Grove's singles and doubles titles cap impressive weekend for Irvine Valley men's tennis
OJAI - The Irvine Valley College men’s tennis team wrote their names into the history books with an incredible run. Fresh off their 3C2A State Championship victory on Wednesday, the Lasers entered the prestigious Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament over the weekend, claiming both the men’s singles and doubles titles. They didn't just compete; they dominated the 123rd edition of the event.
Throughout the weekend, weather threatened to disrupt play. Just fifteen minutes before the scheduled 12:30 p.m. start, a light drizzle started. However, the Ojai Tournament Committee did an amazing job keeping the players informed and the courts playable.
After a brief delay, the men’s championship match began between Irvine Valley College teammates Nick Grove and Luis Moros. Grove started the first set on fire, executing his strategy to perfection: a strong first serve followed by an aggressive, corner-to-corner forehands that would dictate the point. This aggressive strategy would keep Moros behind the baseline, not allowing him to counter attack. He was primarily in a defensive position.
Although Moros would drop the first set 2-6, he did have opportunities in the opening set. There were multiple games of 30-all, but every time he would even the game score, Grove would respond with an incredible point, to take the advantage, and eventually grab the game.
How a player starts the second set, especially after falling behind, is important. Moros would adjust his game by being more aggressive on his returns. The strategy worked; Moros broke Grove’s serve to give him a 2-1 lead. But, as it has happened throughout this match, every time Moros was given an opportunity to claw back into the match, Grove would step up and neutralize the threat. This time, Grove would break Moros serve to even the match at 2-2.
Following a 10-minute weather delay, Grove took firm control, winning the next four games to claim the men’s single title 6-1, 6-2.
Immediately after the singles award ceremony, Grove was back on the court, now partnered with teammate Luciano Pardo. Together, they faced the top-seeded tandem of Keisuke Ariga and Abdala Quintero from Foothill College. Grove and Pardo competed well in the first set, especially the aggressive net play from the Foothill College duo. However, just like in his singles victory, Grove’s serve proved to be the key weapon. With such a strong serve, Pardo was able to take over the net, often crossing to poach the ball for easy put aways. The tandem also returned well and was able to take the first set 6-4.
The second set was no different for Grove and Pardo. Behind the loud cheers from their teammates, Irvine Valley College simply overpowered and outplayed their opponent, claiming the second set 6-1 and securing their second consecutive title.
(Bo Navarro, CCCSIA)