Lynch Brothers Advanced to State Semifinals

Brothers Hunter and Thomas Lynch, City's top doubles team, made it all the way to the semifinals of the 2026 3C2A state championship, while Hunter Lynch advanced to the quarterfinals of the singles state championship. 

The Lynch brothers had a stellar season for the Knights as they won all 10 of their regular season matches against 3C2A teams to help the Knights capture a second straight IEAC championship. They also won all four of their conference tournament matches to claim the PCAC doubles championship. 

They carried the momentum into the state championship tournament, held in Ojai, Calif., and edged out a 6-1, 2-6, 10-3 victory over a Glendale duo in the first match. 

The brothers then earned a 6-2, 6-1 win in the round of 32 and squeezed out a 6-3, 1-6, 10-5 tiebreaker to reach the state quarterfinals for the second year in a row where they matched up against David Tinajero and Lance Morgan from Glendale. 

In that quarterfinal, the Lynch brothers dropped the first set, 4-6, but responded with a 6-4 win in the second set, and then a 10-7 victory in the tiebreaker to secure a spot in the semifinals. 

That's where their 18-match win streak was snapped by Caua Coimrba and Abladj Mondroha of Ventura College in a two-set loss. 

Hunter Lynch, who won the PCAC singles championship and was named IEAC Player of the Year for the second time in as many years, also made an impressive run to the state quarterfinals.

After having a bye in the opening round, he cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win in the round of 64 and then got past Abledj Mondroha 6-3, 6-1 in the round of 32. 

He then overcame a first-set loss to dispatch his round of 16 opponent 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), to reach the quarterfinals for the second straight year where he eventually fell to Jack Van Ness of Cabrillo College. 

Hunter and Thomas Lynch join an elite group of San Diego City who have made it to at least the semifinals and they are the first to do it since 1976 when Todd Harvey and Angel Lopez won the state title.

Below is a list of San Diego City College state champions in singles, doubles, and dual team.

State Doubles Championships

1955 Carl Eltzholtz and Jack Movido (Champions)

1956 Carl Eltzholtz and Jack Movido (Champions)

1960 Tilton and Pappas (Finalist)

1961 Carreido and Johnson (Finalists)

1962 Carreido and Johnson (Finalists)

1963 Johnson and Saxton (Champions)

1964 Allison and Bacon (Finalists)

1967 McIver and Parker (Finalists)

1970 DeGraff and Hill (Finalists)

1972 Hernandez and Berner (Finalists)

1973 Berner and Whitehead (Champions)

1975 Chris Smith and David Bacon (Champions)

1976 Todd Harvey and Angel Lopez (Champions)

State Singles Championships

1955 CarlEltzholtz (Champion), Jack Movido (Finalist)

1956 CarlEltzholtz (Champion), Jack Movido (Finalist)

1961 Marcos Carriedo (Champion)

1963 Gary Johnson (Champion), Lafayette Allen (Finalist)

1972 Alex Hernandez (Finalist)

1975 Dennis Bond (Champion)

Dual Team State Championships

1955, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1973, 1975, 1976