Mater Dei’s Esmero Serves Up a Successful Year

She didn’t accomplish her ultimate goal of winning the Southern Section individual singles title, but Mater Dei’s Melissa Esmero has few complaints about her junior season. She lost only one set in dual match play (to Woodbridge’s Susanna Lingman), her team won its first section tennis title and she advanced to the section individual semifinals for the first time.

“I couldn’t have had a better year,” Esmero said. “I’m happy about a lot of things. You can’t win everything.”

She won enough to earn Times Orange County player of the year honors.

“Nobody wins something by themselves,” Esmero said. “It’s very exciting to win. It hasn’t even sunk in. I’ve accomplished a lot, but now it’s time to focus on other things.”

Like filling in some holes in her game, reacquainting herself with the weights at her gym and choosing which college to attend. Esmero will probably have more colleges from which to choose if she takes care of the first two tasks.

Her early choice is Notre Dame, but Esmero has also received letters from UCLA and other schools.

“I’m open,” she said. “Whoever wants me, I’m here.”

Esmero’s stock has risen since she won the Southern California junior sectional tournament last summer. Ironically, the player she upset in the sectional semifinals--San Marino’s Luana Magnani--ousted her from the Southern Section individual tournament six months later, 6-3, 6-4.

“I was pretty upset that I didn’t go out and play my best,” Esmero said. “I had 60% of what I usually play with, but I gave 100% of that. You don’t always have all your weapons.”

One weapon Esmero didn’t have that day was her serve, which was deadly when she beat Magnani during the summer.

“It was just a roller-coaster day,” she said. “I couldn’t control it.”

Esmero was better at controlling her team’s romp through the Division II playoffs. The Monarchs, led by Esmero at No. 1 singles, weren’t threatened in four playoff victories, including a 15-3 rout of Santa Maria Righetti in the finals.

“That was very exciting,” Esmero said. “We gained a lot of confidence throughout the year. I’m looking forward to next year.”