Saturday, May 13, 2006
TEAMMATES BATTLE IN OUT FOR MEN'S
SINGLE CHAMPIONSHIP
Claremont - Familiar foes, Jack Hui and Francis
Yoshimoto of College of the Desert faced each other in practice every
day during the season. Aside from the championship match of the Orange
Empire Conference Tournament (won by Hui), the two had not faced each
other in competition. The two saw their paths cross in the title match
of the California Community Colleges Commission on Athletics Men's Singles
Championships presented by U.S. Bank at The Claremont Club in Claremont,
CA.
Hui seemed to overmatch Yoshimoto in the first set,
winning, 6-1, but his teammate and doubles partner fought back for a
6-2 win in the second set. However, in the third set, Hui won the championship
in by taking the finals three games to post a 6-3 victory and win the
state title in singles play.
"We play against each other all the time, so we
pretty much knew what each other was capable of doing," said Hui, who
is headed for UC Santa Barbara next season. "I wasn't feeling it in
the second set and told myself to just remain patient. After I tied
the match at 2-2 in the third set, I just felt my confidence picking
up and instead of trying to rush things, I just waited for the right
spots to make my move."
"Those two are so evenly matched, it really could
have gone either way,"; said Roadrunners head coach Carl Schroeder.
"They are both excellent tennis players and they have great battles
in practice all the time."
Hui posted a 6-4, 6-1 over Jordan Colman of Santa
Rosa College in the semi-finals, while Yoshimoto, the Ojai Tournament
singles champion, defeated teammate Steffan Fedderson (6-3, 6-1) in
the other semi-final match.
It was the first singles title by a College of the
Desert player since the 2002 season and seventh in the last 11 years.
SEMI-FINALS
Jack Hui (College of the Desert) def. Jordan Colman
(Santa Rosa), 6-4, 6-1
Francis Yoshimoto (College of the Desert) def. Steffan Fedderson
(College of the Desert), 6-3, 6-1
FINALS
Jack Hui (College of the Desert) def. Francis Yoshimoto
(College of the Desert), 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
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FEDDERSON AND OLOBO COME AWAY WITH STATE DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP
Claremont - College of the Desert doubles team Steffan
Fedderson and Patrick Olobo were awarded the California Community Colleges
Commission on Athletics Mens Doubles Championship present by U.S. Bank
after teammates Jack Hui and Francis Yoshimoto retired in the second set.
At the time the match was called, Fedderson and Olobo were leading 7-6,
3-1 and helped the Roadrunners to their seventh doubles championship in
the last 12 years.
Hui and Yoshimoto, who played in the singles championship
earlier in the day, admitted their were just too exhausted after each playing
five singles matches and three other doubles matches in the last three days.
We knew that they had played a great deal of tennis
these last couple of days, so its understandable why they retired from
the match, said Fedderson. I was really tired and I didnt play as much
as they did.
I felt as though we had gained control of the match
because we have been playing so well together, added Olobo. I am very
happy to have won the championship.
After Hui and Yoshimoto broke service in the first set
to tied the match at 5-5 and then took a 6-5 lead, Fedderson and Olobo turned
up their game and eliminated all unforced errors to pull out the first set,
7-6. They continued their momentum into the second set, and were leading
3-1 at the time the match was halted.
They both are very evenly matched and either team could
have won the match, said College of the desert head coach Carl Schroeder.
Fedderson and Olobo defeated Zei Sperry and Collin Simpson
of Grossmont, 6-4, 6-0 in one semi-final, while Hui and Yoshimoto posted
a 6-2, 6-1 win over Ventura Colleges Pat Williams and Cody Piper in the
other semi-final.
SEMI-FINALS
Jack Hui/Francis Yoshimoto (College of the Desert) def.
Pat Wiliams/Cody Piper (Ventura), 6-2, 6-1
Steffan Fedderson/Patrick Olobo (College of the Desert)
def. Zei Sperry/Collin Simpson (Grossmont), 6-4, 6-0
FINALS
Steffan Fedderson/Patrick Olobo (College of the Desert)
def. Jack Hui/Francis Yoshimoto (College of the Desert), 6-3, 3-1 (retired)
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