Southern Section Tennis : For First Time This Year, No. 1 Ends Up Second : Corona del Mar Senior Mike Briggs Suffers First Loss of Season in Semifinals

In the final match of his sensational senior year, Mike Briggs of Corona del Mar High School finally found out what it felt like to be second-best.

Briggs, the No. 1 seed, took a 64-0 record into Saturday’s Southern Section individual tennis championships semifinal against Bill Miller of Santa Barbara.

He left the Balboa Bay Racquet Club a little later with a less-than-perfect record and without his racket, which he smashed in frustration after Miller, the No. 4 seed, upset him, 6-3, 6-3.

“Now I know how other people feel when they play me and I’m on,” Briggs said. “I couldn’t do anything. He played too well. And I was really hoping to play (second-seeded Peter) Sampras, too.”

Briggs might have had a different opinion had he waited to watch Sampras, a Palos Verdes sophomore, tear through Miller, 6-2, 6-1, in the afternoon’s final. But Briggs had gone home with his second consecutive semifinal loss in the tournament since he won the Southern Section individual title as a sophomore in 1985.

Miller frustrated Briggs with pinpoint corner lobs and slices to Briggs’ backhand. After Miller first broke Briggs’ serve, 4-3, in the first set, he took the next three points with spinning drop shots.

“You’re out of control, Billy,” Briggs yelled, as he dropped his racket in disbelief.

Miller was certainly in control of a quick mix of slices and baseline skimmers. But it was Briggs’ net play that cost him the first set point, as Miller caught him with another perfect lob to the right corner.

In set two, Briggs became more aggressive. He gave up his conservative baseline game and began rushing the net at almost every opportunity.

But Briggs couldn’t keep up with Miller’s accurate placements. When a great save by Miller popped up and over his reach at 3-3, Briggs just watched it fall into the corner. Watching Miller was about all he could do from then on.

“I just took advantage of every opportunity,” said Miller. “I was patient in my position and didn’t get overly excited when things went right . . . or wrong.”

Sampras--who defeated Briggs, 6-3, in a preseason scrimmage in their only meeting--was almost robotic against Miller. His serve, net play and groundstrokes reflected the 10 years of daily three-hour practices with his sister Stella, who won the girls’ individual title last fall.

In doubles, Stan Sanders and Neel Grover of Dana Hills defeated Brad Magers and Grant Hughes of Laguna Beach, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, for the championship.

Comeback was the word of the day for the Dolphins. Sanders and Grover had defeated Willi Dann and Pete Bohan of University, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, in their semifinal match.

Magers and Hughes, coming off a brilliant 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 semifinal upset of Santa Barbara’s top-seeded Brent Peus and Dan Medvene, played a relentless first set against the Dana Hills team, mixing powerful overheads and drop shots.

But Sanders and Grover, who finished the season 63-2, came back in the second set, often switching positions and confusing Laguna Beach with changes in pace and placement of shots.

In the third set, with the score tied, 4-4, Hughes hit two consecutive shots into the net and then volleyed wide to give the Dolphins the service break and the lead, 5-4.

“I knew at that point we would win,” Sanders said.

He was right. At 15-0, Grover’s serve overpowered both Magers and Hughes, who hit three straight shots wide and long.