Year In Review - Southern California Tennis News

Transcription

Year In Review - Southern California Tennis News
Year In Review
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
Southern California Tennis Association
Table Of Contents
The 2015 Scrapbook................................................................... 1
San Diego District Tennis Association................................. 20
Deserved Recognition........................................................... 2
Lopez Acclaimed.................................................................. 20
Around The Section.................................................................... 3
Youth Tennis San Diego........................................................... 20
Annual Meeting & Awards......................................................... 4
Senior Scene................................................................................ 21
Service Awards....................................................................... 4
Tradition Continues............................................................ 21
Junior Awards Banquet......................................................... 5
National Championship Focus.......................................... 23
LA84 Foundation/NJTL –
Thirty-Year Partnership............................................................. 5
National 65 Invitational....................................................... 27
Stellar Junior Performances....................................................... 7
Inaugural Crabel Capital
Men’s 60 Masters Invitational............................................ 28
National Champions.............................................................. 7
And…........................................................................................ 8
Intersectional Play.................................................................. 8
ITF Cup Play.......................................................................... 27
Intersectional Review.......................................................... 29
That’s Not All… ................................................................. 30
Maze Cup................................................................................. 9
Senior News Now Online....................................................... 31
Competition Training Center (CTC) Cup....................... 9
In Memoriam............................................................................... 31
Zonal Play.............................................................................. 10
Odds & Ends............................................................................... 32
Pete Brown “First Serve”................................................... 10
10s Exchange......................................................................... 10
Community Tennis.................................................................... 11
Intercollegiate Tennis................................................................ 11
All-Americans........................................................................ 11
Conclusion................................................................................... 33
2015 Results................................................................................ 34
113th Junior Sectional Championships (June)................. 34
Division I Regional & National Awards........................... 12
113th Annual Jim Hillman Junior Sectional
Doubles Championships (November)............................. 35
Guillermo & Wood Feted.................................................. 13
35th Solinco Grand Prix Masters Championships......... 36
Magnificent Manasse............................................................ 13
29th Central Coast Grand Prix Masters
Championships...................................................................... 37
Scandalis Defines Student-Athlete................................... 14
Summer Circuit.................................................................... 14
League Tennis............................................................................. 14
League National Champions.............................................. 14
League National Finalists.................................................... 15
Sectional Champions........................................................... 15
Adult 18 & Over............................................................. 15
Adult 40 & Over............................................................. 16
Adult 55 & Over............................................................. 17
18 & Over Mixed Doubles........................................... 17
40 & Over Mixed Doubles........................................... 18
Adult 65 & Over................................................................... 18
11th Desert Cities Grand Prix Masters
Championships...................................................................... 38
33rd Junior Satellite Masters Championships................. 39
Inland Empire Grand Prix Satellite Masters
Championships...................................................................... 40
Novice Jamboree Championships.................................... 41
US Open National Playoffs................................................ 41
129th Open Sectional Championships.............................. 42
129th Senior, Super Senior & Family Sectional
Championships...................................................................... 43
Tri-Level Mixed Doubles Tournament........................... 19
33rd Senior Grand Prix Masters Championships........... 45
Wheelchair Tennis..................................................................... 19
29th NTRP Sectional Championships............................... 46
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
Mark Winters
L
ooking back on Southern California tennis in 2015 is akin to paging through a richly bound scrapbook
filled with memories. This compendium
contains reflections on individuals,
programs and activities that, together,
turned the section into the game’s foremost Emoji.
Leading that smiley face list was the
Southern California Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony
and dinner. It was held on September
20th at the Riviera Country Club, in Pacific Palisades. “Family” was the theme
of the affair, and the honorees included:
Wayne and Kathy Bryan, Jerry and Jeanie Buss, William “Bill” Rombeau, Brian
Teacher and Pam Teeguarden.
“Those being honored are passionate and dedicated,” SCTA President, William
(Bill) J. Kellogg, said in his introductory comments. “They have left their mark on tennis,
and I don’t think anyplace in the country has
had such an impact on the game.”
Pam Shriver, a 2002 International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum inductee, and
a member of the 2007 SCTA Hall of Fame
salute, served as the Master of Ceremonies.
She was smooth and insightful introducing the
inductees, as well as those presenting each
honoree.
in January 2012, he left an indelible mark. Tennis was his
passion, but his family – wife,
Sharon and daughters Kira and
Nicole – was his life.
Wayne and Kathy Bryan
brought the ceremony to a
close, along with Mike, the eldest of the famed twins, who
attended the affair with his
wife, Lucille. “When we got out
of school (grammar school) we
would go to the club and get
to mom first,” he remembered.
“That was so cool. We worked
on things then we went to my
dad’s court where there was
2015 Hall of Fame Inductees (Jeanie Buss not included)
more intensity.”
Photos Cynthia Lum
As the loquacious Wayne
Buss, whose father, Jerry passed away in Bryan said, “I grew up in Southern California.
February 2013, admitting that she had It was like Camelot. As Jimmy (Connors) said,
to “Twist Jimmy’s (Connors) arm to get ‘We have everything right here, so you can
him here…” (to the Hall of Fame cer- realize your dreams.’ I feel blessed to be from
emony) to introduce her.
the section.
Connors, one of the best players
in the game’s history, is rarely seen
at tennis activities these days. Yet
he was on hand, admitting, “Imagine the place (the Forum); imagine
the stories that can be told…To
get two guys with bad attitudes (he
and McEnroe) to come out and play
could only have been done by my
friend, Jeanie Buss.”
Rombeau, who was SCTA President from 1997 through 2008,
was fondly praised for constantly
attempting to “Get more people
playing tennis.” Having passed away
Pam Shriver and Pam Teeguarden
Snippets of comments made by those being
acknowledged included:
Teeguarden, who dedicated her award
to her father, Jerry, who taught her to
play at Cheviot Hills Tennis Center;
Teacher, after admitting he had lost his
speech, then talked about working on
his game, playing Bobby Riggs, and how
Guy and Harry Fritz helped him learn to
“manage the game; edge the score.”
Jeanie Buss and Jimmy Connors
Nicole, Sharon and Kira Rombeau
“I am honored, appreciative
and humbled to go into the Hall
of Fame with Kathy (my special
girl), Jerry and Jeanie, Bill, Brian
and Pam. I am so happy to be
part of this.”
The night’s honorees had
their names added to an impressive list of Southern California Tennis Association greats
that are engraved on an elegant
silver trophy that is believed
to have been presented to Bill
Tilden after he won six consecutive United States National
singles titles from 1920 to 1925.
In 1968, Perry Jones had a pedestal built for the trophy, and
along with that, he had a plaque
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
1
Ben Press and Brian Teacher
designed on which the names of
the original fifteen inductees were
richly inscribed. Since then, a collection of players, coaches and
special individuals have been added
to the SCTA Hall of Fame honor
roll. With this year’s celebration,
(which is now an every other year
event), there are eighty-three
members in this very exclusive
club.
In 2009, Kellogg stepped in
when Rombeau stepped down to
lead the SCTA. Two years later,
he was named to the USTA Board
of Directors, and Gregory (Greg)
Hickey assumed the Presidency. Having left
his mark, Hickey decided to pursue other
tennis interests, and Kellogg again took the
Wayne, Kathy and Mike Bryan
helm at the SCTA Annual Meeting, on March
2nd at the Straus Clubhouse (Los Angeles
Tennis Center-UCLA).
Deserved Recognition
Taylor Fritz
Photo Susan Mullane/camerawork usa
Taylor Fritz had a year to remember. Playing in the “Bullring” (The historic Court 2 at
Stade Roland Garros), Fritz made history, in
the semifinals thoroughly dominating Corentin Denolly of France, the No. 4 seed, 6-1,
6-2. The victory earned him the top International Tennis Federation (ITF) Boys’ ranking. Though he lost in three sets to fellow
American, Tommy Paul in the Paris final, he
duplicated his 2014 Wimbledon performance
reaching the semifinals, where he again came
up short to the player, in this case, Reilly
Opelka, who would ultimately win the event.
Everything came together at the US Open,
where, in his final junior Grand Slam appearance, he faced Paul again in the trophy round.
This time out, he solidified his No. 1 ITF position and realized a long-term goal. Fritz put
his name on a Grand Slam singles trophy, winning 6-2, 6-7, 6-2. With the decision, Fritz
became the first Southern Californian to win
the ultimate US junior tennis title since Tim
Trigueiro did it in 1985.
At the end of the year, Fritz became the
first American since Donald Young, in 2005,
to be named the top junior, and will be feted
at the 2016 ITF World Champions Dinner
on May 31st, in Paris, during Roland Garros.
He admitted, “It feels amazing to be the ITF
Junior World Champion. It’s been a goal of
mine for many years and it feels great to actually achieve it. I loved ITF junior tennis and
I hope I can build on the great foundation it
has laid for me.”
Kayla Day and Claire Liu, along with Michaela Gordon of Los Altos Hills, led the US
to the Junior Fed Cup, by BNP Paribas, final
at the Caja Magica in Madrid. Having won the
coveted championship in 2008, ’12 and ’14,
the Czech Republic’s doubles strength led to
a 2-1 victory over the defending champion.
Day was a Metropolia Orange Bowl
Girls’ 18 finalist dropping a 7-6, 6-4 decision to ­Bianca Andreescu. A Canadian, who
is coached by former French star, Nathalie
Kayla Day
Photo ITF
Joe Dorn and Warren Wood
Photo Paul Settles
Tauziat, Andreescu avenged a 7-5, 6-3 loss to
the Santa Barbara resident two weeks before,
in the final of the Yucatan Cup in Mexico.
The Men’s NCAA Division III National
Championship was all about the strength of
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ tennis program.
After final round showings in 2014 and 2013,
this year the team, coached by Paul Settles,
Claire Liu
Photo ITF
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
2
achieved the ultimate goal, shutting out Middlebury College, 5-0
in the title round. With the victory, the college claimed its first
national title in thirty-four years.
The success story continued in
the singles final. Warren Wood
defeated CMS teammate, Skyler
Butts to earn his second NCAA
tournament championship. The
top Division III singles competitor
in the country, Wood added to his
memorable tournament, winning his
third NCAA trophy taking the doubles
with another teammate, in this case,
Joe Dorn (and finishing atop the Intercollegiate Tennis Association doubles
ranking). All in all, the tournament was
a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Warren
Wood season-ending spectacular.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Photo Ellen Friedlander
AROUND THE SECTION
S
arah Hinton was the female winner
of the USTA Foundation’s Eve Kraft
Education & College Scholarship, which
is given annually to a high school senior
who has excelled academically, meaningfully served their community, played tennis in an organized program and resides in
an economically disadvantaged community. This scholarship is named in memory of Eve Kraft, a tennis pioneer who
co-founded the USTA Center for Education & Research in Princeton, New Jersey. Because of her commitment, thousands of youngsters were introduced to the
game.
Emma Arenas, Janelle Allison Pangan and
Chad LeDuff were also awarded College Education Scholarships.
Chad LeDuff
It is hard to exceed the history established
by committed individuals and organizations
in Southern California. In 2015, a number of
these efforts drew recognition. Don Ackerly
of Valhalla High School was named to the
­USTA’s No-Cut Coach All-Star Team because his mission has been to give every student, who wants to do so, an opportunity to
learn the game and not have to worry about
“making the squad”.
Jovana Kuljanin, who played for Hector
Arellano’s ACES Foundation team from Te­
mecula, earned the Girls’ 18 Sportsmanship
Sarah Hinton
Emma Arenas
Your Tennis Game”, which was designed to
help recreational players correct basic mistakes. In 2011, she became a member of the
Los Angeles City Section High School Hall
of Fame.
Fink was a four-time All-American, as well
as a four-time Pac-10 singles and doubles
selection. During her playing days she was
one of a very few USC players to win over
one hundred singles and doubles matches­
during their college career. In 2006, she was
the top ranked freshman in the country, and
the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. In 2009, she
became the first female competitor to win
the Pac-10 singles and doubles, (in the same
season), at Ojai since 1917.
At the Tennis On Campus National Championships, during the spring, the participating teams were asked to select one of their
Award at the Junior Team Tennis National
Championships in late October.
Dr. Ann Lebedeff, Professor of Physical Education and Athletics and the Women’s tennis
coach at Pomona-Pitzer Col­leges, received
the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Meritorious Service Award, presented
by ­ConantLeadership, at the
ITA Convention Membership &
Awards Banquet. The gathering
took place in mid-December in
Naples, Florida.
Barbara Breit and Amanda Fink
were inducted into the Southern
California Jewish Sports Hall of
Fame at the end of June. Breit
was the National Girls’ 18 singles and doubles winner in 1954
and ’55. The same year (’55),
she had a No. 8 world ranking.
Barbara Breit
In 1973, she wrote “Improving
Photo Thelner Hoover
Jovana Kuljanin
Dr. Ann Lebedeff
Photo Mark Winters
Amanda Fink
Photo USC Athletics
number that exhibited exemplary sportsmanship, and Cal
Poly San Luis Obispo was the
recipient.
Los Angeles hosted the 14th
Special Olympics World Summer Games in late July. More
than 7,000 athletes took part
in a variety of sports. The tennis competition was staged
at the Los Angeles Tennis
Center-UCLA.
ACEing Autism was one
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
3
of the forty-four programs across the
country that received a grant from the
USTA Foundation (the United States
Tennis Association’s charitable organization), grant to continue its standardsetting work using tennis to not only
help youngsters physically, but give them
an opportunity to broaden their lives.
The City of Calabasas received a Facility Assistance Program grant from the
USTA that will enable the Calabasas
Tennis and Swim Center to construct
two new youth tennis courts.
During the first week of January, the
USTA announced twenty Wheelchair
Tennis Grassroots Grants. The West
Coast Wheelchair Tennis Association
(WCWTA), based in North Hollywood,
was one of the recipients. Each Saturday, WCWTA offers instruction and
play opportunities at Warner Tennis
Center.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Photo camerawork usa
ANNUAL MEETING & AWARDS
(Photos Madeline Segura)
K
ellogg, the SCTA President, presided over the Annual Meeting, which Lauren Barnikow and Chanda Rubin, USTA Directors at Large,
attended. They were among the tennis community and industry leaders at the March 2nd gathering, held in the Straus Stadium Clubhouse
at the Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA.
Those recognized for all that they contributed to tennis during 2014 included:
Bob Shafer
Henry Talbert Lifetime
Achievement
Greater San Diego City
Tennis Council
Member Organization
(Accepted by Geoff Griffin,
Ben Press and David Gill)
Steve Riggs
Ten and Under Tennis
Brandon Yeoh and Gabrielle Andrews
The Griffin Family
Evelyn Houseman Junior Sportsmanship
Family Of The Year
(Brandon Yeoh Photo Brown University Athletics)
LA84 Foundation
Outstanding Service
(Accepted by Patrick Escobar and
Anita DeFrantz)
University of California, San Diego
Long Ellis Intercollegiate
(Photo UCSD Athletics)
Jason Harnett
Curt Condon Spirit
Service Awards
Gordon Zawtun
Junior Competition
Pierre Mareschal
Junior Team Tennis
Rancho Cienega Recreation
Center
NJLT (Accepted by Fred Williams
and Terry Chambers; Richard
Williams unable to attend.)
