Dream Team

Dina and Desi McBride have forged some love matches through tennis.

Between themselves, and with the Ojai tournament.

“I love Ojai,” Dina McBride said. “I love the atmosphere, I love Libbey Park.

“It’s just a nice tournament. It’s just, ‘Let’s play some good tennis and watch some good tennis.’ ”

The McBrides, who were married last May, have done plenty of both.

Desi McBride, tennis director at Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center, has been a teaching pro for nearly 15 years.

Desi, 38, has played in the tournament every year but one since 1985, with his best showing coming in 1993 when he lost in the match of the men’s open singles division.

Dina, formerly Dina Birch, won Ojai’s women’s open singles division championship last year and in 1997, and was the runner-up in 1996.

Dina, 28, has played in the tournament for more than 10 years. A graduate of Estancia High in Costa Mesa, she played for University of San Diego and spent two years on the professional satellite circuit before becoming an instructor at the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center in 1996.

Desi and Dina, who live in Woodland Hills, have found success playing mixed doubles, winning the U.S. Tennis Assn. Southern California section championship and several charity open tournaments in 1997.

“We both love tennis,” Desi said. “She’s teaching, I’m teaching, we’ve both played most of our lives.”

The couple’s first child, two-month-old Parker Nelson McBride, arrived just in time for Dina to begin preparing to defend the Ojai title she won last year.

“This is my first tournament back,” Dina said. “I just can’t believe I’m out here. But I really wanted to do this.

“I only had about three weeks to prepare.”

Desi beat Ryan Thompson of Villa Park in his open singles first-round match Thursday but lost to Andrew Cheney of Newport Beach, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, in the round of 32.

Dina defeated Darian Wright of Santa Maria, 6-2, 6-3, in a women’s singles first-round match Thursday but lost, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), to Mary Fallara in a quarterfinal Friday.

“Maybe in doubles still, though,” Desi said. “We mostly do it for fun now.”

In men’s open doubles, Desi McBride and Jonas Wallgard of Woodland Hills beat Kurt Kradel and Will Moravec of Huntington Beach, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarterfinals. Dina McBride and Tracie Currie of Ventura defeated Laura Kriese of Oxnard and Tara McLean-Emery of Ventura, 6-0, 6-1, in a women’s open semifinal match.

In between matches, the McBrides are enjoying their son, who is attending the tournament.

“I hope he loves tennis,” Desi said. “But he’ll play everything and if he likes tennis, that would be great. If he wants to do something else, that’ll be fine too.”

In the meantime, Parker’s parents will play.

“It’s like a tag-team,” Dina said with a laugh. “We go, ‘OK, you’ve got him for my match and I’ll take him for yours.”

That’s what Desi did Friday morning, cradling, burping and changing Parker while Dina played Fallara at Spanish Hills Golf and Country Club in Camarillo.

“She actually fed him right before she played,” Desi said. “We bring him along when we can and he’s still young enough that he sleeps through most of it.”

Dina felt the effects of a lack of sleep and recent tournament experience during her singles match Friday.

“I was tentative in the first set, mentally tired in the second set,” she said.

“I wish I could have done better. I didn’t play badly, but I still have weight to lose so I didn’t move as well, and I’m just not match-tough.

“I had so many opportunities. There were two or three points in the second set that could have really turned the match. You have to win those, and I lost them. A lot of that’s fatigue.”

McBride was excused by those who watched her play.

“I was surprised she played,” said Ellen Goodman, who is entered in women’s open doubles.

“I thought, ‘Good for you,’ when I saw her in the draw.”

Although she refused to scratch Ojai from her schedule, Dina has stopped teaching tennis and staging clinics in order to devote her time to Parker.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Dina said. “He’s my work now. He’s grown so much in two months already, and I don’t want to miss anything.

“I can’t believe I made this baby, how perfect and special he is.”

Sounds like another love match.