Rising Star

It was a team banquet setting, so Geoff Abrams thought Stanford Coach Dick Gould was trying to be nice when he blurted out that he could see Abrams winning the NCAA championship next year.

“I was very surprised,” said Abrams, a former Newport Harbor High standout. “I almost didn’t believe him.”

At the time, Gould’s prediction seemed far-fetched. Abrams was not even one of the top four players on his own team, let alone the country. But now--some 11 months later--it appears Gould knew what he was talking about.

Abrams, a junior, isn’t only one of college tennis’ most improved players, he’s also one of its best--as he proved Thursday on the first day of the Pacific 10 Conference championships in Ojai. Abrams breezed through his first two matches--beating Oregon’s Carlos Navarro, 6-1, 6-2, in the morning and USC’s Greg Hill, 6-3, 6-2, in the afternoon.

“I really don’t see myself as that much of a different player, maybe that’s because I’ve been with myself and I’ve seen the gradual improvement,” Abrams said.

But Abrams admits even he couldn’t have imagined a 17-4 record this year in No. 2 singles and a 16-2 mark with Alex Kim at No. 2 doubles.

“When you’re playing five and six [in the singles ladder], you look at the one, two and three players and think, ‘They’re too good for me,’ ” said Abrams, who was 26-0 while playing No. 5 and No. 6 singles.

But when three of the top four depart--Mike and Bob Bryan left for the pro tour and Paul Goldstein graduated--it’s a lot easier to envision yourself at or near the top of the lineup.

The three-time defending NCAA champion Cardinal isn’t as dominant as it has been. But without Abrams’ improvement, a No. 10 ranking and a co-Pac-10 championship would be unlikely.

“We’ve surprised a lot of people including myself,” said Gould, who has won 16 NCAA championships in 32 years at Stanford. “Geoff coming along in singles and doubles has a lot to do with that.”

How has Abrams--the NCAA’s 42nd-ranked singles player--come along so quickly? Much of it has to do with Abrams sticking to his plan.

“Geoff has always been solid with his groundstrokes, but he’s become a great serve and volleyer,” Gould said. “Even when he’s losing, he’s not reverting back to his comfort zone.”

Abrams--at 6 feet 5, 180 pounds--has always had a body to play a serve-and-volley game, but he never had the skills or the confidence to carry it out.

“It’s the way I knew I had to play, but whether I was good enough to do it was another thing,” he said.

Early in his junior career, Abrams blew people off the court by hitting the ball harder than his undersized competitors. By 14, he was the best 14 year old in the nation. But with that ranking came labels, expectations and pressure.

“I was reading all this stuff and letting it get to me,” Abrams said.

But now the pressure is off. Abrams already knows what he wants to do. Practice medicine and tennis, but not necessarily in that order. He’s going to try the pro tour for a while and then go back to medical school.

“How he does out there is going to be defined by how much he really wants to do it,” Gould said. “He can’t be thinking if he doesn’t do well, he’ll go back to med school.”

Abrams got a taste of professional tennis last summer when he played a satellite event and reached the semifinals.

“It’s something you just try,” he said. “You’re in it against guys who are playing for meal money.”

If Abrams continues playing the way he did Thursday, he might be making more than meal money. His serve had too much pace, his volleys were too sharp and his passing shots were too accurate for Navarro and Hill.

And he’s running better than ever. A Hill drop volley appeared to be too good to get, but Abrams sprinted from the baseline and lofted a top-spin lob winner over Hill while on the dead run.

“I don’t think I’m faster, just smarter,” he said.

He’s also better, and Gould is not the only coach who has noticed.

“He’s become one of the better players in college tennis,” USC Coach Dick Leach said. “He’s got a beautiful game. He can play with anybody.”

Notes

In Pac-10 women’s singles, UCLA’s Brandi Freudenberg (El Modena) lost to Washington State’s Patrycja Gajdzik, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, in the first round. . . . In Pac-10 women’s invitational singles, Arizona State’s Faye DeVera (Villa Park) advanced to the quarterfinals with two straight-set victories. . . . In the boys’ interscholastic singles, La Quinta’s Robert Chu, Corona del Mar’s Parker Collins, Los Alamitos’ Cody Jackson and Woodbridge’s David Lingman advanced to the round of 16. Jackson had the toughest time as he outlasted Dana Hills’ Brian Kent in 2 1/2 hours, 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (7-2). . . . In the boys’ 16 singles, Henry Mak and Aaron Yovan of University, Cameron Ball of Corona del Mar and Joseph Kao of Sunny Hills won first-round matches. . . . Top-seeded Kim Nguyen of Saddleback and second-seeded Amberly Tantee of Dana Point reached the round of 16 in the girls’ 16 singles. . . . Newport Beach’s Brittany Reitz, Corona del Mar’s Caylan Leslie, Laguna Hills’ Jessica Prause and Newport Harbor’s Natalie Braverman reached the round of 16 in girls’ 18 singles.