In a battle of two of the top teams in Southern California, the Cerritos College men's tennis team posted a 5-4 win over visiting Irvine Valley College on Thursday. The two schools have a history of battling each other in the Southern California Regional Team Playoffs, and this was the second straight 5-4 decision between the schools. The Falcons (2-1) will open Inland Empire Athletic Conference play on Tuesday when they host Victor Valley at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

From the outset, the match had the makings of a marathon day that could be seen as a post-season matchup. In doubles action, both teams recorded 8-5 wins, with the #1 doubles match needing three more points to decide a winner. The tandem of freshmen Arthur Bellegy (Lycée Molière, France) and Victor Bonsergent (Lycée Technologique Val de Saône, France) outlasted Julian Lafond and Luis Moros, 9-7 to give the Falcons a 2-1 team lead heading into singles action.

Bellegy had little trouble with Lanford in the #1 position with a 6-0, 6-0 win, while sophomore Saar Rogovski (Menacham Begin, Israel/College of the Desert) earned a 6-0, 6-3 win in the #2 position on the ladder. The Lasers secured wins in the next two matches, while Cerritos saved the best for last, as freshman Vincent Pascaud (Le Ferradou, France) earned a 7-5, 6-2 win in the #5 position.

The match came down to the #6 singles match, as freshman Michael Doria (La Serna HS) dropped the first set to William Li, 3-6. But Doria fought back to win the second set, 6-3 and clinched the win with a 7-5 win in the tie-breaker set.

SINGLES
Arthur Bellegy (CERR) def. Julian Lafond (IVC),  6-0, 6-0
Saar Rogovski (CERR) def. Akshay Harishankar (IVC), 6-0, 6-3
Luis Moros (IVC) def. Victor Bonsergent (CERR), 6-4, 6-3
Victor Chaix (IVC) def. Stevan Quintantar (CERR), 6-0, 6-0
Vincent Pascaud (CERR) def. Hugo Redelinger (IVC), 7-5, 6-2
Michael Doria (CERR) def. William Li (IVC), 3-6, 6-3, 7-5

DOUBLES
Arthur Bellegy/Victor Bonsergent (CERR) def. Julian Lafond/Luis Moros (IVC), 9-7
Saar Rogovski/Michael Doria (CERR) def. Jacon Holiday/Leonardo Garcia (IVC), 8-5
Victor Chaix/Mateo Maya (IVC) def. Vincent Pascaud/Luke Andrews (CERR), 8-5