Braverman Hopes Hard Work Pays Off in Improved Play

In the last few weeks, tennis fans have seen and heard all about the young phenoms on the women’s professional tennis tour--Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova and others. But what about the other side of phenomdom?

What about the aspiring phenoms? The flash-in-the-pan phenoms whose reign never came? Or the late bloomers who never liked the term phenom anyway?

They’re all here this week at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club for the Pacific Life/USTA Women’s Challenger. The players’ rankings range from 71 to 1,052.

Somewhere in the middle is Newport Beach’s Brandis Braverman, 17, who is ranked 408th on the Women’s Tennis Assn. computer and climbing. She won her match Sunday, beating Tina Samara of New York, 6-2, 6-3.

“I think it starts at 2,000 or something, so [the ranking] sounds worse than it is,” said Braverman, who plays today in the second round of qualifying.

She couldn’t be more on target.

She plays tennis three to four hours a day, often with her private coach, Ross Case, a former Wimbledon doubles champion, and she hasn’t gone to school full-time in five years.

And because she is a member of the U.S. Tennis Assn.’s junior national team, the USTA picks up the tab for most of her traveling expenses to tournaments. Yep, that ranking of 408 definitely sounds much worse than it is.

Does Braverman mind if she is kidded by her tennis peers for not being in school?

“They’re not going to school either,” she volleys back. “At least the top players aren’t. You can’t do this and be really good at it and also go to school.”

She also doesn’t seem to mind that she’s missed out on high school experiences such as proms, football games, late-night studying and graduation.

“I know what I’m missing,” she said. “It’s a given. But they’re missing out on a lot too. I’ve traveled around the world. This year I’ve been to Europe twice and Australia once. That gives you a certain amount of maturity and discipline. The experiences I’ve had are invaluable. It’s about like going to work.”

Some people work in a factory and some just happen to work on a tennis court.

“It’s like going to work at a job you enjoy,” she said. “You better enjoy it. It’s way past the point of being out there for yourself.”

But Braverman has been supported by her parents, emotionally and financially, in pursuit of a pro career for as long as she can remember.

Braverman is in good company in Newport Beach. Taylor Dent, a year younger than Braverman, is also pursuing a professional tennis career--neither Dent nor Braverman have accepted prize money so both are still considered juniors, even though they often play pro satellite events. Dent went to Corona del Mar High for a year, but like Braverman, he quickly discovered that school, tennis and traveling don’t mix.

“He knows what he’s going to be doing and so do I,” Braverman said. “School is not fitting into the picture for either of us.”

Braverman attended Buckley, a private school in Encino, until the eighth grade, then studied with a private tutor for three years and finished her high school class work in January, a month before her 17th birthday. She moved to Newport Beach last year with her mother when her parents divorced.

Braverman had been taking lessons from Nels Van Patten, but when she moved to Newport Beach last year, she switched to Case, the pro at Big Canyon Country Club.

“Nels was a good teacher, but he didn’t have the experience on tour that Ross has,” she said. “When Ross says something, you tend to believe him more because he’s been out there.”

Although her results this summer don’t show it, Braverman said her game is coming together. She lost a tough three-set match in the first round of the Italian Open juniors to a girl who reached the final. She lost in the first round of the French Open junior, 7-5, 7-6, to a top-200 player. At the U.S. Open junior, she was beaten by the sixth-seeded player in the first round. At the USTA national hardcourts, she lost in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Jackie Trail of Paducah, Ky.

Last year at the Newport Challenger, Braverman had her best result in a pro tournament--upsetting Jolene Watanabe, a top 65 player, in the first round and advancing to the quarterfinals. Lately, she’s been working at shortening her backhand stroke, strengthening her serve and sharpening her volleys.

“I’m a late bloomer,” she said. “My game’s taken a lot longer to come together than most. I grew late and I’m just starting to grow into my body. I’m not 6-2 like Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport. [She’s 5 feet 6]. So I have to work harder than others to compensate for my size.”

But Braverman realizes without her parents’ financial support, she might not have had the resources available to work so hard.

“My dad’s an attorney and I have a court in my backyard,” she said. “I know it’s a privilege. I’m lucky. I’m also a pretty big believer in destiny. I think I’d have eventually gotten there, but this makes things a lot easier.”

The next decision she makes won’t be so easy--when to turn pro.

“Obviously it’s a big risk,” she said. “But if I spent too much time thinking about failing, then it’s not going to work out.”

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Tennis Tournament at a Glance

* What: Pacific Life/USTA Women’s Challenger of Newport Beach

* Where: Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club

* When: Main draw is Tuesday through Sunday, matches begin each day at 10 a.m., Sunday’s finals at noon; Qualifying rounds continue today.

* Top players: Sandra Cacic, Bradenton, Fla., 70th ranked; Catalina Cristea, Romania, 71st ranked; Kristina Brandi, Tampa, Fla., 85th ranked; Rachel McQuillan, Australia, 100th ranked.

* Tickets: Free through Tuesday; general admission is $5 Wednesday through Friday, $8 for semifinals and $10 for finals.