Anaheim’s Lin Battles Back for Victory

Tracy Lin’s hands were shaking, her mouth was dry and her legs were gone. But somehow the 13-year-old from Anaheim found a way to advance into the quarterfinals of the girls’ 14 division at the Easter Bowl Junior Tennis Championships.

The 10th-seeded Lin lost the first set badly but recovered to upset the sixth-seeded Chelsea Nusslock of Lake Forest, Ill., 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, Tuesday at Palm Springs Racquet Club.

“This is the best win I’ve ever had,” said Lin, an eighth grader at El Rancho Middle School. “I’ve never played such a tight match.”

Most of Lin’s matches in Southern California have been blowouts. She hasn’t lost a set in the 14s this year. But that changed the last two days. On Monday, she beat Stacia Fonseca, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2). Tuesday’s match lasted almost three hours.

After it ended, Lin was emotionally drained and physically spent.

“I’ll admit, I was just pushing it at the end,” she said. “I was lucky. She started missing.”

Lin was doing most of the missing in the first set as she fought the wind and an erratic forehand. But she got her strokes under control in the second and third sets.

“When it’s windy, it’s a mental game,” said Lin, who will meet 14th-seeded Lejia Hodzic of Cupertino today. “I’m not used to this. It’s not windy where I live.”

Before the match, Lin placed a good-luck phone call to her brother, Eric, a former Easter Bowl finalist and UCLA player who is in his third year of medical school.

“He helps me a lot because he’s been through all this,” she said. “Before the tournament, he told me to play like a champion. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Aaron Yovan and Matthew Loucks of Irvine were the only other county players to reach the quarterfinals. Yovan, a sophomore at University, stopped eighth-seeded Chris Kwon of Boca Raton, 7-5, 6-4, in the boys’ 16 division. Loucks, who is home-schooled, beat Stephen Rozek of Chardon, Ohio, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3). Loucks and Yovan, doubles partners, could meet in the semifinals if they win their matches this afternoon at 1.

Yovan plays 12th-seeded Rylan Rizza of Palos Verdes Peninsula. The ninth-seeded Loucks plays unseeded John Isner of Greensboro, N.C. Loucks said he was fortunate to get past Rozek, who stopped second-seeded Henry Mak of Irvine Monday.

“I watched that match and I realized I’d have to come out with my game face,” Loucks said. “I could have lost to [Rozek] if I had played poorly.”

Four county girls were eliminated from the winners’ bracket Tuesday--Caylan Leslie of Corona del Mar, Melissa Esmero of Mater Dei and Amberly Tantee of Dana Point in the 18s and Ashley Maddocks of Laguna Beach in the 16s.

Leslie, seeded 15th, was beaten by Whitney Benik of Delray Beach, Fla., 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Esmero, seeded 17th, lost to sixth-seeded Ashley Harkleroad of Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6-3, 6-3.

Harkleroad, only 14, is being touted by the United States Tennis Assn. officials as one of its rising stars.

“She’s good, but I didn’t play very smart,” Esmero said. “I knew she was young, but you don’t really think about that when you’re on the court.”

Esmero, honored last week by the USTA with the Bill Tilden sportsmanship award, and Leslie are winding down their junior careers. Esmero has signed with USC and Leslie with Notre Dame.

Tantee fell to top-seeded Kelly McCain of Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6-2, 6-2. Maddocks was beaten by 17th-seeded Audrey Banada of Miami, 6-2, 6-1.