles.

“We haven’t put it all together against Uni,” said Bean, playing high

school tennis for the first time.

In the second set of the league finals, Myers-Kennedy were up, 5-2,

before Kulmaticki-Bean came back and forced a tiebreaker, during which

they gave up no points.

“Their serves really help them in a tiebreaker,” Corona del Mar Coach Tim

Mang said of Bean and Kulmaticki.

Bean said when his family moved from Austin, Texas, to Newport Beach, he

“was reluctant at first,” but “the drop off (in competition) hasn’t been

too extreme.” Thus far, the season has worked out “perfectly,” he said.

Sheepishly, as Bean and Kulmaticki finished their media interviews on the

hard courts, they asked if they “could thank Paul Oakenfold for his

continuos motivation through his music and words,” Bean said.