San Marcos lost only five games en route to a 9-0 doubles rout in a 13-5 win at Buena on Tuesday. With the win, the Royals move into sole possession of third place and improve to 5-5 on the season, 2-2 in Channel League play.
The doubles tandem of seniors Kenneth Hasegawa and Brian Pearson led the way without losing a game in the match while improving their season record to 26-3. Pearson recorded three aces on the afternoon along with numerous service winners while Hasegawa had two aces.
Freshman Travis Enholm and senior Alex Clark lost only two games on the afternoon to improve their season record to 11-4. Clark has dominated with his first serve while Enholm has overcome his opponents with stellar baseline play. Neither was broken in the match.
Senior Spencer Funk and sophomore Scott Messier won their first two sets, 6-1 and 6-0, before Messier was replaced by freshman Nik Kilpelainen. Funk and Kilpelainen recorded a 6-2 win in their third-round match. Funk has showed renewed energy and enthusiasm since moving to doubles and has improved his doubles record to a perfect 6-0, playing five of those sets with Messier.
The Bulldogs did manage to win five of nine singles sets behind a 3-0 showing by senior Daniel Jenkins. Jenkins defeated San Marcos’ No. 1 player Zack Scott 6-4, as both players traded breaks of serve until Jenkins was able to hold serve up, 5-4. Scott, hampered by a broken left wrist, went on to win his next two matches handily, 6-2 and 6-1.
Jenkins also defeated the steadily improving Sean-Michael Gaudefroy, 6-2, in a set that was much closer than the score indicated. Both players served and played well, with several rallies that took both players all over the court, up and back as well as side to side. Considering it was their third set of the day, both played at a high level and, since the set was the last of the day, it proved to be exciting to watch. Gaudefroy won his other sets, 6-1 and 6-2.
San Marcos will play at Arroyo Grande in a nonleague match at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. With a win, the Royals would improve to above .500 for the first time this season.
Jarrod Bradley coaches boys’ tennis at San Marcos High.