John Kessler (University
High School, Irvine)
High School Tennis Coach
(Photo Jeff Antenore –
Orange County Register)
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
4
University of California, Irvine Tennis Club
Tennis On Campus
(Accepted by Zach Low,Tommy Luu, Ronald Kao
and Iris Mark Fonseca)
Verdell Adams
Eugene (Gene) Jung
Cari Buck
Wheelchair Tennis
Woody Yocum
San Diego
Junior Awards Banquet
Awards Banquet Honorees
A
nnually, the largest junior tennis tournament in the country – in the world for that matter – takes place at the Los Caballeros
­Racquet & Sports Club, in Fountain Valley. This year’s version, the 113th Southern California Junior Sectional Championships
(Level I) was held June 20-22 and 25-29. As is always the case, the competition, in all divisions, was National Championship worthy. Those
who played their way to victories didn’t win just an ordinary event. Each of these performers became someone very special – a Southern
California Sectional Champion.
During the championships, the 22nd Junior Awards Banquet was held, and the following were the 2014 honorees:
Evelyn Houseman Lifetime Sportsmanship Award
Brandon Yeoh and Gabrielle Andrews
Player Of The Year
Reese Stadler and Ena Shibahara
Most Improved Player
Connor Hance and Carson Branstine
Age Division Sportsmanship Awards
Joshua Ortlip and Risa Nakagawa – 18s
Brandon Holt and Graveena Kingsley – 16s
Jun Nakamine and Lauren Sebastian – 14s
Kyle Overmayer and Elizabeth Bondy – 12s
Quinn Brady and Iris Berman – 10s
Academy Award
Dent Tennis Academy
LA84 Foundation/NJTL – Thirty-Year Partnership
F
or the thirtieth consecutive year, the
LA84 Foundation renewed its pledge
to support the National Junior Tennis
and Learning (NJTL) Program. “The
SCTA and NJTL are very fortunate to
again be partnering with the LA84 Foundation,” said Melanie Bischoff, Director
of Community Tennis who is responsible for organizing the program. “Thirty
years of involvement is truly impressive
and I am honored to have worked with
the LA84 Foundation for many great
years.
“Thanks to the LA84 Foundation,
(which is responsible for disbursing
funds realized by the successful 1984
Los Angeles Olympic Games), there
were 135 Summer locations and 42
Year-Round NJTL sites in the section.
In my thirteen years of involvement, I
have met some unique coaches who
have a wonderful appreciation for what
they are doing because they are mentoring kids and making a difference in their
lives. They show up four hours a week
and are (and this is so important), always
there for the kids. They are dedicated to
NJTL, and they are the reason it thrives.
Their commitment is to the kids, and
knowing they are making a difference in
so many lives rewards them. Without
these coaches, the outreach program,
which has affected more than 200,000
youngsters, would not flourish.”
Patrick Escobar, the organization’s
Vice President, Grants & Programs,
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
5
added, “The LA84 Foundation’s support of
the NJTL program, continually for 30 years,
is our acknowledgment of its success in introducing thousands of youngsters each year to
the sport of tennis. It is also a recognition of
the amazing group of instructors who come
back, year after year, to work with the youngsters. The implementation of this program at
sites all over Southern California is not an
easy task. We commend the efforts of the
SCTA staff and its many partners for running
one of the best introductory tennis programs
in the nation.”
For several years, Belvedere Park has offered the USTA’s ACE (Academic Creative
Engagement) Curriculum, as a component of
the NJTL Program held at the site. Because
of donations made in the name of Henry Talbert, in 2015, four additional locations were
utilized: Saybrook Park, Salazar Park, Montecito Heights Recreation Center and One
All Tennis.
able to select one of its NJTL students to fly
to New York to meet Serena Williams.”
Not only did Esparza have an opportunity
to spend time with Serena, (who happens
to be her favorite player), she had a chance
to hit with Williams and her coach, Patrick
Mouratoglou.
Mike Casarez teaches at Salazar and Saybrook Parks, in East Los Angeles, along with
Belvedere Park, where he works with Esparza. He has focused on providing youngsters in
the local Hispanic community opportunities
to learn to play.
Henry Talbert and Melanie Bischoff
Park, Yesenia Murana from Belvedere Park,
Moises Rodriguez from Saybrook Park and Jasmine Vazquez from Salazar Park, who earned
the recognition, have shown a commitment
to education and the community, along with
tennis. It is part of Henry Talbert’s legacy.”
Fran Talbert, who was an integral part of
her late husband, Henry’s efforts to make an
impact, said, “The ACE Program is a great
way for children to get an introduction to tennis and receive support with their academic
goals. Henry was a true believer in grassroots
tennis programs. His major leadership role at
the USTA and SCTA, for thirty-nine years,
was to develop tennis programs – like ACE –
all over the United States. He would be extremely proud that he could be the inspiraAndres Duran-Meneses, Henry Talbert
tion for this wonderful local effort for young
Leadership Award winner from Salazar Park,
tennis players. On behalf of the entire Talbert
with Anna Wells and Mike Casarez
family, I want to wish my sincere congratulaThe inaugural Henry Taltions to the first recipients of
bert Leadership Award was
the Henry Talbert Leaderpresented at Belvedere Park,
ship Award. These students
Saybrook Park and Salazar
will serve as a wonderful exPark in East Los Angeles.
ample for what we hope will
The honor is named for the
be hundreds of recipients in
former SCTA Executive Dithe years to come.”
rector, who passed away in
Rayleen Esparza will never
January 2014 after sixteen
forget August. The thirteenyears in the position. “The
year-old who has participataward acknowledges individed in the LA84 Foundation/
uals who have demonstratNJTL Program at Belvedere
ed leadership among their
Park in East Los Angeles for
Moises Rodriguez, Henry
peers,” Bischoff said. “Andres
the past four years was seTalbert Leadership Award
winner from Saybrook Park
Duran-Meneses from Salazar
lected to travel to the Billie
Jean King National Tennis
Center in Flushing Meadow, New York. The
opportunity resulted from the Southern California section winning, (for the second year
in a row), the “Return The Serve” contest,
organized annually by JPMorgan Chase, prior
to the US Open.
“Los Angeles was one of ten chapters selected to be a part of the promotion,” Evan
Smith, SCTA NJTL Coordinator, said. “It
featured a Twitter contest with the winning
chapter receiving a donation from JPMorgan
Yesenia Murana, Henry Talbert Leadership
Award winner from Belvedere Park
Chase. Even more important, the winner was
Rayleen Esparza and Serena Williams
Photo Jennifer Pottheiser
Rayleen Esparza traveled to New York
with her mother, Adriana
Photo Jennifer Pottheiser
He told Smith that tennis has inspired Esparza and has given her a bright future. “It
(tennis) is going to be with her for her entire
life,” Casarez said.
The ACE Curriculum, organized by Anna
Wells, is an NJTL adjunct offering at Belvedere Park. “At thirteen, meeting and playing
tennis with her favorite player, Rayleen will
have to pinch herself when she gets back
home,” Wells noted. “I am thrilled she was
selected for this great opportunity. She is
both a hardworking student and player.”
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
6
Esparza’s New York adventure was thrilling as she
noted, “I’m never going to forget the trip. It was such a
memorable experience, and I want to thank Serena and
Chase for making my dreams come true.”
Casarez added, “That something as simple as tennis
brought so much to a youngster’s life is really special.”
Offering a final thought Bischoff pointed out, “NJTL
is a program that really makes you feel good about
the job that you do. To have kids in low-income and
gang areas be able to learn a great sport makes me
Smith admitted, “We were ecstatic to
find out that one of our NJTL students
had a chance to go to New York. To be
able to hit with Serena was the cherry on
top of the perfect dessert. It was a great
opportunity for Rayleen and it was a big
moment for NJTL locally.”
very happy. I joined the SCTA and was
so fortunate to work with Arlene Barco, who guided the program for many
years. She had a passion for the game
and for NJTL. When I took over, it became just as important to me to help
the program grow.”
STELLAR JUNIOR PERFORMANCES
T
aylor Fritz wasn’t the only Southern Californian to play his
way into the US Open Junior Boys’ spotlight at the Billie Jean
King National Tennis Center. Brandon Holt (who is one of Tracy
Austin’s sons) and Riley Smith (whose father, Peter, coaches the
USC men’s team) also had a tournament to remember. Given a
wild card by the USTA, they were unseeded, but that didn’t matter.
Holt and Smith reached the US Open Junior Boys’ Doubles final
where Felix Auger Aliassima and Denis Shapovalov of Canada, who
were also unseeded, edged them, 7-5, 7-6.
Brandon Holt and Riley Smith
Photo Susan Mullane/camerawork usa
National Champions
A
t the National Junior Championships staged at venues across the country in late July, a collection of players from the section enjoyed
success. They included:
Fritz and Reilly Opelka of Palm Coast, Florida – Boys’ 18 Doubles Champions
(The victory earned the duo a spot in the US Open Men’s Doubles draw.)
Ena Shibahara and Jessie Aney of Rochester, Minnesota – Girls’ 18 Doubles Finalists
Bryce Pereira and Ivan Thamma – Boys’ 16 Doubles Champions
Jacob Bullard and Alan Yim of Sammamish, Washington – Boys’ 14 Doubles Finalists
Saud Alhogbani and Samuel Landau – Boys’ 12 Doubles Finalists
Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka
Jessie Aney and Ena Shibahara
Photo J. Fred Sidhu
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
7
Ivan Thamma and Bryce Pereira
Jacob Bullard
Photo instatagphoto
Saud Alhogbani
Photo Al Arabiya
And…
B
randon Nakashima and Govind Nanda were a major reason the US was able to finish third at the 2015 ITF World Junior
Tennis Finals in Prostejov, Czech Republic. Sixteen boys’ and girls’ international teams participated in the competition
that takes place annually each August to determine what country has the best players who are at least fourteen-years-old.
Brandon Nakashima and Govind Nanda
Intersectional Play
I
n a memorable showing, both the boys’ and
girls’ teams won the Intersectional 18 Team
Championships. Barry Horowitz led the third
seeds, a team that included Kalman Boyd,
Connor Hance, Brandon Holt, Austin Rapp,
Billy Rowe, Riley Smith and Reece Stalder, to
the title at the Atkins Tennis Center on the
University of Illinois campus.
Boys’ 18 Intersectional Team
At The Claremont Club, Debbie
Shaffer coached the girls’ team whose
members were Carson and Constance Branstine, Kelly Chen, Jada
Hart, Ashley Lahey, Nicole Mossmer
and Ena Shibahara.
“It was a Level 1 event involving
sixteen of the USTA’s seventeen sections,” Shaffer said. “Only
the Caribbean was missing. Each section sent its
six or seven best players.
The tournament was a
sixteen draw, and we played college style, starting each match
with three doubles that were eight
game pro sets. Then we played six
singles matches. Winning two of
the three doubles matches earned
one point going into singles.
“We played Southern, (who had
Girls’ 18 Intersectional Team
won the event three of the last five years),
in the final and defeated them, 6-1. Most of
the girls used the tournament as a warm up
before they headed to San Diego to play the
National Girls’ 18 & 16 Championships. Many
top college coaches came during the week of
the Team Championships to recruit players
for their teams.”
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
8
The Southern California boys and girls
put aside their individual aspirations and
focused solely on achieving team success. Shaffer summarized the atmosphere saying, “As tennis players they
are never in events like this, but I had a
really great energetic team that worked
really well together. They all fought hard
for the team. They realized that there is
more pressure in a team situation than
when they play a tournament on their
own.
“It was truly one of the nicest teams
I have ever had, and I feel very honored
to have worked with such a great group
of special girls.”
Robert Baylon, Carson Branstine,
Jacob Brumm, Connor Hance, Taylor
Johnson, Nicole Mossmer, Ryan Seggerman and Hannah Zhao were the reason
Southern California scored an Intersectional 16s final round 5-4 victory over
Texas, at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club
in Shreveport.
Intersectional 16s Team
Maze Cup
A
t the 42nd Maze Cup, staged at the Stockdale Country Club in Bakersfield, Southern California defeated Northern California in the annual
18 and 16 confrontation, 13-7. Robert Baylon, Connor Hance, Jada Hart, Daunte Harris, Emma Higuchi, Brandon Holt, Riley McQuaid,
Nicole Mossmer, Kento Perera, Ryan Peus, Timothy Sah and Ivan Thamma represented the section. Higuchi received the Sportsmanship
Award. Mark McCampbell and Hank Pfister, at whose facility the competition was contested, were the coaches. Jim Buck was the team captain.
Maze Cup Team
Competition Training Center (CTC) Cup
I
n mid-June, The Claremont Racquet Club
showcased some of Southern California’s
top junior players, who were participating
in the season-ending Competition Training
Center Cup. The event is staged annually,
featuring youngsters, between the ages of 10
and 13, representing the Central Coast, San
Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, South
Bay, Orange County and San Diego.
From February through June, the CTCs
offer high-level supplemental training to the
best twenty players in specific geographic
l­ocations. The programs include competition,
fitness work and strategy development.
During the CTC Cup, the teams, comprised of ten boys and ten girls, played a dual
match singles, doubles and mixed format. At
the end, the team with the most match wins
is the champion.
In semifinal action on the second day, San
Fernando Valley surprised No. 1 seed, San
Gabriel Valley, 34-7. No. 2 seed, Orange
County downed Central Coast. San Fernando
Valley played very well and emerged with a
34-7 victory. Orange County triumphed by
the same score over Central Coast to earn a
spot in the trophy round.
After an hour of rest, the final began with
doubles, and both teams earned five wins.
The Orange County boys then captured the
singles, six matches to four. But, the San Fernando Valley girls responded, winning nine of
the ten matches, earning the team an 18-12
victory, and the area’s second consecutive
CTC championship.
The CTC Program is a rousing success because of the commitment made by the coaches in the following areas:
Mark McCampbell, Dave McKinney, Brian Giffin, Thomas Brinkoff, Steve Becken­dorf, Tracey Currie, Bill Dunkle and Vasyl
Yazadzhiev – Central Coast
Gary Victor, John Quijano, Pat Cupo, Joel Dacay, Mike Gealer, Mike Guevara, Philip Siordia, Afshin Zand and Joseph Siron –
San Fernando Valley
Barry Friedman, Darren Richer, Lionel Rival, Bren Auld and Darren Auld – San Gabriel Valley
Vasile Beches, Carlos Cruz Aedo, Nick Cote, George Sulc and Terry Chambers – South Bay
Hank Lloyd, Robert Chu, Kate Mortensen and Eduardo Reyes – Orange County
Eric Mann, Josh Jorgenson, Jose Torres, Jason Sinkoff, Marc Assaraf, Derrick Miller, Anna Yang – San Diego
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
9
Zonal Play
T
eams from the section put on first-rate performances as the following results demonstrate.
