Roshan Takes the Heat, Title

Nima Roshan spent most of his formative years in Australia, where sweltering conditions are not unusual. So the Granada Hills High senior was determined to win the City Section boys’ tennis singles title, weather or not.

“I’m OK with the heat,” Roshan said minutes after proving it with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over top-seeded Jason Nguyen of Chatsworth in 100-degree temperatures Wednesday at Balboa Sports Complex in Encino.

No wonder Roshan, who was born in the United States and spent 12 years down under before returning in 1997, felt at home.

The victory was an impressive encore for the defending champion, who was seeded second. Roshan defeated El Camino Real’s Matt Jones in three sets for the title at the same site last year.

“It was a goal from the start for me,” Roshan said. “The first time I won it was special, and I wanted that feeling again. I wanted to know that I could maintain that level again.”

To do it, Roshan raised the level of his play to meet that displayed in the first set by a familiar foe and good friend.

“I expected a battle, and he came out and made some awesome shots the first set,” Roshan said of Nguyen.

“But I knew I just had to hang in there and stay with it.”

Roshan and Nguyen work out with the same private coach, Craig Cignarelli of Woodland Hills, and the two players are doubles partners on the U.S. Tennis Assn. junior circuit.

“I know he has a problem with heat and cramping, so I just tried to keep the rallies going and run him around,” Roshan said.

After dropping the first set and the first game of the second set, Roshan rallied to win four consecutive games and six of seven. After a 10-minute break before the third set, during which Nguyen stretched, doused himself with water and drank fluids, Roshan rolled to an insurmountable 4-0 lead to open the third set.

“I thought I had a pretty good chance to win this, but I just didn’t have anything left at the end,” said Nguyen, who plans to walk on to the UCLA tennis team. Nguyen, who advanced to the 2000 City final but defaulted because of an ankle injury, didn’t play last season.

In the City doubles final, brothers Norman and Bobby Tam of Belmont defeated Carson’s Nick Noa and Ron Esquerra, 6-1, 7-5.

Norman Tam lost in the singles final as a freshman and fell in the quarterfinals the last two seasons before teaming with his freshman brother. Noa and Esquerra lost in last year’s doubles final.