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Silverado’s Ataru Akiyama returns a shot against Rowland on Saturday.
Janice Schindler / Staff Photographer
Silverado struggles vs. Rowland
VICTORVILLE — The Silverado boys tennis team lost to Rowland 14-4 in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs on Saturday at home.
The Hawks, who shared the Desert Sky League title with Granite Hills, took three sets in doubles and one set in singles against the No. 2-ranked team in the division.
“Our league, it’s nothing compared to this,” said sophomore Joaquin Enciso, who plays No. 3 singles for Silverado.
The Raiders were co-champions in the San Antonio League and have a few players who compete regularly in United States Tennis Association tournaments.
But Silverado’s No. 1 doubles pair, Ben Song and Kalin Westover, wasn’t intimidated; they collected half of the team’s wins by taking down two Rowland pairs. Steven Loveland and Obik Chowdhury also won 7-5 against the Raiders’ No. 3 doubles team.
“I was very pleased the way Ben and I played,” Westover said. “No one probably expected us to do that.”
Ataru Akiyama, an exchange student from Tokyo, took the team’s only set in singles as he defeated Marcelo Bautista 7-5 after dropping the first two sets.
“I was reflecting on my play after each match in the playoffs, and it finally paid off,” Akiyama said. “I won the last match.”
Although Akiyama lost a set 6-0 for the first time this season against Levin Guillermu, he said it was a good thing for him.
“The best thing was that I could play against such great players,” he said. “If I had gone straight to the CIF individuals, I would have been smashed in the first match.”
Silverado pulled off a 10-8 victory against San Gorgonio in the first round, and Akiyama thanks his teammates for the opportunity.
Akiyama, who won the DSL, will participate in the CIF-SS individual playoffs, which start May 16.
Senior John Park gave a little scare to Guillermu, who is No. 37 in the USTA Boys Under-18 Southern California rankings. Although Park dropped the set 6-1, he took the team’s only game from Guillermu and earned a few deuce opportunities.
Guillermu said he had trouble with Park’s top-spin and consistent returns.
ROWLAND SINGLES
Guillermu 6-0, 6-1, 6-0; Bautista 5-7, 6-3, 6-0; A. Vuong 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.
ROWLAND DOUBLES
Doan-Vu 5-7, 6-3, 6-1; Chik-M. Vuong 6-2, 6-2, 6-1; Tung-Wong 0-6, 5-7, 6-0.
SILVERADO SINGLES
Akiyama 0-6, 7-5, 5-7; Park 1-6, 3-6, 1-6; Enciso 0-6, 0-6, 1-6.
SILVERADO DOUBLES
Song-Westover 7-5, 2-6, 6-0; Loveland-Chowdhury 3-6, 2-6, 7-5; Lindholm-Garcia 1-6, 1-6, 0-6.
Tomoya Shimura can be reached at 951-6281 or tshimura@vvdailypress.com.