16s – Salt Lake City
Mavericks d. Sidewinder (from Northern
California)
10-9
Members of the Mavericks team included:
Julia Deming, Jennifer Kerr, Alexandra Kuo,
Taylor Lallas, Cody Lin, Diego Nava, Alec
Rabinowitz, Jake Sands, Neil Tengbumroong,
Caroline Vincent, Casie Wooten and Weiyi
Zhu.
14s – Colorado Springs
Nighthawks d. Jayhawks
10-9
Mustafa Ansari, Daniel Cheng, Griffin
­ aehnke, Patryk Kozlowski, Ashley Kua,
D
Anessa Lee, Henry Lovett, Ethan Nguyen,
Britney Pellouchoud, Yuka Perera, Rachel
Wagner and Rachelle Yang played for the
Nighthawks.
Max Cohen, Delanie Dunkle, Colby Grey,
Michael Hao, Jerry Huang, Hina Inoue, Camille Kiss, Olivia McIntosh-Adams, Emilio
Nava, Kyle Pham, Kylee Shannon, Mikala
Triplett, Lisa Wagner and Hellman Zhao
were on the Jayhawks.
Sportsmanship Award winners included:
Mustafa Ansari, Delanie Dunkle, Colby Grey,
Luke Llaurado, Jordyn McBride, and Dylan
Taylor.
12s – Tucson
Cougars d. Bobcats
11-7
JP Day, Sebastian Gorzny, Devyn Hunter,
Marika Jones, Kayla Meraz, Tenaya Moranda, Ryan Morgan, Cory Pham, Hudson Rivers, Jillian Roa, Gabriella Soliman and Chase
Thompson were on the Cougars team.
Kai Braver, Damian de la Loza, Chris Fok,
Rachel Gailis, Alexis Golin, Katelyn Hart,
Bryn Johnson, Colin Kang, Matthew Lanahan, Andrew Salu, Ayala Stephens and Winta
Woldeab represented the Bobcats.
Sportsmanship Award winners were: Kyle
Kang and Winta Woldeab.
Pete Brown “First Serve”
T
he Pete Brown “First Serve” Tournament takes place for Boys’ High School
teams in the spring. The Girls’ competition is
held in the fall. In the boys’ play at the Barnes
Tennis Center, La Jolla Country Day School
defeated Rancho Bernardo High School, 6-0.
Northwood High School was 4-2 better
than Corona del Mar High School at Edison
High School. Martin Luther King High School
downed La Quinta High School by the same
4-2 score at El Dorado High
School. West High School
hosted two events. At the
first, Great Oak High School
edged Rowland High School,
3-3 (38-26 games won). In
the second contest, Valencia High School followed the
4-2 script dropping Simi Valley High School, 4-2.
Barnes Tennis Center participants
Corona del Mar and Northwood High Schools
In girls’ play, Valhalla High
School slipped past La Jolla
Country Day, 3-3 (27-24
games won) on its home
courts. Northwood High
School was a 4-2 winner
over Corona del Mar at Edison High School. Simi High
School edged Martin Luther King, 3-3 (33-32
games won) at El Dorado High School. West
Torrance High School was the site of two
championships. In the initial contest, Marymount High School conquered Arroyo High
School, 6-0. Valencia High School was a 5-1
winner over West High School in the closing
contest.
10s Exchange
T
he Southern California, Northern California, Pacific Northwest and Intermountain sections participated in 10s team
exchange held at the StubHub Center, October 2-4. Each of the
four areas sent their top six boys and girls to compete in the
event showcasing players on the way up.
Southern California defeated Northern California in the final, 98-81. The boys who represented the section were Sufyan
Ashraf, Perry Di Giulio, Lance Morgan, Steve Nguyen, Jacob
Tapia and Alan Ton. The girls playing a role in the success real­
ized included Mika Ikemori, Lillian Kelly, Jessica MacCallum,
Katelyn Smith, Kayla Turalakey and Amelie Worring La-Torre.
Nelson Alapi and Tiffany Mai coached the team to victory.
Southern California 10s Exchange Team
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
10
COMMUNITY TENNIS
O
n May 6th at the LA84 Foundation
facility in Los Angeles, twenty-six
Community Tennis Associations (CTAs)
received partnership grants for 2015.
“I was very pleased to hold the meeting at the Foundation, with whom the
SCTA has such a long and strong relationship,” said Melanie Bischoff, Director
of Community Tennis. “Thirty people
turned out for the gathering. These are
the individuals who are doing some great
things for tennis in their local communities. The great thing is these groups
come from all over Southern California.
They are really making a difference in
what is taking place when it comes to
increasing participation and providing everyone with more opportunities to play tennis.”
The organizations, receiving assistance
included:
ACEing Autism Inc.
ACES Youth Tennis
Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica
California Tennis Association For
Underprivileged Youths
City of Rialto – Healthy Rialto
First Break Academy – RAMP
Tennis
Grassroots Junior Tennis, Inc.
Joy of Athletics Foundation, Inc./
The Dance of Tennis Program
Kern Community Tennis Association
Mariners Church
Morningside Monarch Alumni
Association
At the end of October, Community ­Tennis held a variety of
not to be missed workshops at
the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
As always is the case, the twoday affair drew praise for the
insight that was provided. This
year’s activities included the Area
League Coordinators Annual
Meeting, Ten and Under Tennis
Workshop, SCTA Strategic Planning Session and the Community
Development Workshop, along
with a social round robin. Bischoff
Melanie Bischoff and Evan Smith with the TSRs
(Tony Chatfield not included)
said, “It was great to see so many
Photo Cynthia Lum
people there. Special thanks go
out to all the Tennis Service RepresentaMorongo Basin Tennis Association
tives (TSRs), along with Tiffany Geller Reed,
Mountain View Sports & Racquet Club
Evan Smith and Anette Padilla for all the help.
Neighborhood Junior Tennis Program
Every­one who participated made it a great
Ojai Valley Tennis Club Inc.
and fun event.”
One All Tennis Association, Inc.
The TSRs, who did yeoman’s duty throughOrange County Community Tennis
out the section during 2015, and their areas
Association
of concentration are:
Orange County Top Tennis
D’Wayne Begay – Coachella Valley
Pasadena Tennis Association, Inc.
Tony Chatfield – Inland Empire
Pete Brown Scholarship Fund
Gina Havelka – Central Coast
Semurana Tennis Association
Tiffany Mai – Long Beach/Los Angeles
Tennis Patrons Association of
County
Santa Barbara
Karen Ronney – San Diego
Tierransanta Tennis Club of
Philip Siordia – Los Angeles & Kern
San Diego
Counties
West Coast Beach Tennis, Inc.
Spencer Wayman – Orange County
West Coast Wheelchair Tennis
Donald Wong – San Gabriel Valley/
Association
Los Angeles County
Youth Tennis San Diego
INTERCOLLEGIATE TENNIS
All-Americans
(Photos provided by the Sports Information departments affiliated with the players’ school.)
A
n impressive list of performers from Southern California earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American honors on the
Division I, II, III, NAIA and Junior/Community College levels. Those recognized and the schools they represented included:
Division I
Lorraine Guillermo – Pepperdine
Maegan Manasse – Cal
Sabrina Santamaria – USC
Jonny Wang – USC
Division II
Axel Boullin – UCSD
Division III
Skyler Butts – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Moises Cardenas – Cal Lutheran
Steven Chen – Wesleyan
Axel Boullin
Sabrina Santamaria
Jonny Wang
Skyler Butts
Photo Ellen Friedlander
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
11
Tiffany Cheng – Bowdoin
Carley Cooke – Brandeis
Nick Cummins – Redlands
Bridget Etchegaray – La Verne
Natalie Etchegaray – Redlands
Summer Garrison – Lewis & Clark
Rebecca Ho – Washington University
Jake Hoeger – Whitman
Patrick Lipscomb – Redlands
Andrea Madrigal – La Verne
Laina Matsuda – La Verne
Bryn Raschke – Carnegie Mellon
Beatrice Rosen – Emory
Warren Wood – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Lea Lynn Yen – Pomona-Pitzer
NAIA
Lauren Stratman – Westmont
Lauren Stratman
Patrick Lipscomb
Moises Cardenas
Steven Chen
Tiffany Cheng
Carley Cooke
Nick Cummins
Bridget
Etchegaray
Natalie
Etchegaray
Summer
Garrison
Rebecca Ho
Jake Hoeger
Andrea Madrigal
Laina Matsuda
Bryn Raschke
Beatrice Rosen
Lea Lynn Yen
Kimo Barrere
Hali Dickson
Mayra Jovic
Corey Karen
Bettina Olah
Community/Junior College
Kimo Barrere – San Diego Mesa
Hali Dickson – Orange Coast
Mayra Jovic – Santa Monica
Corey Karen – Ventura
Bettina Olah – Palomar
(A special thanks is extended for the help in compiling the All-Americans list to USTA Georgia Executive Director, Darren Potkey, who
during his years as SCTA Director of Junior Tennis became familiar with youngsters from the section now playing intercollegiate tennis. If
anyone from the section has been overlooked, regrets are extended.)
Division I Regional & National Awards
(Photos provided by the Sports Information departments affiliated with the players’ school.)
C
oaches and players from the section dominated the season-ending Division I Intercollegiate Regional and National Awards.
Those honored included:
Men’s Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year
Brett Masi, University of San Diego –
Southwest
Danny Westerman, University of
Denver – Mountain
David Roditi, TCU – Texas
(Roditi was the National Award winner.)
ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Men’s
Sportsmanship & Leadership Award
Jonathan Hammel, UCI – Southwest
Brett Masi
Danny Westerman
David Roditi
Jonathan Hammel
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
12
Women’s Wilson/ITA Coach
of the Year
Amanda Augustus, Cal – Northwest
Richard Gallien, USC – Southwest
Richard Gallien
ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Women’s
Sportsmanship & Leadership Award
Lorraine Guillermo, Pepperdine –
Southwest
(Guillermo was, also, the National Award
winner.)
Amanda Augustus
Danielle Flores
Most Improved Senior Player
of the Year
Danielle Flores, St. Mary’s – Northwest
Criss Rodriquez – California State
University Northridge
Natasha Smith, University of
New Mexico – Mountain
Criss Rodriquez
Natasha Smith
Guillermo & Wood Feted
A
nnually, the ITA fetes the Collegiate AllStar Team, along with the ITA/Arthur
Ashe Jr. National Leadership & Sportsman-
Lorraine Guillermo
Photo Pepperdine Athletics
ship Award winners, at the Oracle/ITA Outing & Awards Luncheon held at the Westside Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York.
At this year’s affair, in late August, Lorraine
Guillermo of Pepperdine was the Division I
Arthur Ashe recipient, and Warren Wood
of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was the Men’s
Division III honoree.
Wood advanced to the Division III NCAA
Singles Championship for the second straight
season. After coming up short in 2014, he
prevailed, defeating teammate Skyler Butts,
and finished as the No. 1 player in the country. Teaming with Joe Dorn, he also won
the NCAA Doubles Championship, securing
the No. 1 doubles ranking. Since CMS took
the NCAA team title, their first since 1981,
Wood became the fifth Division III triple
Warren Wood
Photo Ellen Friedlander
crown winner in forty years of the championships by winning NCAA team, singles and
doubles titles in the same season.
Magnificent Manasse
T
he annual Riviera/ITA Women’s AllAmerican Championships, which is
staged at the Riviera Country Club, opened
the women’s intercollegiate tennis season.
Showcasing the elite players from schools
across the country, the event is unmatched.
Maegan Manasse
Photo Cal Athletics
That was certainly the case with the
play of Maegan Manasse and her Cal
teammate, Denise Starr of Brooklyn, New York who defeated Hayley
Carter and Whitney Kay of North
Carolina, 6-1, 6-4 in the doubles final.
Manasse was also a member
of the US team that included –
Brooke Austin of Florida, Danielle Collins of Virginia, Tom
Fawcett of Stanford, Mackenzie
McDonald of UCLA and Austin
Smith of Georgia – which won
the Master’U Championship, in
Rennes, France. Greg Patton
and Amanda Augustus, both
The US was the Master’U Championship winner.
former Southern Californians
now coaching at Boise State Univer- collegiate teams from Great Britain, Germany
sity and Cal respectively, led the effort, and France. It was the US’s sixth tournament
which resulted in victories over inter- victory in the past seven years.
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
13
Scandalis Defines Student-Athlete
Z
oë Scandalis earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, becoming the
first-ever USC women’s tennis player to earn
the prestigious award. A Political Economy
major, with a minor in Environmental Studies, Scandalis was also a recipient of the 2015
Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship and Pac-12
Medal. The 2014 Female Trojan of the Year,
a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic First Team
honoree, and a 2014 Capital One Academic
All-District Team pick, she was a two-time
Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) AllAmerican, the 2014 ITA Southwest Regional
Singles Champion and was captain of the
team that was an NCAA semifinalist this past
season.
In addition, Scandalis, a member of the
Trojan Athletic Senate all four years, has been
involved with the Community Bowl, the Rose
Cup and Athletes in Action on campus. Her
commitment to service extended beyond
campus with her mentoring seventh and
eighth grade girls at the 32nd Street School.
Her passion for outreach brought about her
involvement in “Girl Up”, the United Nations
Campaign for Adolescent Girls, which she
will continue while competing on the USTA
Pro Circuit.
Zoë Scandalis
Photo ITA
Summer Circuit
T
he ITA Summer Circuit, the annual fourtournament competition, was again, a
huge success in the section. This was the result of the focused effort by Laguna Niguel
Racquet Club Tournament Director Mark
Spearman at his facility; Yolande Duron, who
organized the La Verne event at The Claremont Club; Mark Bohren, who was in charge
at Azusa Pacific; and Sandy Kriezel at Cal State
University Los Angeles. The circuit provided
a perfect venue for players to improve their
skills during vacation breaks from school.
