Huntington Beach girls’ tennis sisters charge into CIF Individuals semifinals
CLAREMONT — Huntington Beach High senior Yen Nhi Huynh-Nguyen and junior Le Nhi Huynh-Nguyen looked to some special supporters in the stands as they neared the finish line Wednesday afternoon.
Oilers girls’ tennis teammates Cecelia Pham, Jolie Wang and Cora Garrard cheered and displayed homemade signs at the CIF Southern Section Individuals Tournament.
The Huynh-Nguyen sisters just grinned. They appreciated the support.
“I love them a lot,” Yen Nhi said after the match. “Usually, they don’t come to Individuals but they came to the pre-qualifiers [last week]. They asked my coach if they could come, and she cleared it with the athletic director so they could come.”
The team atmosphere is not so common at CIF Individuals. But the Oilers are a close-knit bunch, and the sisters are in the midst of what could be a historic run.
They easily won their round of 16 and quarterfinal matches Wednesday at Biszantz Family Tennis Center to book a spot in Thursday’s semifinals. Yen Nhi and Le Nhi beat Rihana Ford and Mia Humiston of Brentwood 6-0, 6-1 in the round of 16, then downed No. 4-seeded Cassie Blakey and Ava Min of Palos Verdes 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
They will play top-seeded Haley Tran and Chloe Vu of Mater Dei in the semifinals Thursday at 11 a.m., with the title match to follow.
No Huntington Beach High girls’ tennis singles player or doubles team has ever made a title match at the CIF Individuals. The oldest Huynh-Nguyen sister, Cindy, was part of the Oilers’ only team CIF crown in 2018.
Yen Nhi and Le Nhi, the Surf League doubles champions, look like they could be title contenders this year. For Yen Nhi, making the semifinals was a bit of a breakthrough as she lost in the singles quarterfinals the last two years.
“We played well together today,” she said. “[Playing together] was a last-minute decision. We thought we would both play singles, but it’s my last year. If she wants to play singles next year, then she can play singles. Since I’m a senior, we might as well play doubles.”
The Mater Dei semifinal opponent will be formidable. Vu won last year’s CIF doubles title with graduate Natalie Lynch, while Tran got to the quarterfinals with partner Athena Wardy.
“I think it’ll be a good match,” Yen Nhi Huynh-Nguyen said. “They’re both really solid players. They hit strong, they serve strong and they’re good in volleys.”
Corona del Mar High sophomore Emilie Lew was the other local player to make the round of 16 on Wednesday. Lew lost there to Natalie Kha of Ayala, 6-1, 6-0.
Kha, a left-hander, played aggressively and the Palomares League champion dictated the action.
“I felt like I couldn’t really be on defense,” Lew said. “Whenever she got me off the court, I would hit a defensive ball back and she would just hit a winner off of it. Even if I hit a deep, defensive ball she could just smack a winner.”
Still, it was a nice run for Lew, who finished third in the Surf League singles tournament but eventually got into CIF Individuals as an alternate. Last year, she missed much of the season with a right wrist injury.
“As a sophomore, I think it’s pretty great to make it to the second-to-last day of the Individuals,” Lew said. “It’s been a pretty good season. We also made it to Open Division [as a team], which is great. I definitely improved, and [coach] Jamie [Gresh] has been great, so yeah. I’m happy to be here.”
Lew will be a leader on the team next year, as Gresh said the Sea Kings lose 12 seniors to graduation and had no juniors on varsity this year.
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