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SOUTH EL MONTE — “Too good.”

University’s doubles team of SangHyuk Im and Konrad Walter-Wu generated plenty of praise at the CIF-SS boys tennis individual championships Thursday, including that animated comment from across the net after they defeated the Corona del Mar’s Jack Cross and Niels Hoffmann 6-3, 6-4 in the finals at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center.

The Trojans’ duo seemed to cover nearly inch of the fast-playing, hard court with their contrasting yet united talents.

Im, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, used his quickness to pounce at the net for volleys while Walter-Wu, a 6-foot-5 senior bound for Case Western in Ohio, utilized his height to smash winners.

They both played fast and aggressively to cap day that included a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) victory in the semifinals against Valencia seniors Advik Mareedu and Warren Pham, the dominant champions at The Ojai.

“They’re all over the net,” Corona del Mar coach Jamie Gresh said of Im and Walter-Wu. “They took care of their serve a little better. They returned better and they just played really clean tennis.”

“Any time we tried to do something, they countered. That’s how tennis goes sometimes.”

Im and Walter-Wu’s remarkable backstory stood out as much as their play.

The boys captured the section title as an alternate entry. They didn’t secure an automatic berth by finishing in the top-two at the Pacific Coast League tournament, instead rallying to win a third-place match against a Woodbridge team 8-4 to secure the alternate spot.

Im and Walter-Wu then took the spot in the section tournament of University freshmen brothers and league doubles runner-up Winner and Champion Okey, who withdrew and created a special opportunity for Walter-Wu.

“It’s incredible,” Walter-Wu said. “It’s exactly what you want in a team atmosphere, especially such a good team. This is my last year, so it was really nice of them.”

“As one of the lower-ranked, top players on our team, it was nice for me to be able to prove myself, especially my last year,” he added.

Im and Walter-Wu were both emotional after the final.

University needed a lift after its perfect season was spoiled by Canyon Crest Academy of San Diego in the finals of the CIF/USTA SoCal regionals on Saturday.

Im found some revenge in the semifinals. He and teammate Omar Khayat lost to Mareedu and Pham in the finals of The Ojai. “Sweet revenge,” Im said of the tandem, who were CIF runner-ups last season.

And Im said he counts Cross and Hoffmann — also sophomores — as two of his closest friends in tennis and practice partners. The Surf League champions both traded energetic handshakes after the final.

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The “too good” compliment from Corona del Mar also could have applied to the CIF-SS Open Division champion Trojans, whose alternate team won CIF. “It just shows how much potential we have (at University),” Im said.

In singles, Villa Park freshman Nathaniel Suh lost in the semifinals to top-seeded and eventual champion Andy Nguyen of Millikan 6-2, 6-2.