HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS / SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS : Ocean View’s Pietrowski Breezes to Title

Jakub Pietrowski of Huntington Beach Ocean View High wasted little time Saturday in defeating Sandy Gentile of Temple City to win the Southern Section boys’ singles championship at the Seacliff tennis club in Huntington Beach.

Pietrowski, the top-ranked player in Southern California Tennis Assn. junior competition, took 1 hour 5 minutes to defeat Gentile, 6-2, 6-4.

Pietrowski broke Gentile’s serve to take a 4-2 lead in the first set and then was nearly flawless, giving up only three points over the next two games, to win it.

The second set was slightly more difficult for Pietrowski because Gentile jumped to a 3-2 lead. Pietrowski broke Gentile’s serve on a backhand shot down the line, however, to tie the score. He gave up one more game to Gentile before winning the match after Gentile double faulted.

“It’s a great feeling,” Pietrowski said. “I was hungry for it.”

Pietrowski, a senior, missed the Ojai Valley tournament last month because of a twisted ankle and school obligations. Because of his absence at Ojai, Pietrowski was seeded second in the Southern Section singles tournament behind Nathan Jackmon of Santa Barbara.

Gentile, who was seeded fourth, upset Jackmon in the semifinals, 0-6, 7-5, 6-1, to advance to the final.

Pietrowski, who defeated third-seeded Geoff Abrams of Newport Harbor, 6-1, 6-3, in the semifinals, was not entirely relieved at the prospect of playing Gentile rather than Jackmon.

“I knew whoever I played, I would have to play well,” Pietrowski said.

Gentile, a senior who will attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall, is ranked 11th in the SCTA and is 0-3 against Pietrowski.

Pietrowski, who will attend Notre Dame, was born in Gdansk, Poland, and moved to Huntington Beach in 1982. He speaks fluent Polish with his family.

The doubles final was a bit unusual because both teams were unseeded. Darren Auld and David Robles of Corona defeated Dan Roditi and Jeff Shoemaker of San Clemente, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, to win Corona’s first individual title in tennis.