Men's Tennis Strong on First Day of State Championships

The Pirates' men's tennis team had a strong day on the first day of the CCCAA State Tennis Championships held at The Ojai Tournament Thursday.  VC's top two singles players, No. 1 seed Hironori Koyanagi and No. 9 Corey Karen were among three Pirates to move to the round of 32, and also advanced in doubles as the No. 1 seed.

Koyanagi, the top seed of the men's singles draw, received a first round bye, then was winning 6-2, 4-1 when his opponent from state finalist Foothill College retired due to injury.  Karen, the No. 9 seed, also received a first round by before defeating his Foothill College opponent 6-3, 6-0.  Meanwhile Guenter Newman advanced to the round of 32 with a bye and a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over his opponent from Diablo Valley.  

Victor Ribeiro won his first round match against a foe from DeAnza College 6-4, 6-3 before falling in the round of 64, 6-2, 6-4 to a San Diego Mesa opponent. Ricardo Martin lost in the opening round 7-5, 7-5 to a player from Riverside.

In doubles, Koyanagi and Karen had a bye, then defeated a team from Victor Valley 6-2, 6-2 to make the round of 32.  Ribeiro and Leonardo Santos had a bye, then won 6-0, 6-3 against a Reedley duo, while No. 16-seed Newman and Michael Burr were upset by a pair from Mt. San Antonio 0-6, 6-4 (11-9) in the second round.

Play will continue on Friday April 24 in the state championships.  Fans can follow the draw online on The Ojai Tournament website.