Region tennis: Western Branch boys edge Cox in semifinals

NEWPORT NEWS

Matt Puzin wasn’t sure he could start his Eastern Region tournament singles match, but it was his opponent who struggled to finish.

o when Cox’s Phillip Timberlake caught cramps, Puzin caught Timberlake, ripping off the final four games for a pivotal three-set victory in Western Branch’s 5-4 triumph in the region boys tennis semifinals at Huntington Park.

The defending champion Bruins will face Southeastern District rival Great Bridge, 5-2 winners over Maury Thursday, in today’s 9 a.m. region title match. Both finalists qualified for the Group AAA state team tournament and will open against opponents from the Northern Region.

The finale of the Puzin-Timberlake match featured just one of the surprising twists in a riveting, five-hour marathon in which the two teams took turns standing convention wisdom on its head.

The Falcons, for example, appeared to have an edge at the top two singles spots. But while Cox star Ian Fraser easily decisioned Josh Lee, Bruins No. 2 Bobby Kostinas stunned two-time Beach District finalist Cameron Brawley 6-3, 7-6.

The Bruins, meanwhile, are reknowned for strength deeper in the lineup. On Thursday, however, a Cox freshman playing in his first varsity match, Ryson Owens, made relatively quick work of Stefan Strautnicks at No. 6.

That got the Falcons to within 3-2 in singles results, and Cox seemed poised to post a third victory when Timberlake forged ahead of Puzin in the third set at No. 5.

But at 4-3, 30-love, Timberlake went up for an overhead smash and came down with a cramp in his right calf. Timberlake won that point, then another for a 5-3 lead. From there, however, a hobbled Timberlake was no match for a rejuvenated Puzin.

’I could tell he was hurting, so I just kept the ball in play, moved him side-to-side,’’ Puzin said.

Ironically, it was Puzin who was hurting before the match. On Tuesday, Puzin aggravated a tendon in one of his toes playing Frisbee with friends at Cox’s football stadium. It wasn’t until Thursday’s warm-up that Puzin was able to declare himself fit to play.

“I know, it’s a weird way to hurt your foot,’’ Puzin said.

Although the Timberlake loss shoved Cox to the brink of defeat, the Falcons still made things interesting. Fraser and Brawley survived collective brain cramps midway through their No. 1 doubles match and thumped Kostinas and Sam Karr 6-1, 1-6, 6-0. And the Falcons sprung one final surprise at No. 3 doubles, where Shane Gill and Carlos Maldonado cruised in straight sets.

The Bruins needed just one more point, though, and Lee and Chris Yost delivered it convincingly with a 6-0, 6-3 triumph at No. 2 doubles.

‘’Chris and Josh are the best No. 2 doubles team in the region, so I felt good about our chances,’’ Bruins No. 3 Sam Karr said. ‘’It was exciting, but I’d much rather be ahead 5-1 after singles.’’

NOTES: Western Branch defeated Great Bridge 7-2 when the teams met in the regular season...Today’s girls final, which will be played at 1 p.m., will also be an intra-district affair, as defending champion Cox will face Beach District runner-up First Colonial. The Falcons rolled past Great Bridge 5-0 in Thursday’s semifinals, while the Patriots dusted Western Branch 5-1. Today’s final was originally scheduled for 9 a.m. but was moved to accomodate several players’ exam schedules.