Long Beach Poly’s Peter You and Lakewood’s Ceci Fonseca each captured Moore League singles titles on Monday at Ron Palmer Pavilion, capping off redemption runs after both fell short in last year’s finals.
You, the boys’ No. 1 seed, defeated Lakewood’s Adrian Perez 21-5, 23-21 in the boys’ championship match to secure his first league title after finishing second a year ago.
Fonseca was dominant on the girls’ side, not dropping a set all day as she claimed the title in her senior season, also bouncing back from a runner-up finish last year.
You cruised through the early rounds before facing his toughest test in the semifinals against Poly teammate Zaheen Chowhury. Chowhury pushed him to the brink in the opening set before You escaped with a 26-24 win. He then took control in the second set, winning 21-12 to advance to the final.
Chowhury went on to place third, defeating Cabrillo’s Jomari Pedenis in the consolation match.
“It feels pretty good,” You said. “I put in the work and dedication all the time, sitting at home watching YouTube videos — those 20-minute matches — and just knowing that I did all of that and managed to win this game feels pretty good.”
You credited his development to competing against strong competition outside the Moore League.
“It feels great,” You said. “My experiences against other schools like Cerritos and Fairmont Prep helped me a lot because it opened my eyes to how many good players exist outside our league. It motivates me more to put in that extra time, just for the love of the game.”
On the girls’ side, Fonseca advanced to the final after defeating teammate Natalie Maravilla in the semifinals, punching her ticket back to the championship match. Jordan’s Lizzy Mendoza claimed third place by beating Maravilla in the consolation match.
“It was definitely difficult, but I knew I wanted to end on a good note, being my senior year and knowing how close I was last year,” Fonseca said. “So I started training every day. My partner, Day, really helped me get to this point where I’m holding gold today. I had to put in a lot of work and spend money on trips to practice, but it was all worth it in the end.”
Fonseca said she entered the tournament confident but still had to manage the pressure of the moment.
“In the offseason, I was definitely confident I was going to win gold, but as I played, the scores were really close, and I started anticipating this moment more,” she said. “I wasn’t that nervous at first, but once I got here, the nerves were a lot – the crowd, the noise, everything. I can’t lie and say I wasn’t nervous, because I definitely was. But I had to calm down, breathe and get it done.”
Moore League postseason play continues this week with the doubles tournament on Wednesday and mixed doubles on Thursday at Long Beach Poly.
