Irvin’s Absence Leaves an Opening

Marissa Irvin of Stanford, a graduate of Harvard-Westlake High, packed a wallop while winning the Pacific 10 Conference singles and doubles titles last year in Ojai.

But this year Irvin is expected to be conspicuously absent from the tournament, which takes place in conjunction with the Ojai tournament today through Sunday.

Irvin, a sophomore, has played in only selected matches for Stanford this season, choosing to concentrate on playing in professional tournaments and improving her world ranking with an eye toward turning pro.

“She’s going to sit this one out,” said Mike Peterson, sports information officer at Stanford. “She’s fine. She’s not hurt or anything like that.”

Peterson said although Irvin is not expected to defend her Pac-10 titles, she probably will play in the NCAA Championships May 12-14 in an attempt to improve on her runner-up finish of last year and help the top-ranked Cardinal pursue the national title.

Irvin (19-0) is the only undefeated player in the nation and, at No. 82 in the latest Women’s Tennis Assn. rankings, the highest-ranked amateur in the world.

Though she has played sparingly for Stanford, Irvin has helped the Cardinal (25-0) clinch its 13th consecutive conference title and enter the postseason unbeaten for the fifth time.

Her absence from Ojai opens the door for others in singles and doubles, including Stanford teammate Laura Granville, ranked No. 3 nationally. Other contenders for the Pac-10 singles title include No. 4-ranked Kristina Kraszewski of Washington, No. 5 Zuzana Lesenarova and No. 7 Sarah Walker of UCLA.

Zuzana Stunova of Washington, a Rio Mesa High graduate who won Southern Section titles in 1995 and ‘96, also is expected to play.

In doubles, the absence of Irvin and Teryn Ashley, who will compete only in singles, boosts the chances of Claire Curran and Amy Jensen of California, ranked No. 5, and Granville and Keiko Tokuda, ranked No. 7.

Freshman Tiffany Brymer of USC, who won the Southern Section singles title at Rio Mesa in 1998 and won the Ojai girls’ 18 doubles championship with Abigail Spears last year, also hopes to make a mark in Pac-10 doubles.

She has been playing No. 6 singles and No. 1 doubles with Kara Warkentin for the Trojans (15-8, 4-4).

“Hopefully, I’m looking to pull an upset in doubles,” Brymer said. “We play really well together. I think this tournament’s going to be good for us.”

Travis Rettenmaier of UCLA, from Camarillo, and Lassi Kotola are 13-7 and have struggled through a sometimes frustrating season at No. 3 doubles.

Rettenmaier, a 16-year-old freshman, hopes to use Ojai as a homecoming and a springboard to success. He has done it in the past, winning the Ojai boys’ 14-and-under singles title as an 11-year-old in 1995, and winning the 16-and-under championship in 1998. He was the 16-and-under runner-up last year.

But Rettenmaier, who was home-schooled and attended a tennis academy, missed UCLA’s first seven matches this season before he became eligible.

The delay kept him out of the lineup, resulting in him not playing a singles match this season.

“It was such an awkward start to the year,” Rettenmaier said. “I want to use this tournament as a proving ground, to show people I can play better than I have been.

“I’m looking forward to it. I know a lot of people there, and of all the tournaments I’ve ever competed in, the Ojai is the best.”

Rettenmaier is expected to compete in the second-level invitational portion of the Pac-10 tournament, rather than the open tournament.

The open tournament includes Jong-Min Lee and Jean-Noel Grinda of UCLA, who won the Pac-10 doubles title last year but have played with different partners this season.

No. 6-ranked Alex Kim of top-ranked Stanford (22-1, 7-1) is the highest-rated singles player in men’s competition.