LEAGUE TENNIS
League National Champions
Adult 18 & Over Women’s 3.5
Irvine (Orange County)
Photo Andrew Ong
Women’s 40+ Open
18 & Over Mixed 9.0
Upland (Coachella Valley)
40 & Over Mixed 8.0
Fountain Valley (Orange County)
Adult 55 & Over Women’s 8.0
Escondido (North County San Diego)
18 & Over Mixed 8.0
Irvine (Orange County)
40 & Over Mixed 6.0
Arcadia (Orange County)
Adult 55 & Over Men’s 7.0
El Monte (San Gabriel Valley)
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
14
League National Finalists
Adult 18 & Over Men’s 4.5
California State University, Los Angeles
(Los Angeles)
Adult 18 & Over Women’s 4.5
La Habra (San Gabriel Valley)
Adult 18 & Over 3.0
Coronado (San Diego)
Adult 18 & Over Men’s 3.5
Arcadia (San Gabriel Valley)
Photo Andrew Ong
18 & Over Mixed 10.0
Manhattan Beach (South Bay)
Sectional Champions
Adult 18 & Over
MEN’S 5.0+
Laguna Niguel Racquet Club –
Dream Killers (Orange County)
WOMEN’S 4.5
La Habra – Advantage Players
(San Gabriel Valley)
WOMEN’S 5.0+
Nellie Gail Tennis Club (Orange County)
MEN’S 4.0
Fountain Valley Tennis Club – McFadden Brothers
(Orange County)
MEN’S 4.5
Upland – Arroyo Smashers
(San Gabriel Valley)
WOMEN’S 4.0
Alta Vista Tennis Club
(Beach Cities)
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
15
MEN’S 3.5
Arcadia Park – iStringing (San Gabriel Valley)
WOMEN’S 3.0
Coronado Tennis Center (San Diego)
WOMEN’S 3.5
Lower Peters Canyon Park (Orange County)
WOMEN’S 2.5
Coronado Tennis Center (San Diego)
Adult 40 & Over
MEN’S 4.5+
Anaheim Hills Racquet Club (Orange County)
WOMEN’S 4.0
La Jolla Tennis Club (San Diego)
WOMEN’S 4.5+
Lower Peters Canyon Park – Weekend
(Orange County)
MEN’S 3.5
Cerritos Tennis Center – All Star Cerritos
(Orange County)
MEN’S 4.0
Anaheim Racquet Club (Orange County)
WOMEN’S 3.5
Flint Canyon Tennis Club
(San Gabriel Valley)
WOMEN’S 3.0
Ventura Tennis Club – VTC Tidal Waves
(Ventura)
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
16
Adult 55 & Over
MEN’S 9.0
WOMEN’S 9.0
MEN’S 8.0
WOMEN’S 8.0
MEN’S 7.0
WOMEN’S 7.0
Racquet Club of Irvine – Team Vortex
(Orange County)
Balboa Tennis Club (San Diego)
Kit Carson (San Diego North County)
Whittier Narrows Tennis Center –
Balz of Fire (San Gabriel Valley)
Rancho Bernardo Swim & Tennis Club
(San Diego North County)
Deep Canyon Tennis Club (Coachella Valley)
WOMEN’S 6.0
Rancho LaQuinta Country Club
(Coachella Valley)
18 & Over Mixed Doubles
MIXED 10.0
Mira Costa (Beach Cities)
MIXED 9.0
Upland Tennis Center (San Gabriel Valley)
MIXED 8.0
Lower Peters Canyon Park (Orange County)
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
17
MIXED 7.0
Palm Park Tennis Center (San Gabriel Valley)
MIXED 6.0
Whittier Narrows Tennis Center
(San Gabriel Valley)
40 & Over Mixed Doubles
MIXED 9.0
MIXED 8.0
Balboa Tennis Club (San Diego)
Fountain Valley Tennis Center –
Topspin Twins (Orange County)
MIXED 7.0
MIXED 6.0
Whittier Narrows Tennis Center –
Balz of Fire (San Gabriel Valley)
Arcadia Park – Turbo (San Gabriel Valley)
Adult 65 & Over
MEN’S 8.0
Kaigu Invasion (San Gabriel Valley)
WOMEN’S 8.0
Red Hots (Orange County)
MEN’S 7.0
Turbo (San Gabriel Valley)
WOMEN’S 7.0
Indian Wells (Coachella Valley)
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
18
Tri-Level Mixed Doubles Tournament
MEN’S 4.5-3.5
WOMEN’S 4.5-3.5
Arcadia Park – iSmashing
(San Gabriel Valley)
MEN’S 4.0-3.0
Lower Peters Canyon Park – Lets Tri Again
(Orange County)
Whittier Narrows Tennis Center – Racketeers
(San Gabriel Valley)
WOMEN’S 4.0-3.0
Griffith Park – Hard Core
(Los Angeles)
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
Marguerite Tennis Pavilion
Hosts UNIQLO Wheelchair Doubles
Mission Viejo lived up to its “Home of
Wheelchair Tennis” status by hosting the
UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Doubles Masters. The early November championship was
played at the spectacular Marguerite ­Tennis Pavilion, where it will be played, again, in 2016.
Wagner The Best Again
David Wagner won the Quad singles title
at the 2015 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters
at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London in
November.
In the fifty-two team, (from twenty-eight
countries, competition in four categories –
David Wagner
Photo ITF
Marguerite Tennis Pavilion
Men, Women, Quad and Junior), 2015 BNP Paribas
World Team Cup wheelchair tennis event at the
Club Ali Bey Manavgat in Antalya, Turkey, Wagner
led the US to victory over Japan, 2-1. He teamed
with Nick Taylor of Wichita, Kansas to win the deciding doubles match, which was the country’s ninth
championship. He also won the singles title.
Hasterok & Haneke-Hopps
PTR Champions
Greg Hasterok and Taylor, the standard setting
stars, won the Quad Open Doubles at the PTR
Wheelchair Championships held on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In the final, they defeated Gary
Luker of Canada and Marc McLean of Cape Coral,
Florida, 6-2, 6-0. Lauren Haneke-Hopps downed
Stacey Rice of Suwanee, Georgia, 6-2, 6-4, to win
the Women’s A Singles.
Greg Hasterok
Photo Dayle Thomas
Lauren Haneke-Hopps
Photo fox5sandiego
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
19
SAN DIEGO DISTRICT TENNIS ASSOCIATION
E
arly in the year, the Union-­
Tribune San Diego carried a
story noting the obvious – San Diego
was the third best tennis city in the
country. The top ten were Atlanta,
Miami, San Diego, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Houston, Raleigh, St. Louis,
Nashville and Boston.
At its Annual Meeting held at the
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club the following were honored:
Emmanuel Mensah – Male Player
of the Year
Cathie Anderson – Female Player
of the Year
Dave Rapp – Male Pro of the Year
Laura Eyler – Female Pro of the Year
Jesse Steinberg – Men’s Sportsmanship
Award
Hiromi Sasano – Women’s Sportsmanship
Award
Don Daniels – Community Service Award
Faillas – Family of the Year
East County Community Tennis
Association – Club of the Year
Mark Truscott – Sponsor of the Year
Steve Kappes, District President, along
with Geoff Griffin and Mary Alice Hillier,
Annual Meeting Award Winners
has focused, for some time, on developing the Wounded Warrior Tennis Program
(WWTP). At the USTA Development Workshop, held in early November, the effort was
acknowledged when San Diego received the
2015 USTA National Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award.
WWTP, a storied partnership involving the
Balboa Tennis Club and the Naval Medical
Center San Diego, includes free weekly clinics and an annual national tennis camp. The
goal is to utilize activities that will help reintegrate participants into the community, enhance their quality of life and promote ­living
a fit and healthy lifestyle.
SCTA President, Bill Kellogg, who nominated WWTP for the honor, said, “I have
watched the program grow from its earliest
days serving a handful of patients from Naval Medical Center San Diego, to a first-class
operation that has served more than 600
wounded, ill and injured service members
and veterans from every USTA section. It was
the first program of its kind when it began
in 2009, and has become the USTA’s model
for similar adaptive tennis programs at other
military medical centers and Warrior Transition Units across the country.”
Geoff Griffin, Mary Alice Hillier and
Steve Kappes
Lopez Acclaimed
T
he Professional Tennis Registry (PTR),
at its annual awards ceremony held during the 2015 PTR International Tennis Symposium, in February on Hilton Head Island,
South Carolina, named Angel Lopez the California PTR Member of the Year. The award
is presented to an individual who has shown
dedication and diligence in promoting and
supporting tennis and the PTR.
A PTR Professional since 1987, Lopez has
been the Director of Tennis/Head Professional at San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club
Former PTR President, Jorge Andrew, Angel
Lopez and USTA President, Katrina Adams
since 1986. He began his career at SDTRC in
1980, as Director of Junior Development. He
is a USPTA Master Professional and a USTA
High Performance Coach.
Lopez, a member of the San Diego Tennis
Hall of Fame, has been named United States
Olympic Committee Development Coach of
the Year, World TeamTennis Coach of the
Year, and he received Professional of the
Year honors from both PTR and USPTA. He
also received the Latino Champions Award
in San Diego.
YOUTH TENNIS SAN DIEGO
Y
outh Tennis San Diego (YTSD), which
owns and operates the George E. Barnes
Family Junior Tennis Center, celebrated the
facility’s twentieth birthday in 2015 according to Kerry Blum, YTSD Executive Director.
It is the central site for After-School Tennis
and Education, the twenty-six year-old accessible and affordable outreach program that
serves 7,500 youngsters throughout San D
­ iego
County. The tennis and education effort is
based on John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success
principles. It serves many of the students who
participate in programs conducted at the center, during afternoon hours, providing them
with homework assistance and tutoring from
volunteers and credentialed teachers.
In 2015, Junior Aces, a unique program
that offers three to five year olds tennis instruction, along with educational programs,
continued to grow. Lessons in listening, following instructions and concentration lead
to a transition from learning on the court to
learning in the classroom. Participants are exposed to health, nutrition, and fitness, as well
as academic and arts programs appropriate
for their ages.
In addition, Youth Tennis San Diego hosted multiple local, national and international
events and activities at the Barnes Tennis
Center. Included on the list were the Girls’
18 and 16 National Championships; CIF Individual and Team finals; First Serve for high
school players; four Novice tournaments; five
Satellite tournaments; eleven Open tournaments; twelve Barnes Cups; and six Special
Events for After-School Tennis p­ articipants,
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
20
ing sportsmanship and role models,
among others.
In late July, the 2015 World TeamTennis Junior Nationals, an invitational tournament featuring sixteen
coed teams, representing twenty
states, took place. The twentieth
championships, created and hosted
by WTT founder, Billie Jean King,
gave boys and girls 18 & Under
not ranked from 1 to 150 on the
USTA Seed Selection List a chance
Annual Junior Awards Banquet Honorees
to compete in a balanced setting.
along with Intercollegiate Tennis Associa- Matches, involving three boys and three girls
tion matches, also held at the Barnes Center. per team included eight contests. Two sets
Over 1,000 juniors participated in the Sum- for the boys’ singles and girls’ singles, one set
mer Camps; eleven new Junior Team Tennis of boys’ and girls’ doubles, and two sets of
teams were established; high performance mixed doubles were played.
workout program expanded and more than
At the end of another memorable tourna1,000 juniors participated in tennis classes ment, the Barnes Bashers, from Youth Tenthroughout 2015.
nis San Diego, was the trophy winner. Those
In May, a fabulous “Under the Sea” theme who were formidable on the courts includtransformed the Annual Junior Awards Ban- ed: Gabriela Armas, Lindsay Brown, Valeria
quet into an extraordinary evening. Young- Corral, Martin Marin, Patrik Trhac and Peter
sters and family members attended the pre- Trhac. Coaching always plays a role in any
sentation, which recognized players who had success that is realized, which is the reason
distinguished themselves in a myriad of cat- Wolf von Lindenau and his assistant, Jwany
egories such as the most improved, outstand- Sherif deserve praise.
Barnes Bashers
On October 3rd, Fairbanks Ranch Country
Club was the venue where over 250 friends,
families, community leaders and tennis advocates turned out to support YTSD. It was a
night filled with special stories, great food and
amazing auction items. The funds raised will
help support the AST programs, community
outreach programs, tournaments and scholarships. A special thank you is extended to
Diamond Sponsor – Wendy McWethy.
Youth Tennis San Diego is a 501c(3) organization that provided over $75,000 in financial assistance, grants and scholarships to
juniors in 2015.
Fairbanks Ranch Country Club YTSD Fundraiser
SENIOR SCENE
Tradition Continues
T
he four tournament Desert Circuit –
Andy Scorteanu’s 26th Monterey Country Club Senior Tennis Classic; Plaza Senior Tournament, presented by Ken Agee
of Union Bank and organized by Kurt and
Ana Haggstrom; Glenn Erickson’s 33rd Palm
Springs Racquet Club Senior Championships;
and ASICS World Tennis Classic (Category
II), staged by Ed Trost and Jayne Robertson –
opened the tennis season like a late, but much
appreciated holiday gift. Featuring sparkling
competition, the events lived up to their
“start the season spectacularly” standard.
“The weather was perfect and so was the
vibe,” Kurt Haggstrom said. “The players
were playing old friends, eating fresh tangerines, grapefruit and, of course, Ana’s Rum
In the Men’s 40 Doubles final, Paul Wulf and
Craig Horn downed Glenn Erickson
and John Cockrell for Plaza Senior
Tournament honors.
Cakes all week long. The players’ party was
very well attended, with over 120 players eating Mexican food and dancing to music under
the stars. It is so much fun for us to run this
event because the players really appreciate
everything we do.
“Entries were up by 10% and that always
makes the draws so much better. This was also
the first year since 2012 that we had enough
entries to hold a Men’s 90 singles event. It is
really inspiring to see guys that age continue
to compete. I think most of us dream of being
able to play tennis into our 90s.
“Our tournament was a huge success this
year, and we want to thank our sponsors,
Ken Agee of Union Bank, and Patty Service at
Las Casuelas Terraza Restaurant.”
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
21
a smattering of other foreign players.
The competition is arguably the best
of any tournament outside of the Category I’s.
“For the first time, a Category I
(Gold ball event) was held in the 70
Mixed, joining in the 60 and 50 Mixed.
As a result, the play and keen competition rose to another level with a number of perennial high-seeded players,
in their respective events, entering the
Jackie Heston and Tom Rettenmaier claimed the
ASICS World Tennis Classic 60 Mixed trophy.
fray. But, it’s not always about being the
Photo Jayne Robertson
best in a doubles event that matters.
Tifosi sunglasses and ASICS apparel.”
The key is how well a team plays together.
Trost added, “Over 250 players and their
“In the 70 Mixed, Charlie Hoeveler and
Linda Bucklin were the winners in three sets. guests had a great time at the Italian buffet
Tom Olmstead and Michael Caro outlasted
Tom Rettenmaier and Jackie Heston, the final- dinner banquet. A DJ helped everyone unKirk Terrell and Mark Peterson in the Plaza
ists in last year’s 60 Mixed, defeated the top wind after a tough week of tennis.
Senior Tournament Men’s 60 Doubles final.
“There were several new players who
seeds, Geoff Cykman and Tina Karwasky for the 2015 title. Patrick Rea made their mark in their respective divisions
and Jodi Neuman-Rea, the husband and, despite two days of rain, the competiand wife team who dropped a three tion was fierce. Some players had to endure
set 50 Mixed decision, in the final a
year ago, were victorious, in three
sets, over defending champions, Mike
Fedderly and Tracy Worley-Hagen.
“Besides the gold and silver balls
that were presented to the winners
and finalists in each age category, the
Dean Corley and Mike Stewart defeated
Jim Quilty and Craig Edgecombe for the Plaza Senior women received bouquets of flowers,
Tournament Men’s 70 Doubles trophy.
and along with the men, were given
Ed Trost, who organizes the ASICS World
Tennis Classic with Jayne Robertson, said,
“This year’s ASICS World Tennis Classic
had 750 players from 28 states. There was a
large contingent from British Columbia, and
ASICS World Tennis Classic Men’s 75 winner,
Bill Cover with Tournament Director,
Ed Trost
Photo Jayne Robertson
Dennis Nielson outplayed
Saul Snyder in the Plaza
Senior Tournament Men’s
80 final.
