Two League Tennis Finals Postponed

The Sea View and South Coast league tennis finals were rained out Tuesday, forcing the leagues to complete their tournaments today in order to meet Southern Section requirements.

The section has set a deadline of 9 a.m. Thursday for leagues to turn in their results for seeding purposes into the section individual tournament. If a league is unable to finish its finals, it will be its responsibility to select the two singles players and two doubles teams it will send to the section’s tournament.

“There is nothing in our constitution that covers this,” Mission Viejo Coach Bill Smith said. “We are hoping to at least play down to finals [today] so we can send those players. If the coaches are asked to pick and choose the players, we could run into a lot of problems.”

Southern Section Assistant Commissioner Bill Clark said there will be no extension of the deadline, and that recommendations were made to the leagues to reserve this week for rain make-ups.

“We have to get this done now,” Clark said. “Otherwise, theoretically this could go on until summer.”

The Sea View League finals will begin at the Balboa Bay Club at 3 p.m. and will start play with the semifinals, with the four-seeded players in singles and doubles. The South Coast League finals will be at Laguna Niguel Racquet Club, at 1.

“It’s an unfortunate situation, but there is nothing we can do about it,” said Woodbridge Coach Joan Willett. “We had boys’ involved in AP testing [today], so we couldn’t start until later and it would have thrown the whole timing off. And technically, I guess we are only supposed to play two rounds, so that is another reason we are starting with the semifinals.”

Tim Mang, Corona del Mar’s coach, said he and the rest of the Sea View League coaches were unaware of Thursday’s deadline until he spoke with Clark on Tuesday.

“[Clark] said it was published and sent out to all the athletic directors,” Mang said. “It’s ridiculous. They’re not giving enough time to the leagues. This is a first.”

If it rains Wednesday, Mang said, the league will probably simply send its top seeded players to the section tournament.

“How else can you decide it if you don’t play,” he said. “That’s too bad because you have some third seeds that are aced. That’s tough on them.”