TENNIS / DANA HADDAD : Injury-Free Tu Primed to Hurt USTA 18s Field

Meilen Tu is not limping. That’s painful news for opponents who must deal with the unfettered Northridge resident at the U.S. Tennis Assn. girls’ 18 national championships in San Jose.

She was seeded fifth in the event last year, but was troubled by a strain in her lower back and a sprain in her right ankle. She made her way to the quarterfinals, where she lost to top-seeded and eventual champion Janet Lee.

Worse was 1992, the year Tu was seeded No. 2 in the 18s. Then a promising 14-year-old, she defaulted in the third round because of a hamstring injury.

Now 16, Tu has made her third trip to the 18 nationals, this time as the favorite. Injury-free, she works out in a gym regularly. She’s never felt stronger, she says. And her scores from San Jose this week seem to indicate so.

First round: defeated Meredith Laughlin, 6-0, 6-2.

Second round: defeated Kelly Baskin, 6-0, 6-0.

Third round: defeated Justyna Gudzowska, 6-0, 6-3.

Fourth round: defeated Adrien Alder, 6-0, 6-1.

Will her third try at the nationals be the charm? Perhaps. But Tu said she won’t be disappointed if she doesn’t win the championship Saturday.

“If I lose tomorrow or the day after . . . I did the best I could,” she said. “The most important thing is that I’m improving. You don’t hear many players saying that. I’m just happy if I play well.”

Tu was playing well early this summer on the International Tennis Federation world junior tour. She won a grass-court tournament in England and was ranked 15th by the ITF. But she believed she could be stronger. After returning in late July, she began to work on her speed, conditioning and upper body strength with trainer Damion Dormeyer at the Warner Center Club.

“He pushes me,” Tu said. “If I didn’t have someone like that, I wouldn’t go in there. I can tell the difference now, especially in the third set. I can finish off a match.”

Tu started playing for the U.S. national team last year. Since then she has inched her way up the ladder with a big victory here and there, but no championships. Since winning the Surbiton Junior Championships in London in June, she is on the verge of elite status.

She dominated Ludmila Varmuzova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-1, in the final. Two weeks earlier, Varmuzova beat French Open finalist Mary Pierce in straight sets in a 21-and-under tournament in Eastbourne, England.

The victory in England only adds to the expectations the USTA has placed on Tu this week by seeding her No. 1. But with a new perspective, she doesn’t let the hype bother her.

“Being the No. 1 seed, a lot of girls say, ‘Oh, the pressure’s on you,’ ” she said. “I probably would have felt it a year ago or two years ago. But I think of tennis so much more different ever since my injuries. I don’t worry so much about winning and losing anymore. I’m just enjoying playing.”

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Players’ best friend: For 15 years, Martha Katsufrakis of Tarzana has directed the tournament desk at the Los Angeles Open. There she has escorted the likes of Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe onto the court, recorded their scores and told them when to show up for the next round.

The players love Katsufrakis for little favors. She makes sure they get enough food, rest and privacy. Her charges make phone calls for the players and wash their laundry. Perhaps most important, she provides their entourages with tickets and passes to the players’ lounge.

“Every year, the boys bug me for tickets,” she said. “When they’re good, I help them get more tickets than they deserve.”

After 15 years, Katsufrakis can properly judge an impostor. Last week it was a man at the gate claiming to be Boris Becker’s brother. This upset one of Becker’s managers, who asked Katsufrakis why she didn’t have a ticket for the man.

“I said, ‘Well, unless Mr. Becker leaves the ticket, we can’t honor that,’ ” said Katsufrakis, who checked with a coach and within minutes confirmed that Becker has no male siblings.