Local Satellite Tennis Event Could Put Careers in Orbit

Several lower-level professional tennis players will perhaps put their futures on the line next week in the first $12,500 L.A. Fitness Fall Classic at the L.A. Fitness Warner Center Club.

The tournament, which will include Camarillo teen-ager Mike Bryan, is the final event of the United States Tennis Assn. Men’s Pro Satellite Circuit in Southern California and will run Tuesday through Sunday.

The event, the first of its kind in the Valley, is a steppingstone that, for some competitors, will lead to the Grand Slam circuit.

“It’s a great chance for the people in the community to come out and see the guys who are going to be the stars three or four years down the road,” said Annette Buck, director of adult and senior tennis for the Southern California Tennis Assn. “A lot of guys at the top, like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, this is where they got their starts.”

Mike Bryan, a high-ranking junior player, won the USTA Junior National Boys’ 18-and-under championship in doubles with his twin, Bob, in August.

Bob Bryan has not qualified for this, the last of four satellite events in Southern California, but Mike Bryan was ranked 17th among 54 singles players after losing in the first round Tuesday in the USTA Men’s Pro Satellite event at the Anaheim Tennis Center.

Among the top-seeded players will be Brian MacPhie of San Jose, who played at USC.