Quiroz comes away a winner
| Tuesday, May 26 2009 03:40 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, May 26 2009 03:40 PM
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Jenn Ireland / The Californian Stockdale's Blaine Davenport returns the ball during a doubles match of the semi-final round against Tehachapi at the CIF Central Section Boys Tennis Individual Championship Saturday afternoon at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Jenn Ireland / The Californian Stockdale's Pierre Tamer returns the ball during a doubles match of the semi-final round against Tehachapi at the CIF Central Section Boys Tennis Individual Championship Saturday afternoon at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Jenn Ireland / The Californian Stockdale's Jeremy Quiroz returns the ball during a singles match of the final championship round at the CIF Central Section Boys Tennis Individual Championship Saturday afternoon at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
CLOVIS The finals match didn't exactly go as planned, but Jeremy Quiroz fulfilled a season-long goal Saturday afternoon at Buchanan High.
The Stockdale senior successfully defended his Central Section boys tennis crown when his opponent retired with severe cramps in his legs three games into the final set.
"It feels good that I defended, especially since I'm a senior and this my last (individual high school) singles match," Quiroz said. "I knew he was really good player and I knew I would struggle and it would be a good match. But it was tough because I know how it is to cramp up and try and stay in there and hope it would go away."
After Quiroz lost the opening set in a tie-breaker to Visalia-El Diamante's Josh Lorentzen, whom he rallied to defeat in last year's final, Lorentzen's left leg locked in place trying to chase down a Quiroz winner in a hard-fought first game of the second set.
After taking 15 minutes to work with coaches and trainers, Lorentzen returned, but had no mobility and lost 6-1. Trailing 2-1 in the third set, Lorentzen retired after his right leg cramped up while trying to make a leaping smash.
"This is my first cramp during a match and my first retirement, ever," said Lorentzen, who suffered his first lost in 22 matches this season. "I felt a little fatigued after the first match, and after that first tie-breaker I felt it coming back again."
Both players broke each others serve to open the match and then held the rest of the way until the tiebreaker. Lorentzen got on a roll in the tiebreaker, winning all seven points, to take the set 7-6.
"I just thought I would give it my all and hoped that I could stay in the match, and would falter and I could take the next set," Quiroz said.
But with Lorentzen in visible pain, Quiroz breezed through the second set, winning the first four games while giving up just four points.
"I was trying my hardest, but it's really hard o concentrate when you know your opponent is hurting," Quiroz said.
In doubles play, Quiroz's Stockdale teammates Blaine Davenport and Pierre Tamer finished second following a 6-2, 6-4 loss in the finals after surviving a tiebreaker against Tehachapi's Tyler Thoms and David Croy. Thoms and Croy recovered the win third place.
In other action, Bakersfield Christian's Alex Nichols retired after losing the first set of the third-place match against El Diamante's Ryan Andrada.
