Diaz Makes Noise in SoCal Juniors

The grunting sound Maureen Diaz made every time she hit the ball was audible several courts away. The pained expression she wore was striking.

To the casual observer, Diaz was a portrait of agony Wednesday in her first-round match in the Southern California Junior Tennis Championships.

But Diaz, from Glendale, was merely plying her trade in her quest for the girls’ 16-and-under championship at the Los Caballeros Sports Village.

Jessica Prause of Laguna Hills did all the suffering in a 6-1, 6-0 victory for Diaz.

It was the most dominating victory in her division, yet Diaz, seeded seventh, was fighting to break some old habits--which explains her anguished expressions.

Her game has taken on wholesale changes since a first-round upset loss to Serita Yardi in this tournament last year.

Diaz’s parents hired Jim Strong, a coach who built his reputation working with professionals.

Under Strong’s direction, Diaz has developed a hustling style and a potent serve. Diaz, 15, doesn’t mind the change.

“I want to be a pro and this makes me better,” she said. “When I was in the 10s and 12s, I could stay back and wait for the other person to make errors. But now I come in.”

Diaz, who stands 5 feet 5, lacks the power of some of her contemporaries, but makes up for it in push.

She broke Prause’s serve five times. And on nearly every point after the first two games, Diaz’s ground strokes and approach shots either caught Prause out of position or off balance.

The result was usually a Diaz winner or a Prause unforced error.

Prause, fighting a bad cold, appeared dazed after the match.

“I don’t really know what she did,” Prause said. “But she hit better than I did.”

Diaz has twice lost in the finals of this event--which sends the top eight finishers in each division to the junior national tournament.

Diaz lost to Leslie Harvey in three sets for the 12-and-under title and fell to Tiffany Brymer, 6-4, 6-4, in the 14s.

With hopes of grooming her for a college scholarship, Armando Diaz, Maureen’s father, hired Fountain Valley resident Strong after last year’s first-round loss.

“In the past, she was a baseliner with a more defensive style,” Strong said. “She was winning by attrition. But at her size, she won’t get to the Division I level without being able to take the ball early and make aggressive ground strokes.”

But the hard work she has put in to change her game has made Diaz more confident.

In fact, she expects to win.

“I think I can do it,” she said. “I’ve improved my serve, and I can adjust to just about any style now.”