Wally Vickery and Robert
Foran went home with the
Plaza Senior Tournament
Men’s 80 Doubles title.
Mariko Atoji earned the Women’s 40 ASICS
World Tennis Classic title.
Photo Jayne Robertson
Thomas Peek captured the
Plaza Senior Tournament
Men’s 90 event.
Tracy Houk was the ASICS World Tennis
Classic Women’s 45 champion.
Photo Jayne Robertson
p­ laying four or more sets, which was a physical test of strength and endurance, to make
up for the rain delays.”
Trost concluded, “The title sponsor,
ASICS, had a huge presence at the tournament. All the winners and finalists received
beautifully embroidered ASICS apparel. Other major sponsors were Eisenhower Desert
Orthopedic Center, Eisenhower Medical
Center, Tennis View Magazine, Tifosi Optics
and Reed’s Ginger Brew.”
John Powless, who represents ASICS,
reached the Men’s 80 doubles final with
Richard (Dick) Doss.
Photo Jayne Robertson
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
22
National Championship Focus
S
outhern California hosts more National
Championships than any of the other
­U STA’s seventeen sections. The Tennis
Channel National Husband & Wife 100, 120
& 140 Grass Court, and the Tennis Channel
National Men’s 60 Hard Court Championships, both Category I events, provided a
stellar kick-off. The matches were played at
Mission Hills Country Club, and Steve and
Abby Solomon, again, were exemplary hosts.
The Solomons’ reputation is well established. Just as last year, Steve was forced
to close the Husband & Wife draw due to
a tsunami of entries. “On the first day signups began in January, fifty-four teams entered
an astounding two months before anyone
stepped on the Wimbledon-like lawns at the
facility,” Solomon said, “There was so much
interest in playing, we had to open a waiting
list in an attempt to take care of everyone.”
Ken Solomon, Tennis Channel CEO & Chairman, answered questions from the audience.
Those on hand enjoyed having an opportunity
to talk about tennis on another level, with the
individual responsible for much of the tournament coverage seen on television in Southern
California.”
Solomon continued, “The event is really
like two tournaments. The top teams in the
country entered, and so did a number of people who were not as skilled. They did so because they had heard that it is the best competitive and social event that can be found in
tennis, and we, again, did our utmost to prove
them right.”
Tournaments by the Solomons are unrivaled when it comes to the gift bags provided.
“Everyone received an exclusive long sleeve
performance shirt, along with a hat and a collection of quality items,” Steve Solomon said.
“Tickets to the first day of the
BNP Paribas Open, at Indian
Wells Tennis Garden, were
also included.”
Already looking ahead,
Solomon noted, “In 2016, the
tournament will start on Sunday, March 6th. We expect to
be able to offer a minimum of
three matches per team. HopeBrent and Mai Ichikawa-Abel with Penne and
fully, we can achieve this goal
Jamil Atcha and Jennifer and John Lyons
and make it the template for
As the final results substantiated, the te- the 2016 and future events.”
nacity exhibited fully matched the depth of
From the Grass Court showcase, Steve
the competitive fields. Jamil and Penne Atcha and Abby segued into the National Men’s
slipped past, Jennifer and John Lyons 7-5, 5-7,
7-5 to earn the 100 title. In another three set
spectacular, Andrew and Ann Stanley earned
the 120 trophy, scoring a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 over
Steven and Karen Haas. Don and Colleen
Keenen scored a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Dave
and Diane Willauer in the 140 final.
“The tournament dinner/dance was
packed,” Solomon said. “This year, we surprised everyone with a complimentary drink
as they entered the clubhouse. The players
loved it and it set a great tone for the evening.
After dinner, just before the dancing began,
the semifinals, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, by Sal Castillo and
Mel Colizo. Tom Smith and Bennett defeated
Castillo and Colizo for the trophy, 6-4, 6-3.
As part of the tournament tradition, in addition to USTA honors, those who appeared
in the finals were well rewarded. “The winners and finalists, including the back draw, received high quality luggage from the ASAKs
company, and/or Maui Jim sunglasses,” Solomon said. “In addition, participants received a
special long sleeve performance shirt, a Tennis Channel hat and other gifts.”
As is the case with the championships they
stage, the Solomons, “looking to help these
worthwhile charities,” matched up to $1,000
in donations for the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation and the United Service
Organizations Inc. (USO).
In conclusion, Solomon offered, “Fortunately, we keep improving and that is evidenced by the increased participation and
great reviews that both the tournaments
continue to earn.”
As is always the case, the national tournaments held in the section featured first-rate
competition and matching hospitality. The
National Women’s 50-90 Hard Court Championships (Category I), at the La Jolla Beach
& Tennis Club, is an established tradition. Bill
Kellogg served as the very able Tournament
Director.
Ros Nideffer defended her Women’s 50
title, defeating Fran Chandler, 6-4, 6-0, in the
final. Lisa Naumu and Judy Newman survived
a 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 contest against Eleanor Hammargren and Jennifer Lyons for the doubles
title. In a three-hour, twelve-minute “leave
it all on the court” struggle, Tina Karwasky
stayed strong outlasting Carolyn Nichols,
3-6, 7-6, 7-5, in the Women’s 60 final. Nichols rebounded scoring a 6-0, 6-4 victory with
Una Davis over Karwasky and Jan KirklandCochran for doubles honors.
Toby Crabel and Paul Wulf
Dave and Diane Willauer with
Colleen Burns Keenan and Don Keenan
60 Hard Court Championship. “With a very
competitive field, there were a number of
upsets,” Solomon said. Arthur Lee defeated
three seeds, including top seed, Christofer
Bennett before being forced to retire in the
second set against the eventual winner, Paul
Wulf in the semifinals. Wulf faced Toby Crabel in the final and survived a tough three
setter, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
“In the doubles, Len Woffard and Wulf, the
top rated team in the country, was upset in
Ros Nideffer
Photo J. Fred Sidhu
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
23
Christian Settles with his grandfather,
Elliott Rose and his mother, Kathy
Tina Karwasky
Photo J. Fred Sidhu
Cathy Anderson was seeking her fourthstraight Women’s 70 trophy, but Betty
Wachob was 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 better. Peggy Andry and Jane Pang were formidable against
­Carolann Castell and Judy Louie as the final,
6-1, 6-1, scores indicate.
Burnett Herrick ruled Women’s 80 play,
slipping past Dorothy Matthiessen, 6-1, 5-7,
6-4, for the singles gold ball, and she earned another with Judy Smith in a 6-1, 6-0 final round
victory over Jane Buffington and Bev Winans.
In another exciting contest, Cathy Hall and
Elaine Mason outlasted Betty ­Cookson/Betty
Eisenstein 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 in the Women’s 90
doubles final.
“It was a fantastic week of national senior
women’s tennis,” Kellogg said. “After watching players competing in age divisions from 50
to 90, it is easy to see why tennis continues
to be the sport of a lifetime.”
The Solomons teamed with Sheryl Hersch­
man to stage the Tennis Channel National
­Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Senior, Super & Ultra Senior Hard Court Championships. Moving from the Barnes Tennis Center
in San Diego to the Springs Country Club,
in Rancho Mirage, the tournament, held May
8-10, has found a luxurious new home.
the Father (60)/Daughter title. William White
and Stephanie Tolosa were resolute as they
downed Herm Ahlers and Krista O’Connor,
6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in the Father (70 Super S­ enior)/
Daughter trophy round. Ralph and Alissa
Finerman closed the competition by closing
out Enver Mehmedbasich and Susan Wright,
7-6, 6-0 for Father (80 Ultra Senior)/­Daughter
honors.
In addition to the Gold, Silver and Bronze
balls, the winners and finalists received, respectively, ASICS shoes and a large Tennis Channel tournament travel bag. Special
crystal balls were given to the Consolation
winners.
“Pleasantly surprising cool days
and clear skies set the stage for exceptional play in all age divisions,”
Tournament Director, Herschman,
said. “The competition was outstanding, yet friendly, which was a
plus for all. There were many young
children present, which ­really added to the family atmosphere of
the event. The Settles family had
Hannah and John
Jerry and Becky
three generations of players takHolladay
Morse-Karzen
ing part. The dilemma was trying
Herschman added, “The tournament was
to choose a match to watch because there
were so many former national champions on well organized thanks to a team of volunteers who focused on making everything run
the courts most of the days.”
smoothly. A great deal of attention was paid
to every detail, including presenting flowers
to all the female competitors on Mother’s
Day. Several players commented that it was
the best tournament they ever had attended.
Gerrit and Shene Disbergen with Sabrina
and Bruce Man-Son-Hing
William White and Stephanie Tolosa with
Krista O’Connor and Herm Ahlers
Lisa Naumu and Miles Seemann with
Parker and Dina McBride
Steve Solomon and Sheryl Herschman
Gerrit and Shene Disbergen defeated
Bruce and Sabrina Man-Son-Hing, 6-0, 6-4 in
the Father/Daughter final. Lisa Naumu and
Miles Seemann were the Mother/Son winners, 6-1, 7-5 over Dina and Parker McBride.
John and Hannah Holladay slipped past Jerry
and Becky Morse-Karzen, 6-7, 7-5, 6-2 for
Julie Gerken, working with her two-year old
son, Evan, is getting ready for Mother/Son
competitions in the future.
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
24
versary hosting the tournament,” he said. “We had a
significant increase in participants compared to 2014 with
one hundred ten total entries, (fifty in the singles draw
and thirty doubles teams).
“Oren Motevassel won the
singles title 6-2, 6-3 over Jeff
Tarango. The doubles title
went to Derek Brooks and
Robert Anderman and Thomas Brunkow with
Bob Seymour, Gradon Nichols, Ned Buckman,
Gary Nadebaum who defeatGeorge Sarantos and Hank Leichtfried
Tony Franco and W.T. Mathes
ed Carsten Hoffman and Art
In 2016, our goal is to strive to make the Hernandez, 6-3,1-6, 6-3.
quite some time.
tournament the premiere family event in the
“The National 45 is very important to the
Kevin and Chris Kearney edged Jerry and
country.”
club and we take great pride in hosting it. We Brett Morse Karzen, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, in the SeNed Buckman organized the Verne Hughes had more than fifteen sponsors who made nior Father & Son final. Charlie and Charles
Memorial National Men’s 75-90 Hard Court the tournament possible. Infiniti of Thousand Hoeveler took the Super Senior Father &
Championships (Category I), at the Laguna Oaks was our title sponsor. In addition, many Son, 6-0, 6-2, over Joseph and Joe Zerboni.
Woods Tennis Club. Joe Bachmann was 6-2, of our members helped throughout the week Jeff and Ron Tonidandel stayed the course,
6-3 solid against Rudy Hernando in the Men’s to make the event special. We also were able downing Rafael and Rafael Nieto, 6-2, 3-6,
75 final. The same can be said of long-time to have Radio Tennis air the semifinals and 6-3, in the Father 80 & Son final.
partners, Hank Leichtfried and George Sa- final.”
Tournament sponsors included: Biszantz
rantos, who defeated Robert Anderman and
Family Foundation, Tennis WareThomas Brunkow, 6-4, 6-3, in the doubles
house, Collins Company, Loma
title round. In the Men’s 80 singles, Neil HurlLinda University Health System –
but stopped Seymour Moskowitz, 6-3, 6-0,
Department of Head & Neck Surbut in the 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 doubles final Lenny
gery, Solinco, US Sports Camps,
Lindborg and Jim Nelson were better than
Zaino Tennis Courts, Inc. and 42nd
Street Bagel.
Hurlbut and Dennis Nielson. Joe Russell was
The National Men’s 65 & 70
6-0, 6-1 stronger than Wally Vickery in the
Hard Court Championships (CatMen’s 85 test, and with Clem Hopp, he won
egory I), under Scott Spearman’s
the doubles, over Wilson Fitzgerald and Robleadership, was held at the Racquet
ert Foran by the same score. Anthony Franco
Club of Irvine. Brian Cheney, the
got off to a great start and ended up leading
top player in the Men’s 65 division,
5-2 in the Men’s 90 singles when an injury
Robert Foran and Wilson Fitzgerald with Ned Buckman, lived up to his reputation, downing
forced Graydon Nichols to retire. But, NichJoe Russell and Clem Hopp
John Chryst 6-2, 6-1, in the singles
ols and Franco joined forces to race past Neil
Benner and W.T. Mathes, with nary a loss of
Paul and Kathy Settles held the National final. Jared Florian and Marc Mazo were just
a game for the doubles title.
Senior, Super Senior, Ultra Senior Father & 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 better than Dave Bohannon and
“We had one hundred twenty-one players Son Hard Court Championships (Category Michael Caro in the doubles trophy round.
from all over the country,” Buckman said. “It I) at the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ Biszantz The Men’s 70 finals were both three set tests.
was a good event.”
Tennis Center. The tournament that benefit- Hugh Thomson defeated Donald Long, 4-6,
Calle Hansen was the National Men’s 45 ted the “Tennis in Our Schools” program 7-6, 6-3, for the singles trophy. Dean Corley
Hard Court Championships (Category I) (Kathy Settles is the Director), honored the and Michael Stewart were tenacious in a 7-5,
Tournament Director. “The Westlake Ath- late Jim McManus, an ATP Tour founder and 1-6, 6-2 victory over Kenneth Dahl and Fred
letic Club celebrated its Twenty-fifth Anni- an influential member of the organization for Drilling in the doubles final.
Seymour Moskowitz and
Neil Hurlbut
Lenny Lindborg and
Jim Nelson
Neil Hurlbut and
Dennis Neilson
Mike Thoeresz, John Chryst, Marylinn Backer
and Brian Cheney
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
25
Tom Kong and Dan Goldie
Photo Michael Weinstein
prevailed, 6-1, 6-2.
“Kong won over the crowd
when he donated his prize money
back to the club whereupon club
owner, Harvey Bottelson, donated
it to the Tennis Patrons.
“Mark Wooldridge won the doubles crown for the third year in a
row, teaming with Goldie to defeat Jeff Burnett and Mitchel Perkins, 6-3, 6-2 in the final. It was
Wooldridge’s fourth straight appearance in the doubles final, and
he hadn’t lost a set in his past two title runs.
“Goldie definitely raised the bar to another
level and the crowds were treated to spectacular tennis all week. CathyAnn Simon and
Ethel Byers, along with the really supportive
club membership, did a fantastic job of making
the event such a success.”
“This year’s Ted Smyth National Men’s 50
was arguably the best ever,” Tournament Director, Larry Mousouris, said. “The tournament, named for the longtime Santa Barbara
Tennis Club member, USTA umpire and generous donor to the Santa Barbara Tennis Patrons Association, has gotten better because
of the Smyth family’s continued
support of Ted’s legacy and the
Patrons.
“Top players from around the
nation filled out a very deep draw.
