Viking logs long hours in losses

By DAVID MURPHY and DEREK REDD
Published April 27, 2006

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS - Jorge Guerra walked off the court a man defeated.

Sweat rushed down his brown skin. The sun poured over his shoulders. He walked slowly, deliberately, tiredly, the march of a player who had just played two matches in under five hours and had little energy left for another.

But it wasn't over.

One of the coaches in charge of the singles tournament at Lake Brantley High watched the Northeast freshman as he stepped off the court and delivered the bad news.

"I know this is the last thing you want to hear," the coach said. "But you play doubles in an hour."

It was that type of day for Guerra, who lost in three sets to Fort Lauderdale's Derek Madon in the singles semifinals, then teamed with Jon Walters and lost in three sets to Tallahassee Chiles in the doubles quarterfinals.

Northeast coach Bill Amuso said the long day - Guerra played eight sets in under eight hours - took a toll on his freshman, and that fatigue was a major factor in his loss to Madon.

"He would have won," said Amuso, who added that he thinks the FHSAA should consider giving players more time in between matches. "No doubt about it."

Guerra had the most success of the Pinellas players participating on this first day of the Class 3A tournament.

The Seminole girls doubles team of Dalila Chiadmi and Lee-Ann Yarn lost in the quarterfinals to Fort Walton 6-2 7-6 (7-5). Lakewood's doubles team of Jessica Cox and Kim Vuille also lost its first match.

In the team tournament, neither the East Lake boys or girls picked up a point before heading home.

Guerra, meanwhile, took his first state competition as a learning experience. He broke the strings on both of his rackets in his first match and had to borrow his doubles partner's. His coach said he went through seven T-shirts in his singles loss to Madon.

"It was hot out there," Guerra said. "The second match was extremely tiring."

Still, he said, "I came to do my best. This was my first time. I didn't know what type of players were here. ... I could do better."

There are no Pinellas players or teams remaining in the tournament heading into the second day of competition.

TALLAHASSEE - It was another slow-morning start for Clearwater Central Catholic's Nick Berining. This time, though, he couldn't shake it off and get a win.

Berining's valiant second-set comeback went for naught, as the senior lost in three sets to Miami Country Day's Richard Harris in the individual-draw singles semifinals at the Speicher Tennis Center.

Those doldrums seeped into Berining's doubles match, as he and Nick Kucin lost to Delray Beach-American Heritage's Jamel Adderly and Joe Cadogan in two sets.

Bradenton Prep won the boys team title, while Ransom Everglades took the girls.

Berining, the individual draw's top singles seed, stumbled in the first set 6-3. Harris looked as if he could make quick work of Berining at 5-3 in the second set. But Berining, much like his quarterfinal match on Tuesday, tied it at 5-all before winning a 7-4 second-set tiebreaker.

Berining couldn't keep that momentum going in the third, getting broken at 4-2 and ultimately losing 6-3. He said that in the end his nerves got the best of him.

"I played too tentatively," he said. "I didn't go for my shots. I played nervous and let my nerves get the best of me. I started to get it back in the second, but I played a loose game at 2-3 (in the third) and the nerves came back."

CCC coach Scott Kroeger said much of the match came down to Berining's mistakes and Harris' lack thereof.

"I think Nick's unforced errors were in the 40s, while the other guy had maybe four," Kroeger said. "In two or three games, that's the difference."

Berining was confident coming into the tournament that he could reach the overall finals, so losing early was disappointing.

"Everyone I could have played (in the individual draw) are guys I've been able to beat," he said. "It's disappointing going out losing to guys I know I can beat."

Berining and Kucin could not get it together for their doubles match, falling 6-3, 6-2 to Adderly and Cadogan.

"That's tennis," Kroeger said. "You have to play at the same level all the time or someone can knock you off. This can be a very humbling sport."

[Last modified April 27, 2006, 03:17:12]