TENNIS / CITY SECTION GIRLS’ INDIVIDUAL SEMIFINALS : Dorsey Freshman Segura Takes the Play to Taft’s Feldman (17-1)

STUDIO CITY —  En route to an upset loss in the semifinals of the City Section individual tournament Wednesday, Taft High’s Julia Feldman said she wondered if she was facing a talented relative of a former pro tennis player.

The way Dorsey freshman Kendra Segura placed shots in her 6-3, 6-4 singles victory over top-seeded Feldman at the Racquet Centre, one wondered if Kendra Segura could be found on the same family tree as Pancho Segura.

“Everybody wonders that,” Feldman said.

No. Kendra Segura is not related to Poncho Pancho Segura.

“She plays like it, though,” Dorsey Coach Dave Gordon said.

The unseeded Segura played a near-perfect match in that she made few mistakes and simply kept the ball in play.

That was enough to end Feldman’s season at 17-1 and deny the Taft junior a rematch with teammate Brahna Pastorini in Friday’s 2 p.m. final.

Second-seeded Pastorini (19-0), who beat Feldman to win the title last year, earned the right to face Segura with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Aida Orejel of South Gate.

Pastorini injured her left ankle while walking her dog and spent Tuesday night in a hospital emergency room. She wore a brace during the match.

Feldman appeared dazed after Segura broke service twice in the first set and four times in the second. But she could blame only herself for her demise.

After breaking Segura’s serve in the ninth game of the second set to pull to within 5-4, Feldman led, 40-30, and threatened to even the score.

But a strong backhand crossing shot for a winner by Segura--one of few aggressive shots by the youngster--made it deuce.