The top four seeds all reached the
semifinals. No. 1 ranked and top
seed Ken White of New York
went down 6-1, 7-5 to Tom Kong
of Oxnard, while second seed,
Dan Goldie, a former Stanford
standout and NCAA champion,
Mitchel Perkins and Jeff Burnett with Dan Goldie and
ousted No. 3 seed, Mitchel PerMark Wooldridge
Photo Michael Weinstein
kins of Seattle, 6-3, 6-3.
November featured three local “gold
“Goldie, a one-time top 30 ATP performer and quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, ball” Category I tournament opportunities.
had put tennis aside for twenty-four years The first was the National Men’s 55 Hard
while he built his investment business in Court Championships, which Tom Fey suPalo Alto. He picked a racquet up again nine pervised, played at the Indian Wells Tennis
months prior to the event and trained with Garden in early November. David Seibel
the Stanford men’s team. He had also stayed slipped past Mike Tammen, 7-5, 7-6 for
in great physical shape. His pedigree proved singles honors. Tammen rebounded taking
too much for Kong in the final, and Goldie the doubles with Mike Fedderly, 3-6, 6-2,
6-4 over Ross Hessler and Jon Tyrell.
The National Husband Wife Mixed 100,
120 & 140 Hard Court Championships
was the second of the month’s spectaculars. Held at the Palm Valley Country Club,
Gordon Zawtun was the Tournament Director. Brent and Mai-Ichikawa Abel defeated Stuart and Gabriela Chase, 7-6, 6-3
for 100 honors. Mas and Susan Kimball surprised Andrew and Ann Stanley, 7-6, 7-5
in the 120 final. Harry and Brenda Carter
were the 140 champions downing David
and Diane Willauer, 6-3, 7-5.
The National 40, along with the Father
& Son and Grandfather & Grandson, Hard
Court Championships, brings the elite tournament season to a close. The masterful
Kellogg directs the showcase competition
at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. Tony
Dan Goldie
Photo Michael Weinstein
Bujan won his third consecutive Men’s 40
Tony Bujan
Photo J. Fred Sidhu
title with a 7-6, 6-4 victory over Marcio Carlsson. Neel Grover and Peter Smith stopped
Jared Jacobs and William (“Willie”) Quest,
6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in the doubles final.
Playing her first National Senior tournament since ending her WTA career in 2006,
Amy Frazier defeated Dina McBride, 6-1,
6-3 for women’s honors. Tracie Currie and
Debbie Spence-Nasim captured the doubles,
downing Jennifer Dawson and Jenny Keller,
6-4, 6-3, in the final. Currie doubled, winning
the 40 Mixed title with Quest, 6-3, 7-5 over
Desi and Dina McBride, 6-3, 7-5.
Smith teamed with his son, Riley for a 6-4,
6-4 victory over Brett and Brian Joelson in
the Father & Son title round. Poh Seng Tan
and Matthew Sah’s Grandfather/Grandson
victory, 6-3, 6-3, over L. and Ian Freer was another chapter in this year’s tournament story.
Amy Frazier
Photo J. Fred Sidhu
Riley and Peter Smith
Photo Mark Winters
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
26
National 65 Invitational
T
he section was well represented at the
National 65 Invitational in Surprise, Arizona as five of the captains from the Coa­
chella Valley teams detailed. Judy Louie, who
led the Women’s 9.0 squad, said, “The tournament site was adequate, though warm-up
courts were a problem.” Louie added, “The
tournament desk was organized well and the
people staffing it were very friendly. The Tee
shirts handed out, and the medals awarded
were nice. Southern California definitely
had the strongest team and
won.”
Hady Fleming, the Wom­
en’s 8.0 team captain, noted,
“I barely had six players, and
the matches were tough and
long. But, most important,
it was quite an experience.
We all had a lot of fun.”
Barb Bulifant, the captain, was playing in her fourth Super-Senior
7.0 tournament on the national level. “There
were four teams in our division and we came
up on top, but because we lost to the team
Men’s 6.0 Team
below us, they went on to the semifinals. We
had the same number of wins and losses as
they did, and we had nineteen more games
and two more sets, but because we lost to
them 2-1 in the head-to-head they went on.
Everyone on the team was upset by this.”
Al Sturges was the captain of the Sun CityPalm Desert Men’s 6.0 team. “Since those on
the team are active tennis players and play
every day, we managed to carve out one day
a week to practice as a team leading up to
Women’s 8.0 Team
the tournament,” he said. “I managed to put
together a diverse group of players. Competing in a 65 division was a challenge for players
who are well into their 70s and 80s. Still, we
lost the final in a Tiebreak.”
Vicky Parkerson led the Women’s 6.0 team. “The team, who are
all way past the 65 range, worked
hard and they played well in the
heat. They just missed being champions when they lost a tight Tiebreak.
The competition was tough. The
winners of our division told us that
they had won the title when it was
the 60s five years in a row. As far
Women’s 6.0 Team
as preparation, the ladies practiced together
daily and took lessons together from the time
they found out we were going. They never
stopped, and I am very proud of them.
“Patty Wolcott lost her son, who was a
fireman, in an accident and she dedicated all
her training and play to him. She took his
picture with her to the tournament and said
she feels that he is now proud of how she
played. She did not lose a match during the
tournament.
“The ladies want a 65 team again. I have
had other players from other teams ask to
be on our team when I was at the desk at the
BNP Senior Cup. They are willing. I’m the one
who has reservations.”
Bulifant admitted, “We are encouraging
more teams to play Super-Senior 65s.” Al
Sturges said, “Yes, we will be back. We are
going for the Gold.” Louie concluded, “The
overall experience was very good. If there
is a 65 Women’s 9.0 team supported by the
USTA, I would definitely participate on the
SoCal team next year.”
ITF Cup Play
S
ix Southern Californians represented the
US in the International Tennis Federation
(ITF) Young Seniors World Championships in
Antalya, Turkey, in March. The tournament,
the senior equivalent of the Davis/Fed Cup
competitions, was played on terre battue
(red clay).
Tracie Currie and Debbie Spence-Nasim
were members of the third place Women’s
40 Young Cup. Gee Gee Garvin captained
the Women’s 35 Suzanne Lenglen Cup team
Tracie Currie
Debbie Spence-Nasim
Gee Gee Garvin
Photo Carolyn Nichols
Ross Duncan
Photo Carolyn Nichols
that finished sixth. Ross Duncan was the playing captain, and Marcio Pepe was a member
of the seventh place Men’s 35 Italia Cup team.
Michael Chang captained the eleventh place
Men’s 40 Tony Trabert team.
Four section residents participated in the
ITF Team & Individual Senior Championships
at the end of June, in La Baule, France. Ros
Nideffer was responsible for two points in
the Women’s 50 Bueno Cup 2-1 victory
over France. Mike Fedderly was a member
of the Men’s 55 Austria Cup team that defeated Spain, 2-1 in the final. Tina Karwasky
and Carolyn Nichols were the reason that
the US was 2-1 stronger than Great Britain
in the Women’s 60 Marble Cup trophy battle.
In the Individual tournament, Fedderly and
Mike Tammen were the Men’s 55 doubles
champions. Nichols continued her marvelous
La Baule run defeating Karwasky, 6-7, 6-4, 6-1
in the Women’s 60 singles and winning the
Marcio Pepe
Michael Chang
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
27
Women’s 65 Godfree Cup team that defeated Great Britain in the title round, 2-1.
Lynn Little and Roz King teamed up for the
final doubles victory in the US 3-0 shutout of
Great Britain in the Women’s 75 Queens’
Cup final.
Chuck Nelson was on the Men’s 80 Mulloy
Cup team that defeated France 2-1 for third
place. Cathie Anderson made an impact on
the Women’s 70 Gibson Cup team that
downed Australia, 2-1 for fifth place.
For the first time in recent memory, none
of the Southern Californian participants went
on to capture a title in the Individual Championships, which followed the first week of
team play.
Mike Fedderly
Tina Karwasky
Photo Sherri Bronson
Ros Nideffer and Carolyn Nichols
Photo www.examiner
doubles with Lyn Mortimer of Australia.
The 35th ITF Super-Seniors World Team
Championships took place in late September in Umag, Croatia. The annual tournament involved the best players representing
their countries in the 65, 70, 75, and 80 age
groups.
Kathy Bennett was a member of the
Kathy Bennett
Lynn Little and Roz King
Chuck Nelson
Cathie Anderson
Inaugural Crabel Capital Men’s 60 Masters Invitational
T
he inaugural Crabel Capital Men’s 60
Masters Invitational Championships was
played on the unrivaled grass courts at Mission Hills Country Club. The best twelve singles players and the top eight doubles teams
in the country competed in the week long
Round Robin. The winners and finalists of
the four Men’s 60 National Championships
were invited to play. Players who performed
exceptionally well during the year filled the
remaining spots.
The participants included: Brent Abel, Chris
Bennett, Chris Bussert, Sal Castillo, Robert
Castorri, Toby Crabel, Geoff Cykman, Tim
Garcia, John Holladay, Kevin K
­ earney, Rollin
Rhone, Fred Robinson, Dave Sivertson, Tom
Smith, Andrew Stanley, Dan Waldman and
Len Wofford.
The competitive format was the
same as the one used by the ATP
Tour year-end final in London. Players and teams were divided into Blue
and Green groups and played matches against every player/team in their
group. The two players/teams, in each
group with the best records, then
faced the players/team with the best
results in the other groups.
Waldman defeated Robinson, 6-4,
7-6, in the singles final. Castillo and
Garcia downed Castorri and Smith,
Some of the Crabel Capital Men’s 60 Masters
7-6, 6-2, for the doubles trophy.
Invitational Championships participants
Toby Crabel
­ rabel, the tournament sponsor, outlasted
C
Cykman, in the third/fourth place playoff, 6-3,
2-6, 6-1. Cykman and Wofford earned third
place in the doubles when Holladay and Kearney provided them with a walkover.
“Along with the ATP and WTA year-end
finals, the Men’s 60 division will now have a
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
28
similar Senior Masters Championships
event that recognized the true 2015 National champion,” Steve Solomon, the
event’s organizer, said. “In addition to
the prestige of playing in the first event
of its kind, $25,000 in prize money was
provided by Crabel Capital. It was allocated to the players based on their
performances.”
Given the location, the event’s professional set-up and the funding available,
praise for the tournament was unanimous. The participants couldn’t have
been more pleased.
Tom Smith, Robert Castorri, Tim Garcia and
Sal Castillo
“The testimonials were genuine and
glowing,” Solomon said. “What surprised
me was the stated intent by each player
to work hard to promote more of what
they experienced. Typically, players at this
level focus much of their time obsessing
about their ranking and dwelling on ‘what
if?’ moments in matches that might’ve
gone their way. This group was different.
Everyone wanted to give back, contribute
in a big way and play a role in growing the
sport in a better way. Hopefully, the USTA
will gain and expand from this successful
example.”
Intersectional Review
A
nnually in the second week of
that Florida was defeated 4-1, in
November, Southern California is
the first round, with the only losrepresented by a formidable collection
ing point coming in doubles. Afof women competing at the National
ter a day off, the tenacious team
Intersectional Team Championships.
from Northern California was
This year’s event was held at The Swim
the semifinal opponent. Thanks
& Racquet Center in Boca Raton, Florto the singles play of Karwasky,
ida. As Colleen Clery Ferrell noted, “I
a doubles victory by Davis and
was coordinator for all six teams, along
Heston, then a down-to-the-wire
with Annette Buck (Southern California
escape by Karwasky and Worley
Tennis Association Director of Adult &
Hagen, who after losing the first
Senior Tennis). The section had great
set, clinched the 3-2 victory.
representation, winning one and being a
For the third year in a row,
finalist in three other events, along with
Southern was the final round opSouthern California participants at tournament banquet
a fourth-place finish in another.”
ponent. Singles was their strength
There is something special – magic may be semis. But, right after the warm up, it began and they proved it by winning all three matcha better word to use – about Boca Raton. to rain. After a lengthy delay, play was sus- es. Nonetheless, Haas and Tracy Worley-­
Hagen came back to win in the third set after
Dori DeVries, Judy Janc, Roz King, Sheila pended for the day.
“On Sunday morning, the tournament of- being down two match points in a second set
Palmer and Norma Veal feel that way. “The
Southern California 75 team did it again,” ficials decided to shorten the format to get Tiebreak. Davis and Heston also earned a
Veal, the captain, said. “It was the third time all the matches completed. It was cloudy and three set victory to make the final score, 3-2.
in a row that the team won the Intersectional the wind was swirling, but no rain.
title. Dori and Roz were the stars, sweeping After three tough singles matches
their singles in a ‘Two singles/two doubles’ in the difficult conditions, the team
format. Midwest and Eastern were defeated was down 1-2 going into doubles.
Herremon-Bagby and Higa won
4-0 and the final was won, 3-1 over Texas.”
Amy Alcini, Nathalie Herremon-­Bagby, their doubles 8-6, so the match
Debbie Higa, Dina McBride and Millie Ya­ came down to Dina and me. We
blonicky were members of the 35 squad. knew we had to win to keep the
“The tournament started great because the trophy hopes alive. After surviving
team won 5-0 against Eastern,” Yablonicky, five match points, we came back
the captain, brought out. “Although we won to win, 9-7, and vaulted the team
all the matches, it wasn’t easy because the into the final. In the championship
weather was really hot and humid. After hav- match, the Southern team came
35 Team
ing a bye on Friday, everyone was fired up away with a 4-1 victory.”
Clery Ferrell, Una Davis, Karen
and ready to take on Florida in the Saturday
Haas, Jackie Heston,
Tina Karwasky, Tracey
Thompson and Tracy
Worley-Hagen were
members of the 55
team. In the event summaries provided by Karwasky, who served as
the captain, and Clery
55 Team
75 Team
Ferrell, it was noted
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
29
Cathie Anderson, Kathy Bennett, Liane
Bryson, Carol Gay, Judy Louie, Crys Ren and
Ann Stanley were the section’s 65 representatives. Gay, who was the captain, said, “The
team prevailed in close matches and enjoyed
the play so much that one of the members
dubbed the players, on her Facebook page,
‘The Dream Team’. In addition to great fun
and competitive tennis, the unique personalities blended together and contributed to the
team’s cohesiveness.
was defeated. Louie and Stanley won
at number two doubles, but Bennett
and Bryson had to default at 5-5 in the
first set because Liane injured her leg,
giving Florida a 4-1 victory.
Nancy Kibbey, the experienced
captain and player, was fully aware
of the competitive level that her 80
team would face. For this reason,
she summoned Patti Dodgen and Pat
Giebink, who are also Balboa Tennis
Club members, to join
her and Janet Hubbard in the
quest for a title.
Kibbey said, “Though Southern California was unseeded,
Dodgen and Giebink pulled out
a clutch three setter to defeat a
seasoned Florida team and take
the match 2-1. In the next round,
they achieved another three set
victory, this time against Middle
65 Team
States. I teamed with Hubbard to
“Seeded fourth, the team was impressive win an exciting three set, 7-4, Tiebreak to
in its first round match, defeating Southwest, spring into the final.”
