Historic Ojai Tennis Tournament Concludes
with Dramatic Finishes

It was another historic year at the Ojai Tennis Tournament as the 124th edition of one of the nation’s oldest, largest, and most celebrated events, first played in 1896, delivered dramatic finishes, historic milestones, and standout performances from Southern California players and programs.

From a championship match in storied Libbey Park that concluded at the stroke of midnight, to a 12-year-old national champion winning a new division title, to a mother-daughter combination teaming up to win the Women’s Open Doubles crown, the Ojai Tournament once again lived up to its legendary reputation.

Believe it or not, it all happened in a single  week in Ojai. 

L.A. Mission College Makes History 

One of the biggest stories of the week came from the Dream Team from L.A. Mission College, a small community college located in the East San Fernando town of Sylmar. For years, Mission has looked up to bigger neighboring schools such as Valley and Pierce Colleges. But in just their fifth year fielding a women’s tennis program, Joe Cascione’s Eagles squad captured the California Community State Athletic Association dual team championship beating Northern California’s Sierra College, 5-4. It was sophomore Josilyn Rivera’s comeback from a set down that clinched the team title as she blanked her opponent at the No. 3 line 7-0 in the third-set tiebreaker.

Fast forward to the CCCAA Individuals in one of the events final matches on Sunday where Josilyn’s younger sister, sophomore Jaelyn Rivera, and Priscilla Grinner saved two match points to win the doubles title, 13-11 in the third-set tiebreaker. With the win, Mission was also awarded the Individual team title scoring the most points in singles and doubles.

Big Ten Final Ends in Midnight Drama  

About 24 hours earlier on Saturday night, the Big 10 Men’s Conference title was decided as No. 1 Michigan State rallied past No. 2 Ohio State, 4-3, to win its first conference title since 1967. 

The championship match began at 5 p.m., but with the Spartans leading 3-2, rain halted play just shortly after 9 p.m., forcing a delay of more than two and a half hours with two singles matches still unfinished on Courts 1 and 2. Once play resumed, Ohio State’s No. 1 Aidan Kim outlasted Aristotelis Thanos, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-5, setting up a final showdown on Court 2 as the remaining fans gathered to watch the dramatic finish. There, it was Matthew Forbes beating Buckeye Jack Anthrop in a gripping three-set slugfest, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3) to clinch the match, and the Big Ten title, for the Spartans in front of a late night crowd.

Southern California Connections Shine 

Southern California teams and individuals figured prominently in the tournament throughout the collegiate events. UCLA beat rival USC in the quarterfinals before falling to the Spartans in the semifinals. San Diego’s Bryce Nakashima provided the clincher for the Buckeyes at No. 5 singles in a win over Illinois. J.P. Day from Los Angeles was on Ohio State’s roster but did not play, while Indiana featured No. 1 player Sam Landau, who played his high school tennis at Harvard-Westlake.

Open Division Produces Thrilling Finals 

In one of the most competitive and crowd-pleasing Men’s Open Singles finals at The Ojai in recent memory, Theodore Dean of Livermore, California, defeated top-seeded Matija Pecotic of Florida, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the $20,000 prize money tournament. Former world No. 67 Ernesto Escobedo of Los Angeles paired up with his cousin Eduardo Nava from Woodland Hills to win the doubles title in three sets.

Keeping it all in the family was the story in the Women’s Open Doubles as Dina McBride teamed up with her daughter Jordyn McBride of Thousand Oaks to win the gold medal in a division that has been contested at Ojai since 1990. The pair beat Weil Tennis Academy’s Frances Angelica Santiago and Liz Chileno, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. The victory added another chapter to a special family legacy. A classic Ojai trophy photo from 24 years ago shows Dina holding a two-month-old Jordyn after winning the 2002 Ojai singles title, her fourth in six years.   

Playing in her fifth straight Ojai Women’s Open Singles final match, San Diego’s Chanel Simmonds beat Jordyn McBride for the $4,000 first-place prize money, 6-1, 6-3. It was Simmond’s fourth Open singles title as she also won in 2022-24 before losing in last year’s final. 

Junior Champions Crowned 

In the Boys’ CIF division, No. 1 seed and last year’s singles finalist Matteo Huarte from Mater Dei beat No. 2 Brayden Tallakson from Woodbridge, 7-6 (3), 6-1. In the doubles final, the top-seeded team of Peninsula’s Colin Bringas and Edward Feuer took out No. 3 Aaron Chung and Chase Klugo of Harvard-Westlake, 6-4, 6-2. 

The Griggs Cup, awarded to the school earning the most points, ended in a three-way tie between Harvard-Westlake, Woodbridge, and University of Irvine.

One of the nation’s top 12-year-old boys, James Borchard from Thousand Oaks, became the first-ever Boys’ 12s Singles champion as he beat Desmond Tober-Bridges from Goleta, 6-0, 6-1. Borchard said after the match his goal isn’t to win each of the junior divisions, but rather win an Open doubles title with his father, former Ojai champion Quinn Borchard, and his younger brother Beau.

Other junior results included:

Girls’ 12s Singles: (1) Carlota Tarazaga Diaz (Irvine, CA) d. Claire Kang (Rancho Palos Verdes), 6-1, 6-0; Boys’ 14s Singles: (1) Eli Villaroman (Santa Ana, CA) d. (8) Quintin Alberto Suarez Trapero (Ojai, CA), 6-3, 6-3; Girls’ 14s Singles: (2) Charlotte Ackad (San Clemente, CA) d. (1) Eva Deng (Ojai, CA), 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-3; Boys’ 16s Singles: (1) Chance Rozpedski (Palm Desert, CA) d. (3) Daksh Bharadwaj (San Diego, CA), 6-0, 6-1; Girls’ 16s Singles: (2) Olivia Gallaway (Lafayette, CA) d. (4) Avery Johnson (Newport Coast, CA), 6-2, 6-4; Girls’ 18s Singles: (1) Sophia Lee (Eastvale, CA) d. (2) Chloe Egerer (Moorpark, CA), 6-0, 6-3; Girls’ 18s Doubles: No. 2 Eva Deng (Ojai) / Olivia Galloway (Lafayette, CA), def. (3) Julia Cross (Newport Beach, CA) / Avery Johnson (Newport Coast), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

Looking Ahead

Wrapping up the CCCAA divisions, it was the Irvine Valley College (IVC) men that dominated as they won the Wednesday dual match state title behind a complete team effort that showcased both depth and composure in high pressure matchups. The Lasers were led by Individual champion in singles Philip Neuman, who capped off his run by defeating teammate Steven Anderson, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in an all IVC final. In doubles, IVC added another championship as Nevin McCann and Bradley Yung bested Ventura College’s Caua Coimbra and Abladj Mondroha, 6-4, 6-4. 

On the women’s side, College of the Canyons top player Emma Chodur made a strong finals run in singles. Chodur’s consistency and aggressive baseline play have made her one of the top competitors in the CCCAA ranks this season, and her finals appearance added another milestone to an already impressive campaign for the Cougars.

Together, the results capped a competitive CCCAA postseason marked by strong interconference play, with Irvine Valley and College of the Canyons both reinforcing their status among the top programs in California community college tennis.

All in all, it was a memorable Ojai Tennis Tournament in 2026 and there is lots to look forward to as event organizers begin preparing for the playing of the 125th tournament April 21-25, 2027.