Teaching Pro Tennis Tournament : Whitney Reed Leaves ‘Em Guessing and Losing

With his pinpoint lobs, unpredictable drop shots and an almost uncanny court sense, Whitney Reed leaves many of his opponents not only frustrated but amazed.

They have a difficult time believing that Reed, 55, can continue to conjure up such tricks.

As the top-seeded player in the 35-and-over division of the Reebok Teaching Pro tennis tournament at Huntington Beach, Reed continues to amaze.

His latest victory, a 6-1, 6-0 second-round victory over Norm Ashbrooke of Lakewood Thursday, was just another friendly outing for Reed, who gives private instruction near his Brentwood home.

“I asked the guy, ‘Might you be out of your groove today?’ ” Reed said. “He said no, it was all my doing. I guess I keep the younger guys off balance pretty well, eh?”

But balance was hardly the issue for Ashbrooke, who, at 6-feet 3-inches and 160 pounds, had to sprint, stretch or dive for almost every shot Reed devised.

When Ashbrooke tried to overpower Reed with a strong combination of ground strokes, Reed cut him short with a drop shot to his backhand. When Ashbrooke went for an overhead, Reed casually scooped it up and lobbed it into Ashbrooke’s far corner. And when Ashbrooke turned toward the net, Reed blasted him with a hard slap down the sideline.

At this, Ashbrooke had to laugh. As he did at the match’s conclusion.

“Playing against him is an inspiration, really,” said Ashbrooke, 36, who is ranked ninth in Southern California and 23rd in the United States in 35-and-over.

“Most guys get upset with themselves or frustrated because he’s 20 years older. I say, hey, it’s a great learning experience. To know that a person with the knowledge and the skills can keep playing that well, it’s fantastic.”

Reed, who in the early 1960s was the top-ranked men’s player in the United States, has played better in his career, but today he says he has more motivation than ever to stay in shape.

Last March, Reed and his wife, Joanna, had their first child, Whitney Jr., and ever since, Reed has perceived his future as a life of father-son tennis tournaments.

“He’s got Kryptonite in his veins, that kid,” Reed said. “He’s already taken to dancing, so I know he has good balance. It’s just a matter of me staying in shape now. I don’t want the kid to have to wheel me out on the court in a chair.”

Since Whitney Jr. is only 15 months old, Reed has a few years to prepare. He can start with his third-round match at noon today against Wick Phillips of Claremont.

Tennis Notes

Mike Fedderly of Newport Beach, the No. 1-seeded player in the open division, overcame Hugh Stratman of Santa Barbara, 6-4, 6-4, in the third round. Fedderly is the only seeded player remaining in the open division. Second-seeded Eric Sherbeck of Tustin was eliminated, 6-3, 6-4, by Mike Lemon of Beverly Hills Wednesday. No. 3 Eric Quade of Irvine was upset by Mike Chwalek of Costa Mesa, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and No. 4 Rodrigo Gabuya of Rolling Hills was eliminated by Charlie Fischer of Huntington Beach, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, in Thursday’s third round. In other 35-and-over division second-round matches, Wick Phillips of Claremont defeated Alex Polland of Anaheim, 6-2, 6-1; Gene Malin of West Hills defeated Bill Higgins of Arcadia, 6-3, 6-4, and Alvin Gardner of Playa del Rey, the second-seeded player who has yet to play a match, advanced again by default against Rob Wheatly of Rancho Mirage. Play begins this morning at 10:30. Saturday’s finals begin at 9:30 a.m.