5-0. The quarterfinal match against Mid-­
Unfortunately, Kibbey was unable to comAtlantic came down to the ‘wire.’ Trailing pete in the next match, and the team came
after morning singles play, the doubles teams up short in the third-fourth place playoff. Still,
of Bennett/Bryson, and Louie/Stanley pulled she admitted, “The matches were played in
the team through for the win by capturing 87 degree heat and 90% humidity. The resilvery close matches, in the 3-2 win.
“In the semifinals, Southern, the second
seed, was upset, 3-2. Ren kept Southern California in the match, winning a three and a half
hour marathon at the number three position.
Heading into the doubles, down 2-1, Bennett
and Bryson won again. Louie and Stanley’s
doubles victory, at number two, secured the
win.
“The 65 team certainly met their match in
the final against the top seed, Florida. Ren
45 Team
again came very close, but ultimately, she
80 Team
ience of these 80 something senior women
was amazing. It shows that tennis is, truly the
sport of a lifetime.”
Overcoming health and scheduling issues
faced by a group of players, Nancy Abler Sanchez, Cynthia Delgado, Mary Graber, Rainy
Miller, Lisa Naumu, Prentiss Van Den Berg
and Ruth Young stepped up to represent
the section in 45s play. Miller, who was cocaptain with Van Den Berg, said, “Everyone
enjoyed the competitive matches, meeting
players from around the country, seeing old
friends, and cheering for their fellow Southern California teammates in other age divisions. Additionally, the high level of tennis
made for some awesome matches, and the
clay court surface made for some very long
and exciting points. In working toward the
same goal, the camaraderie that
resulted is something the whole
team will always remember. It was
a great experience.”
Adding to the tournament summary, Clery Ferrell offered, “I
was really proud of all the teams.
The players were all very thankful for the support provided by
the SCTA, and they are looking
forward to next year’s event in
San Antonio.”
That’s Not All…
C
oming up with a count of national and
international triumphs scored by Southern California seniors during the 2015 season
requires sleuth-like investigative skills, and of
course, all the research that it entails. Practically speaking, a quest of this sort is sure
to fall short. Local players accomplished far
too much during the past year to tabulate
in totality.
Still, there is an interesting back-story to
tell. A number of competitors achieved distinctive combinations. Ros Nideffer defended
her National Women’s 50 Hard Court title,
defeating Fran Chandler, 6-4, 6-0, in the final.
She was also responsible for two points in
the US Women’s 50 Bueno Cup 2-1 triumph
over France.
Mike Fedderly was a member of the Men’s
55 Austria Cup team that d
­ efeated Spain, 2-1
in the final. The week following the event,
Mike Fedderly
Photo camerawork usa
Ros Nideffer
Photo J. Fred Sidhu
he teamed with Mike Tammen of Portland,
Oregon in the Individual World Championships, to capture the doubles title in that
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
30
Tina Karwasky
Photo J. Fred Sidhu
same age group.
In an epic marathon tussle, Tina Karwasky
outlasted Carolyn Nichols, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5, for
the National Women’s 60 Hard Court title.
Nichols rebounded, scoring a 6-0, 6-4
victory with Una Davis over Karwasky
and Jan Kirkland-Cochran of Tyrone,
Georgia for doubles honors.
Together, Karwasky and Nichols led
the US to a 2-1 victory over Great Britain to claim the Women’s 60 Marble
Cup in the trophy round. In the Individual final, a reversal of their La Jolla Beach
& Tennis Club meeting took place. This
time out, Nichols edged Karwasky, 6-7,
6-4, 6-1 and added to her winning total, taking the doubles with Lyn Mortimer of Australia. Karwasky, though, earned her
100th gold ball at the National Women’s 60 Clay
Court Championships and finished 2016 with a
total of 107 that included a singles Grand Slam.
Carolyn Nichols
Photo Susan Mullane/camerawork usa
SENIOR NEWS NOW ONLINE
T
he SCTA has published the quarterly
­Senior News since 1999 and will continue to do so. Moving forward, the Senior
News will no longer be mailed. It will continue to be published on the website each
March, June, September and December. You
will find it easily on the main website page. It is
in a PDF format so that it will print easily. The
site can be accessed at www.scta.usta.com
To receive a printed copy or to receive a
directly emailed version, please contact Linda
Milan at [email protected] or by phone
at 310-824-5139.
IN MEMORIAM
A
nnually, the game loses people who
have played distinctive roles in making
Southern California tennis stand alone on the
national and the world stage.
After having won Roland Garros in 1947,
Patricia (Pat) Canning Todd was adamant
about not accepting a secondary court assignment in the next year’s semifinal against her
French opponent, Nelly Adamson Landry.
As a result, she was defaulted. Not only was
the courage displayed costly as far as gaining
another Grand Slam tournament triumph, it
also appeared to affect her year-end USLTA
ranking. Nonetheless, she was in the World’s
Top 10 from 1946 to 1952.
Patricia (Pat) Canning Todd
Photo AP
LaRhonda Amos loved tennis. When she
passed away in late February a void was created that is beyond Grand Canyon deep. She
believed in the values that are part and parcel
of the game, particularly when it came to tennis really making a difference in the community. Amos was “The Godmother”, in truth,
the chaperone of programs and people in this
setting. She made things happen; she was caring and made a difference.
Jim Hillman
Photo Cynthia Lum
Inducted into the San Diego Tennis Hall of
Fame in 2010, and a year later, the SCTA Hall
of Fame, she passed away in early September.
During his twenty-three years as Director
of Junior Tennis, Jim Hillman left an indelible
mark on tennis programming. Having worked
for the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, he became involved with
the SCTA, running the Sectional Championships in 1972. Five years later, Jack Kramer
asked him to lead the junior effort in the
section. And lead he did, establishing Junior
Team Tennis, the Junior Satellite tournament
program, and building a relationship with the
LA84 Foundation that continues. He made an
impact on League Tennis, along with launching Grand Prix efforts for a variety of programs. As teaching legend Vic Braden once
said, “I thought Jim Hillman invented tennis.”
Hillman made his exit in August.
LaRhonda Amos and Marty Woods
The same holds for Jack Darrah. He played
a significant role in both Southern and Northern California. An avid player, who would
have become a member of the professional
tour had Open Tennis been as strong as it
is now, he taught high school, but during
the summer was captain of the Junior Davis Cup team. In time, he became the owner
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
31
Jack Darrah with his wife, Joan
Photo Jim Nelson Collection
of ­Westlake Tennis & Swim Club and used
the venue for the National Men’s 50 & 55
Hard Court Championships. The long-serving
member of the SCTA Board of Directors,
who had an unwavering commitment and
love of the sport, died at the end of March.
Bobby Perez, the son of Mexican immigrants who became a tennis and business star
because of his hustle and grit, passed away
at the end of September. He began playing
tennis as a ten-year-old at Exposition Park
near the Coliseum. He attended USC and
was a top player on the team that won the
school’s first NCAA championship in 1946.
He became a CBS Vice President and General
Manager in National Sales. But, the game was
always an essential part of his life. He met
Helen Pastall, a talented Southern Californian,
while playing. She became the love of his life
and his wife. After retiring, he continued to
compete in national senior championships
and also spent time working with the men’s
team at the University of California, Irvine.
Additionally, Mary Brymer, Maria Denker,
Bob Goodbody and Alina Kupchak were
among those who were lost in 2015. Horst
Ritter, Donald Scott and Ed Sukla, as well as
Dick Van Patten, the multifaceted actor, who
was a stalwart supporter of the sport, also
left the tennis community.
ODDS & ENDS
A
fter twenty-eight years of leading the
LA84 Foundation, Anita DeFrantz,
a staunch NJTL Program devotee, stepped
down as President of the organization.
Johnson & Querrey – Davis Cuppers
In the past, Sam Querrey played doubles
with John Isner, and though focused on
singles, they became a solid big-serving pair.
­Later in the year, Steve Johnson, who also has
a big serve, had been Querrey’s partner. During the second week of the US Open, both
players were named to the US Davis Cup
team for the late September World Group
Playoff against Uzbekistan in Tashkent. The
duo went on to win the doubles in the US’s
3-1 victory. (Taylor Fritz served as a practice
partner for the squad.)
Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson
Photo www.zimbio.com
J.D. Morgan. Since then, Jack Tidball (in 1987),
Jimmy Connors (in 1995), Glenn Bassett (in
1998), Allen Fox (in 2005), Herb Flam (in
2006), Keri Phebus (in 2007), Larry Nagler
Martin Elected
UCLA has a superlative academic-tennis (in 2011) and Charlie Pasarell (in 2012) have
reputation. Over the years, the university has been acknowledged.
During halftime of the UCLA-Arizona State
had a legion of outstanding players. Beginning
in 1984, which was the inaugural year for the football game at the Rose Bowl, men’s coach,
school’s Athletics Hall of Fame, Arthur Ashe Billy Martin became the latest former Bruin
was a charter member, and so was his coach, tennis standout to join this exclusive group,
along with Annett Buckner Davis –
volleyball; Danny Farmer – football
and volleyball; Paul Nihipali – volleyball; Jan Palchikoff – rowing and
swimming; Janice Parks – softball;
Eric Valent – baseball; and Richard
Washington – basketball.
Martin, the third-longest tenured active coach at the university,
became a member of the Southern California Tennis Association
Hall of Fame in 2011 and the ITA
Men’s Collegiate Hall of Fame in
1996. He won the NCAA singles
and led the Bruins to the team title
in 1975. In his 22 years as coach,
he has an impressive (499-106)
Billy Martin
Megan McCray
Photo UCLA Athletics
Henry Craig
Photo duclarion.com
rec­ord, along with an NCAA title in 2005.
The four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year,
who has won 11 conference titles, told the
Daily Bruin, “It’s a huge honor knowing how
many great Bruins are in (the Athletics Hall of
Fame) in all the different sports. To feel like
I’m going to be part of that is very humbling.”
US Open National Playoff
Henry Craig, a Denver University senior,
represented Southern California at the US
Open National Playoffs Men’s competition
held, in conjunction with the Connecticut
Joel Kielbowicz and Haythem Abid
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
32
Open, in late August, in
New Haven. Megan McCray, who attends Oklahoma State, was the Women’s
champion at The Clare­­
mont Club event. Hay­
them Abid, a former UCLA
star, and Joel Kielbowicz,
a UNLV alum, were the
Men’s doubles winners.
Lorraine Gui­
l lermo and
Danielle Lao, a Pepperdine
and USC duo captured the
Women’s doubles. Lao stayed true to form
earning the Mixed doubles title with USC
schoolmate, Johnny Wang. At the Northern
California Sectional Playoffs, contested at the
Chamisal Tennis Club, Salinas, Lester Cook
teamed with Ayaka Okuno of Cupertino for
the Mixed doubles trophy.
Futures Events
USTA Futures tournaments at USC and
El Dorado Park in Long Beach kicked off 2015
play in Southern California. Peter Smith, the
men’s coach at USC, and Cathy JacobsonGuzy, the El Dorado Park General Manager,
organized the tournaments.
Mitchell Krueger defeated Jason Jung,
6-1, 6-2 in the singles final at USC. Dimitar
­Kutrovsky and Dennis Novikov slipped past
James Cluskey and Frederik Nielsen, 4-6, 6-1,
SCTA Staff
10-4, for doubles honors.
Takanyi Garanganga edged Nielsen, 6-7,
6-3, 6-4 for the singles title at Long Beach.
Nicolas Meister and Eric Quigley downed
Kutrovsky and Novikov, 6-3, 6-2, in the doubles final.
Frances Tiafoe destroyed Maxime Taba­
truong, 6-1, 6-2 in the final of Bakersfield
Tennis Open at the Bakersfield Racquet Club.
Sekou Bangoura and Darian King were just
6-4, 4-6, 10-7 better than Krueger and Connor Smith.
Novikov edged Tiafoe, 7-6, 7-6 in the final
of the $15,000 Men’s Pro Championships of
Calabasas at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim
Center. Fabian Matthews and Hunter Nicholas slipped past Adrian Forberg Sko­geng and
Wil Spencer, 6-1, 2-6, 10-6, in the doubles
final.
SCTA Staff Additions
During the year the
SCTA staff, which is the
best in the country, became
even better with the additions of Tony Chatfield as
a TSR, Mary Gastro as the
Coordinator, Adult Competition, Megan Heneghan,
Coordinator, Junior Competition and Trevor Kronemann, Director of Junior
Tennis.
Chatfield assumed the position held by Evan
Smith, who became the LA84 Foundation/
NJTL Coordinator.
Danielle Lao and Johnny Wang
CONCLUSION
B
ob and Mike Bryan were the recipients of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian
Award for the philanthropic focus of the Bryan Bros foundation. They also received the
ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite Award,
presented by Moët & Chandon, for a record
eleventh time.
Southern California’s own Steve Simon,
after earning kudos for his impressive work
as Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas Open, often called the “Fifth Slam”, was
named the CEO of the WTA Tour after Stacey Allaster stepped down.
Serena Williams
Photo Cynthia Lum
Mike and Bob Bryan
Photo Susan Mullane/camerawork usa
The year came to a spectacular and for tennis, a seminal conclusion when ­Serena Williams was named Sports Illustrated Sports­
person of the Year. Having started to play
in an LA84 Foundation/NJTL Program, in an
area dominated by gangs, she overcame a variety of health issues to compile a 53-3 r­ ec­ord
in 2015. Winning Australia, Roland Garros
and Wimbledon, after taking the 2014 US
Open, she completed a “Serena Slam.” With
her selection, Williams joined an illustrious
group. Only Billie Jean King, (along with John
Wooden), in 1972, Chris Evert in 1976 and
Arthur Ashe in 1992 had been Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year.
Southern California tennis has an optimistic future. There will be more creative opportunities to enjoy the game, whether it is
programs, activities or tournaments. What
is truly exciting, is that these elements will
be woven into the existing fabric that enables everyone to find the perfect place to
play.
Looking ahead, the expectations for 2016
match the excitement of Monmouth University basketball team’s spirited celebrations
that turned the games into a “Can’t wait to
see what will happen…” sporting delight. As
SCTA Executive Director, Bruce Hunt pointed out, “Together, we can keep tennis vibrant
and accessible for all. And, together we will
keep the tennis pipeline growing in 2016.”
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
33
2015 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTIONAL &
GRAND PRIX MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
113th Junior Sectional Championships
(June)
BOYS’ 18
Brandon Holt d. Kalman Boyd
6-3, 6-4
BOYS’ 18 DOUBLES
Holt/Riley Smith d. Billy Rowe/Reese Stalder
4-6, 6-1, 6-2
GIRLS’ 18
Jada Hart d. Ena Shibahara
6-2, 3-6, 6-4
GIRLS’ 18 DOUBLES
Jessica Failla/Shibahara d. Paulina Ferrari/
Hart
4-6, 6-3, 10-7
BOYS’ 16
Cody Lin d. Ivan Thamma
6-2, 6-0
GIRLS’ 16
Julia Haynes d. Allison Mulville
7-5, 6-3
BOYS’ 14
Jacob Bullard d. Harry Yang
7-5, 6-4
GIRLS’ 14
Britt Pursell (Pictured) d. Gracie Mulville
1-6, 7-6, 6-3
BOYS’ 12
Griffin Daehnke d. Samuel Landau
2-6, 7-6, 6-1
GIRLS’ 12
Winta Woldeab d. Katrina Scott
7-5, 6-3
BOYS’ 10
Kenan Rizvanbegovic d. Steve Nguyen
6-2, 6-3
GIRLS’ 10
Iris Berman d. Lillian Kelly
6-1, 6-1
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
34
113th Annual Jim Hillman Junior Sectional Doubles Championships
(November)
BOYS’ 18 DOUBLES
Nicholas Borchenko/Connor Hance d.
