Tennis Aims for Three-peat

If its first match is any indication, the Palisades High boys tennis has some work to do if it wants to win its third straight City Section title. The Dolphins lost to crosstown rival Santa Monica for the first time since Head Coach Bud Kling took over the program in 1979 and he won’t be surprised if Pali loses a few more matches before league starts. ‘The negative is that we’ve lost three of our four singles players and four of our top seven doubles players from last year,’ Kling said. ‘The positive is that I’ve got a good group of kids who are eager to prove themselves and want to work hard. How far we go will depend on how much they improve as the season progresses.’ Palisades opened the Bay Area Classic yesterday at Beverly Hills and travels to Fresno for a tournament this weekend. Other nonleague opponents include Mira Costa, Malibu and El Segundo. ‘We could have three or four losses going into league which is unusual for us,’ Kling said. ‘I’m more concerned with where we are heading into the playoffs. That is when you have to be at your best.’ With such a young squad, the Dolphins will rely on the senior leadership of tri-captains Sepehr Safii, Michael Light and Mason Hays. Hays will likely rotate between singles and doubles while Safii will play No. 1 doubles and Hays either No. 1 or No. 2 doubles. Strengthening the doubles lineup will be returner Jeremy Shore, incoming juniors Matt Goodman and Ren Nielsen and sophomore Kenneth Choi. Ranked 52nd in the Boys 16s in the Intermountain region last year, Nielsen moved to Pacific Palisades from the Salt Lake City area and may play No. 3 doubles with Che Borja, a quick and athletic sophomore who also plays JV basketball. Rounding out the doubles are 10th-graders Spencer Lewin and Ali Yazdi, both up from the JV team. ‘Right now, Granada Hills is the clear-cut favorite to win the City,’ Kling said. ‘Taft is a close second and after that it’s probably Carson, Eagle Rock and us. Granada lost to us in the finals last year but returns the entire team. Taft not only has everyone back but picked up two new guys.’ Senior Ariel Oleynik, who won three out of four sets against Granada Hills in the finals last May, will play No. 1 singles. Kuyung Choi, Kenneth’s younger brother, is slated at No. 2 singles and Kling is hopeful fellow freshman Brett Allchorn can fill the third slot. Justin Atlin, a sophomore who sat out most of last season with a back injury, will be No. 3 or No. 4. ‘We’re behind in our fundamentals compared to where we’ve been the last few years,’ Kling admitted. ‘We’re still working on the basics like footwork, balance and stroke production. But I like our attitude and I’d like to see us win our league and see where we get seeded.’