Pain Forces Kim, Dent to Withdraw From Competition

The Easter Bowl junior tennis tournament ended in pain Friday for Kevin Kim and Taylor Dent, the last two Orange County players left in the event, and it might have ended for at least a year here at the Riviera Resort and Country Club.

Fullerton’s Kim woke up with a stiff neck and pulled out of his boys’ 18 doubles semifinals match and his consolation singles match. Dent retired after one point of his boys’ 16 consolation singles match because of an ankle injury.

Dent likely will play in the Easter Bowl next year, but he might have to travel to Florida instead of Palm Springs. Seena Hamilton, the tournament’s founder and chairman, said the Riviera Resort and Country Club will be booked next year because of the Dinah Shore women’s professional golf tournament.

“Everyone loves it here,” Hamilton said. “But the dates conflict next year.”

Hamilton said two other resorts in Palm Springs have inquired about hosting the event next year, but she is doubtful they can offer her the deal she received at the Riviera.

Hamilton said the Doral Resort in Miami, which had been the event’s site before it came to Palm Springs two years ago, would welcome the tournament back to Florida. But even if the Easter Bowl moves to Miami for one year, Hamilton said it will probably return to Palm Springs the following year. Easter week does not conflict with the Dinah Shore in 1998.

“They told me at the Riviera, ‘As long as we have you here for ‘98, do what you have to do next year,’ ” Hamilton said.

There won’t be a next year at the Easter Bowl for Kim, who is in his last year of junior tennis. Kim told tournament referee Jan Ryan in the morning that he was in too much pain to play his doubles match with partner Michael Russell, his teammate on the USTA national team. Russell and Kim, who were seeded second in the 16-team draw, were supposed to play Alex Hur of Boca Raton, Fla., and Mitchell Koch of Parkland, Fla.

“I believe that he was really hurting,” Ryan said. “Kevin’s not the type to let somebody down. The trainer supported the fact that he shouldn’t play. The trainer said he would do more damage to it by playing. [Kim’s] health is more important than one match.”

Kim’s next important decision will be his choice of colleges. Kim had been deciding between UCLA and USC, but began considering Miami when former USTA coach Rodney Harmon was named the Hurricanes’ men’s tennis coach.

“I’m taking a long time with the decision because I don’t want to make the wrong choice,” Kim said last week.