David Goulak/Ivan Thamma
7-5, 6-3
GIRLS’ 18 DOUBLES
Paulina Ferrari/Jada Hart d. Annette
Goulak/Emma Higuchi
6-2, 6-2
MIXED 18 DOUBLES
Higuchi/Bryce Pereira d. Goulak/
Goulak
3-6, 6-3, 10-4
BOYS’ 16 DOUBLES
Cody Lin/Jake Sands d. Benjamin
Gollin/Connor Lee
4-6, 6-2, 6-4
GIRLS’ 16 DOUBLES
Michelle Deng/Rena Lin d. Emilee
Duong/Cali Jankowski
6-2, 6-3
MIXED 16 DOUBLES
Julia Deming/Sands d. Lin/Ryan Nuno
7-6, 6-7, 10-5
BOYS’ 14 DOUBLES
Miles Jones/Zachary Svajda d. Alexey
Lunin/Boris Lunin
6-6, 6-3
GIRLS’ 14 DOUBLES
Amanda Chan/Amy Huang d. Christine
Canete/Mae Canete
6-2, 2-6, 6-0
MIXED 14 DOUBLES
Chan/Jones d. Tristan Boyer/Britt
Pursell
5-7, 7-5, 10-6
BOYS’ 12 DOUBLES
Sebastian Gorzny/Colin Kang d.
Hudson Rivera/Andrew Salu
6-3, 6-0
GIRLS’ 12 DOUBLES
Kayla Meraz/Katrina Scott d. Taylor
Cataldi/Kaytlin Taylor
6-4, 6-3
MIXED 12 DOUBLES
Samuel Landau/Scott d. Gorzny/Ayala
Stephens
6-2, 6-4
BOYS’ 10 DOUBLES
Andy Nguyen/Steven Nguyen d. Grant
Gallagher/Alan Ton
7-6, 6-7, 11-9
GIRLS’ 10 DOUBLES
Isabella Chhiv/Natalie Gorzny d. Mika
Ikemori/Jessica MacCallum
5-7, 6-3, 10-8
MIXED 10 DOUBLES
Lillian Kelly/Carson Lee d. Gorzny/Ton
6-4, 6-2
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
35
35th Solinco Grand Prix Masters Championships
BOYS’ 18
Kento Perera d. Matthew Lee
6‑3, 6‑0
GIRLS’ 18
Emilee Duong d. Kristina Evloeva
6‑4, 6‑2
BOYS’ 16
Ryan Dehmoubed d. Eshan Talluri
6‑3, 6‑3
GIRLS’ 16
Skyler Grishuk d. Emily Ackerman
6‑4, 6‑2
BOYS’ 14
Alexander Petrov d. Leo Wang
6‑3, 6‑3
GIRLS’ 14
Jennifer Kida d. Cami Brown
6‑3, 6‑3
BOYS’ 12
Jack Casey d. Trey Shomo
6‑3, 6‑0
GIRLS’ 12
Seychelle Balog d. Katherine Hui
6‑1, 6‑1
BOYS’ 10
Rio Ishikawa d. William Schwartzman
6‑3, 6‑4
GIRLS’ 10
Bianca Molnar d. Stacey Samonte
4‑6, 7‑6, 10‑1
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
36
29th Central Coast Grand Prix Masters Championships
(Photo Not Available)
BOYS’ 18
Kento Perera d. Isaiah Volk
6‑3, 6‑1
(Photo Not Available)
(Photo Not Available)
GIRLS’ 18
Mahli Silpachai d. Jennifer Richards
1‑6, 6‑4, 6‑4
(Photo Not Available)
BOYS’ 16
Dustin Kua d. Mike Mkrtchian
7‑5, 3‑6, 7‑5
(Photo Not Available)
GIRLS’ 16
Zlata Bobyr d. Avery Aude
6‑7, 6‑4, 6‑1
BOYS’ 14
Colby Grey d. Ethan Ha
6‑4, 6‑2
GIRLS’ 14
Yuka Perera d. Kelly Coulson
6‑0, 6‑2
BOYS’ 12
Masato Perera d. Tristan Messerli
6‑4, 6‑4
GIRLS’ 12
Phoebe Peus d. Ania Snissarenko
6‑0, 6‑0
BOYS’ 10
Griffin Marcus d. Will Steinberg
(Pictured)
7‑5, 3‑6, 1‑0
(Photo Not Available)
GIRLS’ 10
Amelie Worring La‑Torre d. Kayla
Turalakey
6‑4, 6‑4
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
37
11th Desert Cities Grand Prix Masters Championships
(Photo Not Available)
BOYS’ 18
Alex Kuperstein d. Bradley Cummins
6‑3, 6‑2
GIRLS’ 18
Natalia Munoz d. Libby Jubas
6‑0, 6‑1
(Photo Not Available)
BOYS’ 16
Corey Lunsford d. Roy Chao
Walkover
(Photo Not Available)
GIRLS’ 16
Amanda Chan d. Odessa Stork
6‑0, 6‑1
BOYS’ 14
Eshan Talluri d. Ethan Nguyen
6‑4, 6‑1
GIRLS’ 14
Faith Pearson d. Shekinah Daffon
6‑2, 6‑1
GIRLS’ 12
Alexis Golin d. Cara Hung
6‑0, 6‑0
BOYS’ 10
Drew Hayduke d. Adam Bain
6‑2, 6‑2
(Photo Not Available)
BOYS’ 12
Eduardo Gonzalez d. Dylan Ojeda
7‑6, 6‑3
GIRLS’ 10
Natalia Gorzny d. Katelyn Smith
6‑3, 6‑3
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
38
33rd Junior Satellite Masters Championships
BOYS’ 18
Alex Gibson d. Brandon Go
6-3, 1-6, 6-1
GIRLS’ 18
Sayuri Cheng d. Chloe Wight
6-0, 6-2
BOYS’ 16
Jeremy Chung d. Dylan Rabin
6-4, 6-2
GIRLS’ 16
Soleil Zsibrita d. Tatum Phillips
7-6, 2-6, 7-5
BOYS’ 14
Jonathan Park d. Luis Moros
6-1, 6-1
GIRLS’ 14
Katherine Wu d. Angela Liu
6-0, 6-2
BOYS’ 12
Soomin Lee d. Konrad Ulich
6-1, 6-1
GIRLS’ 12
Jenna Sabile d. Madison Kane
6-2, 6-3
BOYS’ 10
Jack Hanna d. Hunter Lynch
6-1, 6-1
GIRLS’ 10
Jolie Morgan d. Katie Moorhead
6-3, 6-2
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
39
Inland Empire Grand Prix Satellite Masters Championships
BOYS’ 18
Joaquin Castruita (Pictured) d.
Zachary Ambrosio
6-4, 7-6
GIRLS’ 18
Dahlys Ang d. Deena Khoury
6-0, 6-0
BOYS’ 16
Charles Keller d. Miles Clark
6-1, 6-4
GIRLS’ 16
Miranda Cardenas (Pictured) d.
Iberia Velasquez
6-4, 6-3
BOYS’ 14
Bryce Chieu-Chin d. Justin Mann
2-6, 6-4, 10-8
GIRLS’ 14
Sydney Tran d. Shreya Pavani
2-6, 6-4, 10-5
BOYS’ 12
Alyan Ashraf d. Joseph Anagnos
6-2, 7-6
GIRLS’ 12
Layla Jimenez d. Carissa Park
6-3, 6-1
BOYS’ 10
Ethan Gomulka d. Ronith Sreeram
6-0, 6-2
GIRLS’ 10
Hannah Mann d. Haley Kielty
6-1, 6-1
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
40
Novice Jamboree Championships
BOYS’ 16-18
Bryan Tapley – Winner
Anthony Garcia – Finalist
GIRLS’ 16-18
Jaclyn Gerschultz – Winner
Clarke Taylor – Finalist
BOYS’ 14
Lucas Fortt – Winner
Robert Gerschultz – Finalist
GIRLS’ 14
Ashley Yoo – Winner
Lucia Uribe – Finalist
BOYS’ 12
Alex Herrada – Winner
Alexander Weyer – Finalist
GIRLS’ 12
Halie Chan – Winner
Thelma Sepulveda – Finalist
BOYS’ 8-10
Krish Gupta – Winner
Thomas Lynch – Finalist
GIRLS’ 8-10
Kristina Kruglova – Winner
Selina Wu – Finalist
US Open National Playoffs
MEN’S
Henry Craig d. Errol Smith
7-5, 6-3
MEN’S DOUBLES
Haythem Abid/Joel Kielbowicz d. Nicholas Borchenko/
Smith
6-2, 7-5
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
41
WOMEN’S
Megan McCray d. Ena Shibahara
6-2, 7-5
WOMEN’S DOUBLES
Lorraine Guillermo/Danielle Lao d. Sophie Bendetti/
Kalani Soli
6-2, 7-5
MIXED DOUBLES
Lao/Jonny Wang d. Liz Carpenter/Ian Ross
6-0, 6-0
129th Open Sectional Championships
MEN’S
Michael Genender d. Jayson Amos
6-3, 6-4
WOMEN’S DOUBLES
Rebecca Harris/Keri Preng d. Genny Francis/
Hannah Wampler
6-2, 6-0
WOMEN’S
Lorraine Guillermo
(Pictured) d. Ashley MacKey
3-6, 6-3, 6-0
MEN’S DOUBLES
Jayson Amos/Garrett Auproux (Pictured)
d. Joel Kielbowicz/Rylan Rizza
6-4, 6-2
MIXED DOUBLES
Andy Chang/Guillermo d. Micheline Aubuchon/
Errol Smith
7-5, 6-3
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
42
129th Senior, Super Senior & Family Sectional Championships
MEN’S 30
Brian Matek (Pictured) d.
Jacob Jensen
6-4, 6-2
MEN’S 50
Rob Horsch d. Jason Guillen
3-6, 7-6, 6-2
MEN’S 40
Ramsey Gerber (Pictured) d.
Billy Casas
2-6, 6-2, 6-2
MEN’S 45
Kevin Quinn d. Albert Altuna
6-4, 6-2
MEN’S 50 DOUBLES
Gary Salazar/Doug Mathews d. Horsch/
Ron Schmeltzer
6-3, 4-6, 7-6
MEN’S 55 DOUBLES
Nick Schleif/Ken Landis d. Glenn Teixeira/Swan
4-6, 6-4, 6-4
MEN’S 60 DOUBLES
Duane Hale/Greg Washington d. Phil Hubbard
(Pictured)/Vincent Brown
6-3, 6-4
MEN’S 55
Bill Moss d. Barry Swan
6-2, 6-0
MEN’S 60
Toby Crabel d. Emmanuel Acholonu
6-0, 6-1
MEN’S 65
Bill Matthews d. Haig Bedrossian
4-6, 6-4, Retired
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
43
MEN’S 65 DOUBLES
Tom Bozarth/Gary Doi d. Ron Moore/Paul Mullis
6-4, 6-4
MEN’S 80
Saul Snyder d. Dennis Nielson
6-1, 7-6
MEN’S 85
John Bennett d. Lew Stephenson
6-1, 6-0
FATHER & SON
Ramsey and Jack Gerber d. Cor and Rohan Lageweg
6-2, 6-4
MEN’S 70
Jack Metalsky (Pictured) d.
David Dollins
Default
MEN’S 75
Lloyd Goldwater d. Bob Jones
6-2, 6-2
MEN’S 80 DOUBLES
Chuck Nelson/Nielson d. Jack McGinty/Rich Haskell
7-6, 7-6
WOMEN’S 70
Janice Tom (Pictured) d. Barbara Pflanz
6-1, 6-0
HUSBAND & WIFE
Angie and Jason Cook d. Maria and Curt Cochran
2-6, 6-4, 6-1
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
44
33rd Senior Grand Prix Masters Championships
MEN’S 45
Kevin Quinn d. Steve Wilde
6-2, 6-4
MEN’S 50
Tom Schlack d. Rob Horsch
6-1, 6-0
MEN’S 50 DOUBLES
Eugene Jones/Robert Simmons d.
David Porte/Schlack
2-6, 6-2, 6-2
MEN’S 55
Brian Turner d. John Appleby
6-2, 6-1
MEN’S 60
David Saad (Pictured) d. John Rhodes
6-7, 6-4, 7-5
MEN’S 65
Jim Upton (Pictured) d. Logan Jenkins
4-6, 6-3, 6-4
MEN’S 70
David Dollins d. Karel Placek
6-4, 6-2
MEN’S 75
Jerry Singer d. Bob Jones
6-2, 3-6, 6-4
MEN’S 75 DOUBLES
Jones/Art Wahl d. Cliff Kiener/
Josef Wida
6-1, 6-2
MEN’S 80
Saul Snyder d. Dennis Nielson
6-0, 1-6, 6-2
MEN’S 80 DOUBLES
Chuck Nelson/Nielson d. Roger Hing/
Snyder
3-6, 6-4, 6-2
MEN’S 85
John Bennett d. Marvin Maxwell
6-1, 6-1
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
45
29th NTRP Sectional Championships
(Photo Not Available)
MEN’S 5.0
Toby Crabel d. Tony Hsu
7-6, 6-3
WOMEN’S 5.0
Stephanie Newell d. Mindy Tiu
6-4, 5-7, 10-8
MEN’S 4.5
Carl Flint d. Joel Diaz
5-7, 6-3, 10-5
MEN’S 4.0
Anthony Gilbert d. Geoffrey Rauen
6-3, 7-5
WOMEN’S 4.0
Christine Stinson d. Rebecca O’Neill
6-1, 6-1
MEN’S 3.5
Carlos Figueroa d. John Tuppal
6-4, 6-4
WOMEN’S 3.5
Larissa Tan d. Evelyn Irving
6-2, 2-6, 10-8
WOMEN’S 3.5 DOUBLES
Amireh Ghorob/Ahdeyh Soltani d. Amber
Godinez/Jessica Klinger
6-3, 6-4
MIXED 4.5 DOUBLES
Laurie Manley/Colin Tang (Pictured) d.
Masami Hashimoto/George Matsumoto
6-2, 3-6, 10-6
USTA – Southern California
MEN’S 3.0
Alfred Ross (Pictured) d. Paul
Ruben
5-7, 3-2, Retired
MIXED 3.5 DOUBLES
Wendy Chen/Melvin Nocum d. Stacy
Becker/Alfred Ross
6-1, 6-1
@ustasocal
@ustasocal
THE 2015 SCRAPBOOK
46