Frazier Decides She’ll Take Newport in the Springtime

Instead of sliding around the red clay at the French Open today, Amy Frazier will be at the Newport Beach Tennis Club, participating in the 37th annual Adoption Guild Charity Tennis Tournament.

She and partner John Austin have advanced to today’s semifinals of the open mixed-doubles division. The finals are Sunday in all men’s, women’s and mixed singles and doubles divisions.

Frazier, who played three years for the Newport Beach Dukes of World Team Tennis, said she decided to skip the French Open to cut down on the wear and tear on her body.

“I can’t play as many tournaments as I used to,” said Frazier, 25, who is ranked 50th on the Women’s Tennis Assn. tour. “I’m trying to pace myself now, but I still love to play tennis.”

Frazier’s passion for the game led her to bypass college and head straight for the pros as a 17-year-old phenom from Rochester, Mich.

She arrived in Newport Beach in 1990, and from the first day she stepped onto the courts at the John Wayne Tennis Club (now Palisades Tennis Club), Frazier was a presence.

She won the league’s rookie of the year award and became one of the top 20 women on the WTA tour. The Dukes disbanded in 1993, sending Frazier to the WTT’s Idaho Sneakers, for whom she won the league’s MVP honor in 1995.

She continued her climb in the WTA standings, reaching as high as No. 13 in 1996. In her career, she has five singles and four doubles tournament victories. Her last big victory came in 1995, when she won in singles at the Japan Open.

While Frazier said she chose to play in Newport Beach instead of Paris because she was pacing herself, she’s not taking the local tournament lightly.

“I’ve been pretty busy preparing,” she said. “I’m looking to have fun, but I also expect to play some competitive tennis. There are a lot of good people in the tournament.”

Frazier said Austin talked her into playing the tournament, but he didn’t have to do much convincing.

“We have a great relationship and I’m really looking forward to playing with him,” Frazier said of Austin, who is her coach and the brother of former pro Tracy Austin. “The fact that a charity will benefit makes it all the better.”

Frazier and Austin scored straight-set victories last weekend in the first and second rounds. Today, they will meet the team of Danielle Scott (from Corona del Mar High) and former UC Irvine player Bruce Man Son Hing.

“I have not played any tournaments in the area since I left,” Frazier said. “I’m very excited about coming back.”

Tournament chairperson Linda Winston also is pleased Frazier has found time to return to her old stomping grounds.

“We’re thrilled to have her here,” Winston said. “We hope the lineup in this tournament will be a starting point to promote tennis in Orange County.”

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Tennis Tournament

* What: Adoption Guild Charity Tennis Tournament

* When: Semifinals begin 8 today; finals begin 9:30 a.m. Sunday

* Where: Newport Beach Tennis Club, 2601 Eastbluff Drive

* Tickets: $3 today; $5 Sunday

* Benefits: Holy Family Services

* Information: (949) 675-0633