Good start turns sour for Saddlebrook boys

By BOB PUTNAM
Published April 28, 2005

Tennis is a game of highs and lows.

Saddlebrook experienced both Wednesday.

Dominic Pagon (No.1) and Jonathan Wong (No.3) won their semifinal matches at the Class A state tournament in Tallahassee. They also won their No.1 doubles match.

That put the Spartans in position for their first team title since 2002.

But those hopes were wiped away when Wong withdrew, citing personal reasons. It was the second time in as many days a Saddlebrook player defaulted. Tuesday, the Spartans' No.3 girl, Victoria Kostina, left because of a family matter.

"I don't want to get into specifics with either of the players," coach Martin Parkes said. "It's tough. But we still have a chance to do well with the boys."

Without Wong, the boys' depth has been thinned, so much so Saddlebrook shifted its focus from winning a team title to an individual one.

Pagan is the only hope after No.2 Gian Hodgson and No.4 Christophe Yee lost their semifinal matches in singles and No.2 doubles.

The girls did not fare well. No.1 Yui Shimizu, No.2 Kourtney Stark and No. 5 Leah Peranza lost in the semis. Both doubles teams also lost.

"The girls didn't have great draws, and we weren't expecting much," Parkes said. "As for the boys, we lost a few matches that we could have won. But we'll learn and try to get better."

[Last modified April 28, 2005, 01:19:11]