Aptos High freshman tennis talent Scarlett LoForti upset junior teammate Kiana Safari, the two-time defending Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion, in the girls singles final at the league tournament at Imperial Courts Tennis Club in Aptos on Thursday.
LoForti, the No. 2 seed, prevailed 6-1, 6-3 over the top-seeded Safari, who didn’t dropped a game in the first two rounds a day earlier.
It was the first loss for Safari (12-1 overall) this season. LoForti improved to 15-0.
“It feels really good,” said LoForti, of her win. “This is like a big accomplishment for me.”
The teammates had played two challenge matches at practice this season and Safari won both.
Aptos High junior tennis talent Kiana Safari came up short in her bid to win her third straight SCCAL singles title on Thursday. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel file)
LoForti was confident she could break through if she played within herself and followed the pre-match advice offered from Adam Mash, a teaching pro at Seascape Sports Club and her personal coach for six years.
“I just wanted to play how I play, play up to my standards, which is playing good defense and when I have an opportunity, go for it on offense. I was pretty aggressive because I was the lower seed. I didn’t have a much pressure.”
The teammates, who helped Aptos repeat as the league’s team champion, helped the Mariners qualify for the Central Coast Section Team Championships on Tuesday. Safari’s status is tentative as she’s dealing with a minor foot injury.
With her win, LoForti also qualified for the CCS Singles Championships, which begin at Bay Club Courtside in Los Gatos on Nov. 16.
LoForti said she plans to have the same mindset at CCS that she did in the SCCAL Championships.
“I’m sure there will be nerves,” she said. “I’m going to go in with the same strategy. I’m younger, so I don’t have too much pressure. I’m going to learn from this experience.”
Santa Cruz’s Juliet Hekemian and Rainey Ruf won the SCCAL doubles title on Wednesday and also qualified for CCS.
The seeding meeting for the team, and singles and doubles tournaments takes place Saturday.
The Mariners will attempt to qualify Safari for the singles tournament with a wild-card entry. She was a quarterfinalist in 2025 and holds an impressive 7.20 Universal Tennis Rating (UTR).
LoForti, by comparison, holds a 5.27 UTR.
Mariners coach Tamara Brown said it was one of the more competitive singles matches in recent years, but noted that all facets of LoForti’s game were on point.
“She was firing on all cylinders,” the coach said. “She handled her serve, her defense was great, and she mixed up her shots today.”
The year, the CCS team tournament features three, eight-team divisions, instead of one, 24-team bracket.
Women’s soccer
UC Santa Cruz 6, Regent 0: Caroline Alanis scored twice, and the No. 3 seed Banana Slugs beat the No. 6 Royals in the Coast-To-Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals in Newport News, Virginia, on Thursday.
UCSC (11-4-1) outshot its opponent 43-2.
Ryley Flaming had a goal and an assist for the Banana Slugs. Erin Freeman, Alex Freeman, and Alexandra Torres also scored . Madeline Puente and Madilyn Ornelas were credited with assists.
Goalie Kristen Miller made 16 saves for the Royals (5-11-0).
The Banana Slugs’ defense allowed one shot on goal.
UCSC faces No. 2 Mary Washington (11-2-3) in the semifinals on Friday at 4 p.m.
High school football
At Marina 49, Pajaro Valley 35: The Grizzlies had trouble slowing the Mariners and dropped their regular-season finale on Thursday.
The Mariners (7-3, 6-1) earned a share of the Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division title with Greenfield (8-2, 6-1) with their win. The Bruins beat the Mariners 22-20 in the teams’ league opener and will secure an automatic berth to the CCS D-VI playoffs.
Adrian Valadez Jimenez scored twice in the first half for the Grizzlies (4-6, 2-5), who will take either sixth or seventh in the division depending on how Santa Cruz (4-5, 2-4) does Friday night.
Marcel Covita scored twice for the Mariners. Logan True scored on an 84-yard pass play, and Denzel Garvin and quarterback Jaxon Key also produced touchdowns.
Reporting Scores
Coaches are encouraged to report scores and highlights to sports@santacruzsentinel.com following games. Please include your name and contact number in the email.