Big day for local boys’ singles players

NEWPORT BEACH ? Melissa Matsuoka and Elizabeth Nguyen were ready to give their palms another workout.

Their shoulders certainly were not tired after breezing into the quarterfinals of the girls’ 14 doubles with a 6-0, 6-0 victory Wednesday at the 17th Annual Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club Junior Tournament. The pair’s palms received the brunt of the work at the War by the Shore as the Newport Beach residents distributed high fives to one another after each positive play in a match that went Matsuoka and Nguyen’s way from start to finish.

Afterward the duo smiled and delivered a two-handed high five to demonstrate that they are ready for more of the same in today’s quarterfinal match against No. 2-seeded Sophia Najera and Hillary Ramage.

“We worked together and communicated,” Matsuoka said. “We were not too serious, but we weren’t goofing off.”

“We talked and had fun,” Nguyen said. “We’re looking forward to more high fives.”

In the same division, Neda Ghassemi of Corona del Mar advanced to the quarterfinals with her partner, Courtney Pattugalan, after a 6-1, 6-2 victory to upset the No. 1 seed.

With all three Newport-Mesa singles players remaining residing in the boys’ 16 division, the semifinals have a decidedly local flare, especially the match between No. 2-seeded Omeed Ghassemi and No. 15-seeded Parker Rhodes. Ghassemi advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 7-seeded Andrew Frisk and Rhodes moved on via default due to injury.

Rhodes, who plays for Corona del Mar High, and Ghasemi, who lives in Corona del Mar but attends Mater Dei High, live only five houses apart from one another.

Ghassemi might be the higher seed, but both players remember the results of their past matches.

“I’ve beaten him both times we’ve played,” Rhodes said. “Ghassemi understands what he is up against.”

“Parker’s a great player,” Ghassemi said. “He’s hard to play against. He gets every ball back and doesn’t make unforced errors. I just have to have fun and just not lose it out there.”

Ghassemi has only lost four games in two matches. “I could have played better,” Ghassemi said. “My forehand was strong and my serve was nice. He hit a lot of hard shots. I just tried to get the ball back.”

Rhodes is capable of knocking off a high seed. He beat No. 3-seeded Alexios Halebian in the round of 16.

“I fought hard,” Rhodes said of the match. “He never, never missed. So I came to the net and made him miss.”

Corona del Mar High’s Chris Damion, the No. 4 seed, advanced to the other semifinal in boys’ 16 singles with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over No. 8-seeded Connor Karen. Damion will face top-seeded Warren Hardie today.

In the girls’ singles round of 16, every time No. 6-seeded Alexandra McIntosh of Costa Mesa said something nice to her opponent it kept McIntosh from becoming frustrated at herself and kept her opponent mentally off balance.

McIntosh won the match 6-1, 6-4, over No. 9-seeded Melanie Abella.

“It’s a strategy,” McIntosh said. “I think it helps me to not get down on myself. If you get down on yourself it helps them. If you stay positive then it helps you and it gets in their head.”

McIntosh lost her quarterfinals match later in the day to No. 4-seeded Jillian Sangria, 1-6, 6-0, 6-2.

In boys’ 14 doubles, Ryan Peyton of Newport Beach advanced to the semifinals with his teammate Shane Korber after a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

No. 1-seeded Ghassemi, who finished runner-up in the division last year, advanced with teammate Ryan Agbayani after a 6-0, 6-0 victory. The No. 2-seeded team of Rhodes and Damion advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

C.J. Chomeau of Newport Beach advanced with teammate Graham Witherby after a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

In girls’ 16 doubles, Ashley Adams of Sage Hill School and her partner, Jaclyn Smrecek, advanced to the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

Matthew Mead of Newport Beach was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the boys’ 10 singles after a 7-6 (9), 2-6, 6-2 loss.

Jill Casserly, a recent Newport Harbor High graduate, lost in the quarterfinals of the girls’ 18 singles to No. 3-seeded Coy Hunter, 6-2, 6-0.

Lexy Longman was eliminated from the girls’ 16 singles after a 6-0, 6-0 loss to No. 7-seeded Brittnie Furuvald in the round of 16.dpt.20-tennis-3-C.1PhotoInfoG81T43TC20060720j2oloincCredit: MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Melissa Matsuoka, left, and partner Elizabeth Nguyen celebrate a point during Wednesday evening’s girls’ 14s doubles match in the 17th Annual Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club Junior Tournament, otherwise known as the War by the Shore. dpt.20-tennis-1-B.2PhotoInfoG81T43UM20060720j2olm5ncCredit: MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Elizabeth Nguyen hits a forehand during a girls’ 14 doubles match in the War by the Shore.