SACO — Top-seeded Thornton Academy had a long wait for its opening playoff match, but the Trojans made quick work of No. 9 Gorham Thursday. Thornton dropped just nine games across the three singles matches and split a pair of doubles battles in advancing past the Rams 4-1 in a Western Maine Class A boys tennis quarterfinal.

“With the playoffs it’s always going to tighten up a little bit, and we knew that. Regular season ended for us last Tuesday. Especially our doubles teams haven’t been in a really competitive environment for 10 days or so,” said Thornton head coach Andy Carlson. “Gorham had the fortune of playing against (South Portland in the prelims) and sort of getting some of that early tournament jitters or anxiety out. But I think we played well. It was a battle during the regular season and it was another battle here.”

As the No. 1 seed in the tournament, the Trojans got a bye into the quarterfinals. Their last regular-season match was more than a week ago against Scarborough. The rust showed in the first sets of both the Nos. 2 and 3 singles and Nos. 1 and 2 doubles matches.

Carlos Jiminez at No. 2 singles had to battle for a 6-4 first-set win against Gorham’s Thomas Susi. Jiminez was 12-0 during the regular season, and he showed why with a 6-1 second set.

Vojtech Brtinsky, a state singles tournament qualifier, won his first set at No. 3 singles 6-2 against the Rams’ Connor Sweatt before also dispatching his opponent with a 6-1 second-set win.

The teams played even in the doubles matches. The Trojans’ No. 1 team of Simon Belliveau and Dylan Gooch jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Nathan Roberts and Connor White in their first set, but dropped the set 5-7. The TA tandem rallied to force a third set but lost on a tiebreaker to fall 5-7, 6-4, 7-4.

“We won that first doubles in the regular season, and they kind of flipped the script on us here,” said Carlson, alluding to Belliveau and Gooch’s three-set win during a 5-0 TA victory over the Rams midway through the season.

At No. 2 doubles, TA’s Jared Waterhouse and Eric Gooch fell behind 4-0 before beating Gorham’s Jeff McNally and Thomas Matthews in the first set 7-6 (7-4). The Trojan duo then finished off their win with a 6-0 second set.

“There was times when you saw some good rhythm out of them, the doubles play. It’s just a question of finding that consistency,” said Carlson. “I think that’s going to come. I think they’ll be more consistent against whatever the opponent is on Saturday.”

Victor Menezes had no trouble at No. 1 singles, as he routed the Rams’ Thomas Brent 6-0, 6-1. The victory moved Menezes’ individual record this season to 17-1 ”“ a single-season school record.

“Victor’s our role model. We take our tempo, our tone, our attitude from Victor,” said Carlson. “And I think that’s contagious down with Carlos at No. 2 and Vojtech at No. 3.”

Both Menezes and Jiminez, along with Waterhouse and Eric Gooch at second doubles all went undefeated during the regular season, giving Carlson some admitted confidence in his team’s chances in advancing through the Western Maine Class A bracket. But Carlson also said his team will have to be better than it was Thursday if that is to happen.

“Hopefully this will kind of get some energy out, and maybe Saturday we can be even cleaner. Because I think we’re going to have to be. If we play Cheverus or Portland we’re going to have to be cleaner, and matches are going to get tighter and more competitive,” said Carlson. “You expect that at this time of the season and you hopefully have prepared for that.”

The No. 4 Stags and No. 5 Bulldogs will square off today for the right to face the Trojans in Saco Saturday. Thornton beat Portland 4-1 and Cheverus 5-0 in back-to-back matches in early May.

“If we see teams from the SMAA in the playoffs, we have to be relatively comfortable that they’re going to continue that trend,” Carlson said of his team’s unblemished success at Nos. 1 and 2 singles and No. 2 doubles. “That gives us some latitude, I think it gives us some flexibility, and it certainly gives us some confidence, and hopefully we can continue that.”

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.