Royal’s Oding Finds Doubles Trouble in Marmonte League

Anders Oding of Royal High, an exchange student from Sweden, came to the United States to play tennis, to experience American culture and to improve his English.

Becoming the focal point of controversy, however, was never a part of his plans.

Since Oding’s arrival eight months ago, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior who is ranked in the Top 20 in 18s in his country has built a reputation as one of this region’s elite high school players.

Tournament play and early nonleague victories over Joey Edelberg of Oak Park and Alex Menichini of Calabasas helped establish his reputation quickly among the tennis ranks.

Oding was having fun, playing high school tennis and enjoying team camaraderie for the first time in his life. Set by set, his high school singles’ record grew to 48 victories without a loss.

Then, controversy.

On Friday, Royal traveled to play Westlake in a regular-season finale for a much-anticipated showdown between Oding and the Warriors’ fearsome threesome: No. 1 Darren Joe, No. 2 Erik Janson and No. 3 Alex Yaftali, all in the USTA’s Southern California rankings.

Much to the surprise and disappointment of Westlake Coach Grant Calkins, Oding checked in as a doubles player--on the No. 2 team.

“He essentially dodged the tougher competition at the last minute,” Calkins said.

But Oding and Royal co-coach Mike Kohl say otherwise.

“We had decided that because it was our last game, the seniors were going to play doubles together,” Oding said.

Kohl said Oding’s move to doubles is indicative of the type of person he is.

“He’ll sublimate himself for the good of the team,” Kohl said. “He’s an elite player, but he doesn’t have an elite player’s attitude.”

Each Marmonte League team is scheduled to play league opponents twice. The first scheduled match between Royal and Westlake at Royal was postponed because of rain. It was rescheduled for May 5, but rain canceled that match too.

“I talked to Anders and asked him, what do you want to do?” Kohl said. “And after discussing it, he said he would play singles here and right before the [Marmonte League] tournament, play doubles over there. [Oding said], ‘That way they won’t get a look at my game right before the tournament and maybe we can get some games off them.’ That’s what high school tennis is about, team tennis.

“It was a suggestion by me and a decision made by him.”

Randy Wong and Matt Morris of Royal, both seniors, also moved from singles to doubles. Although Oding and doubles partner Jesse Jin swept their competition, Westlake won, 14-4.

The last-minute switch to doubles didn’t sit well with Calkins, or the rest of the Marmonte coaches who met the following day for a seeding meeting for the league individual tournament.

“I can’t know what [Oding] was thinking, but I can tell you that it didn’t feel real comfortable to the rest of the coaches,” Calkins said.

While the coaches were upset that Oding never played the toughest lineup in the league, they decided to make him the top-seeded player and the league’s most valuable player.

“We were upset, but we were faced with the predicament that in order to penalize [Oding], we would have been making a second wrong to make a right,” Calkins said.

“He had the best record in the league and that’s how our seedings go. In order to penalize him, we would have had to give him an artificial loss.”

Oding, a low-key, amiable 18-year-old who has practiced with Joe, Edelberg and former Royal player Nick Varvais, said he hasn’t given much thought to the controversy or the ill feelings toward him.

“It’s kind of funny,” he said. “If they want to say [he dodged competition], say it.

“They’re going to think what they want to think anyway.”

The controversy appears to have angered Kohl more than Oding.

“He’s not here to prove anything,” Kohl said. “He’s been ranked in his own country and he knows what kind of tennis player he is.

“He’s not afraid to play anybody, that’s for sure.”

Today, Oding gets a chance to prove to his critics that he is worthy of his top seeding. He could face two Westlake players in the Marmonte League individual championships at Agoura. He will face Yaftali in the semifinals, and if he wins, he would face the winner of the Janson-Philip Cheng match in the final.

Oding defeated Cheng of Thousand Oaks twice during league play.

The two finalists from today’s tournament will advance to the Southern Section individual tournament, which begins May 23.

Win or lose, this will be Oding’s final appearance in high school competition.

Oding said he made plans months ago for a week of vacation in Hawaii with a group of exchange students beginning May 21.

He said he would have loved to play for a section title, but was misinformed about the start date of the section tournament and opted instead for a little rest and relaxation.

“I’ve played so many tournaments here, “ he said. “And when I go home [in June], I’m going to play a lot of tournaments in the summer.”

“It’s Hawaii. [It’s] once in a lifetime.”

Marmonte League individual tournament

Today at Agoura High

semifinals, 1 p.m.

* No. 1 Anders Oding, Royal (48-0, 36-0) vs. No. 4 Alex Yaftali, Westlake (28-2, 19-2)

* No. 2 Erik Janson, Westlake (20-1, 29-1) vs. No. 3 Philip Cheng, Thousand Oaks (34-5, 26-4)

Final

(45 minutes after semifinals)

* Oding-Yaftali winner vs. Janson-Cheng winner.

Format is best-of-three sets