Mika Ikemori, Jack Cross earn runner-up finishes at SoCal Junior Sectionals tennis tournament
It was telling that Marina High graduate Mika Ikemori came out of one of the final matches of her junior tennis career smiling on Sunday afternoon.
Ikemori had just lost to Claire Zhang of San Diego, 6-4, 6-2, in the girls’ 18 singles title match of the 121st annual USTA Southern California Junior Sectional Championships, held at Los Cab Tennis Club in Fountain Valley.
But one of her first thoughts was exaltation for Zhang, who is a year younger.
“It’s a bonus for her, because recruiting just started and she’s a rising junior,” Ikemori explained. “She’s going to have this big win on her record. I know all of these coaches are going to be looking at it, and I’m so happy for her that she got this achievement. That’s amazing.”
One other local reached Sunday’s finals at Junior Sectionals, the prestigious Level 3 tournament. Corona del Mar High incoming senior Jack Cross fell to Woodbridge graduate Avery Tallakson, 6-3, 6-4, in the boys’ 18s title match.
Putting others before herself has been a trademark for Ikemori, bound for UC Davis. This was the kind of attitude which recently netted her the 2023 Evelyn Houseman Lifetime Junior Sportsmanship Award from USTA Southern California, for exemplifying sportsmanship throughout her stellar junior tennis career.
She got the award before a tough three-set semifinal win at Junior Sectionals on Saturday.
“Based on the body of Mika’s work throughout SoCal junior tennis, the extension of this award was an easy choice,” USTA SoCal executive director Trevor Kronemann said.
Ikemori was up 3-1 on Zhang in the first set, but Zhang won nine of the next 10 games to surge into control. Trying to serve the match out at 5-2, she met resistance from Ikemori, who saved six match points overall before finally succumbing.
“I’m not a quitter,” Ikemori said. “I like to fight until the very end. Obviously there were some opportunities in that game, but I’m glad I went out fighting and I didn’t give up. Why would you give up? What’s the point in giving up?”
Ikemori never did that throughout her sparkling four-year high school tennis career, either. She was a back-to-back CIF Individuals finalist and she finished with a 205-4 career mark, according to Marina coach Chuck Kingman.
She will also miss the junior tennis circuit, though. Ikemori said this year marked her first time getting to a Junior Sectionals title match in singles.
“I’ve had a great junior tennis career,” she said. “My closest friends are my tennis friends, and I’m definitely going to miss junior tennis, even though there’s been ups and downs. The people I’ve met, the places I’ve been and the things I’ve experienced, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.”
Cross has another year of high school left after helping CdM make the CIF Southern Section Open Division and CIF Southern California Regional title matches this spring.
This was also his best Junior Sectionals run of his career, he said, and it came immediately following a march to the title match of a Newport Beach UTR tournament in the men’s open division.
“Recruiting-wise, it’s probably the biggest summer I’ll have for tennis,” he said. “To have this start feels really good.”
Cross was up an early break of serve in the first set of the final before Tallakson, bound for the University of New Mexico, took control. The second set was 4-4, but Tallakson broke Cross’ serve in a deuce game and successfully served for the match.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
