Singles and doubles titles to be decided on Sunday at 3C2A Women's Tennis Championships
OJAI - The Ojai Tennis Tournament is widely acclaimed as one of the top college tennis events, with a tradition that dates back to 1896. This event draws the best college tennis players from across the United States to compete for the title, transforming the small town of Ojai into a magical hub of tennis.
In the community college women's open division, the quarterfinals on stadium court featured a match between American River Valley College's Nahreen Cheam and West Valley College's Lindsay Lee. Notwithstanding Cheam's early 4-1 lead, the match was much closer than the score indicated. Both players engaged in long rallies and was similar to a chess match on the court. Cheam, who recently led American River College to a repeat state title, is a fierce competitor who possesses a neutralizing medium-high 'moonball' that resets the point. Lee, on the other hand, chooses to attack any short balls whenever the chance arose. However, Cheam's quick footwork enabled her to track any ball Lee attacked and is able to counterpunch, allowing her to win the match 6-3, 6-4.
In an earlier match, Mane Sargsyan of Glendale College, defeated Janne Spitters from American River Valley College 6-4, 6-4. With power coming off of both sides, Sargsyan was able to control the match from the baseline. Although Spitters put up a valiant effort, Sargsyan’s power was too much for Spitters, advancing her to the semifinal match against Nahreen Cheam.
In the semifinal match, Cheam was able to redirect Sargsyan's powerful shots and reset the point by keeping the ball above her opponent's power zone, similar to what she did in her match against Lee. Sargsyan tends to win points when given any ball waist-high which allows her to punish the ball. During the match, the score went back and forth, but Cheam eventually broke serve at 4-4, allowing her to win the first set 6-4. With the wind swirling on stadium court, Cheam began to use her slice to control the point. Sargsyan had difficulties dealing with this, leading to Cheam's 6-4, 7-5 win, advancing her to the finals.
In the opposite bracket, Julianna Vich, the top-seeded player representing Mt. San Antonio College, has been dominant. In her quarterfinal match against Chiara Palo of Fresno City College, Vich completed the match without dropping a single game. She carried her momentum to the next match and secured a place in the championship by defeating Anaya Ayanbadejo, of Santa Monica College, with a decisive 6-1, 6-1 score in the semifinals.
The upcoming championship match between Vich and Nahreen Cheam promises to be an exciting contest due to their contrasting styles of play. Vich is known for her aggressive baseline play and her ability to use her return-of-serve as a weapon. On the other hand, Cheam's defensive shot-making skills enable her to neutralize her opponent's power. The match is scheduled to be held on Sunday at Libbey Park, with the first serve slated for 11:30 a.m.
In the women's doubles play, Anaya Ayanbadejo and Yesugen Ganbaatar from Santa Monica College defeated Janne Spitters and Mandi Pinkerton from American River Valley College 6-4, 6-4. They advance to the semifinals and will be facing Emily Thieme and Janine Kremling of Riverside City College, who earlier in the day defeated Olivia Sipiori and Tori Varela from Orange Coast College 6-2, 6-3.
On the other half of the doubles draw, Julianna Vich and Paige Valenzuela from Mt. San Antonio College defeated Kaitlyn Nicholsky and Maiah White from American River College 6-1, 6-3 in quarterfinal play. Vich and Paige will face Mane Sargsyan and Haruno Ono out of Glendale College. Sargsyan and Ono defeated Denise Campbell and Kaden Richards from Riverside City College 4-6, 6-3, 10-3 earlier in the day.
Both semifinal doubles matches are scheduled for 8:30 a.m at Libbey Park.