Harvard-Westlake Title Gift-Wrapped

THOUSAND OAKS — Harvard-Westlake High Coach Harry Salamandra got the best retirement present he could imagine Wednesday.

Salamandra, stepping down after 18 years, watched the suspense unfold as his boys’ tennis team upset No. 1-ranked Westlake, 10-8, at the Thousand Oaks Racquet Club to capture the Southern Section Division III championship.

It was the third crown for the Wolverines (19-5) under Salamandra, but none will be more memorable.

Harvard-Westlake swept nine doubles sets and Westlake took the first eight in singles.

The Wolverines held a tenuous lead when some 200 players and fans packed the stadium court to see Kevin Bezonsky, Harvard-Westlake’s No. 1 singles player, beat Westlake No. 3 Erik Janson, 7-6 (7-2) to end a three-hour battle.

“This team has so much focus, and a tenacity that I haven’t seen so deep and sustained for so long in young people in the past,” said Salamandra, who at midseason announced he would leave tennis to become head of Harvard-Westlake’s upper school.

Had Janson won the tiebreaker, the teams would have tied, 9-9, and Westlake (22-1) would have been the champion by virtue of the tiebreaker--total games won.

The Warriors would have finished with an 82-80 edge in games.

Janson, a left-handed sophomore, took a 2-0 lead in the tiebreaker.

Bezonsky won the final seven points.

Bezonsky beat Janson at the net with two backhand passing shots and a forehand lob while capitalizing on four unforced errors by Janson.

“I knew I could outlast him and I wasn’t as nervous as him,” said Bezonsky, who said he was on the brink of exhaustion until the sun began to set.

“I couldn’t expect anything better because it was my first match in this situation,” Janson said. “But when I went up, two-love, in the tiebreaker, I just tightened up.

“I could feel my left arm tightening.”

Had Westlake managed any success in doubles, Janson’s tiebreaker loss wouldn’t have mattered.

Darren Joe and Alex Yaftali had six decisive victories at Nos. 1-2 singles for Westlake. Throw in Janson’s 6-0 and 6-3 victories in the first two rounds and Westlake’s edge in singles games was 54-24.

But Harvard-Westlake was too tough in doubles.

Andrew Kowell and Brian Bezonsky (Kevin’s twin), and Kamyar Daneshvar and Aaron Gortman were undefeated throughout the playoffs.

They put Westlake’s back against the wall with 7-5 and 7-6 (9-7) victories over Kenny Simpson and Garrett Wong in the first two rounds.

Harvard-Westlake’s No. 3 doubles team, Brent Iloulian and Steve Kims, was the biggest surprise by posting 6-1, 6-4 and 6-0 victories that helped put the Wolverines in position for the upset.