Area Players Crowd Into Easter Bowl
The last time an Orange County player appeared in a final of the Easter Bowl national junior tennis tournament, Kevin Kim of Fullerton lost to Ryan Wolters of San Jose in the 1995 boys’ 18s final.
But second-seeded Lindsey Nelson of Villa Park High School, third-seeded Anne Yelsey of Corona del Mar High and 10th-seeded Tracy Lin of Canyon High should have a legitimate chance to end that slump in the girls’ 16 singles division of the Easter Bowl event, which begins today in Palm Springs at the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club.
Other top county high school players entered in the girls’ 16 draw are Aimee Kim of University, Elizabeth Exon of Woodbridge, Gia Nafarrete of Los Alamitos, Kady Pooler of Dana Hills and Erin Ivey of Aliso Niguel.
No other county players are seeded among the top 12 in any division, but several are playing well enough to be a factor in their age division.
In the girls’ 18s, Susanna Lingman of Woodbridge, Arpi Kojian of Villa Park, Brittany Reitz and Kim Singer of Corona del Mar, Joanna Kao of Sunny Hills, Megan Biorkman of University and Natalie Braverman of Newport Harbor are all strong contenders.
Braverman, an alternate who was added to the field last week, is one of the hottest players in the Southern California, reaching the the finals of this week’s National Open in Torrance and the semifinals of a tournament at Long Beach two weeks ago.
In the girls’ 14s, Lauren Imre of San Juan Capistrano, Alexa Glatch of Irvine, Cosmina Ciobanu and Clarissa Fermin of Troy High and H.R. Espiritu of Esperanza High are entered.
The strongest boys’ division for county players is the boys’ 18s, where seven players are entered: Matt Loucks of Irvine, Drew Hoskins of Los Alamitos, Aaron Yovan of University High, Brian Morton and Garrett Snyder of Corona del Mar High, Sergiu Modoc of El Dorado High and Patrick Buchanan and Jonathan Sanchez of Servite High.
Kevin McQuaid and John Mano of Los Alamitos High, Jack Li of University High and Jeff Das of Troy High are entered in the boys’ 16s and Carsten Ball of Newport Beach, Matt Van’t Hof of Mater Dei High, Lee Singer of Laguna Niguel, Rasha Homneyom of Placentia and Shan Sondhu of Laguna Niguel are in the boys’ 14s.
For the first time, the Easter Bowl has the added title of a USTA super national. By conforming to the super national rules, each draw will have 128 players, twice as many as in years past.
Tonight at 7 in the Mediterranean Room of the Riviera, Women’s Tennis Assn. player Lindsey Davenport of Newport Beach will honor two of her coaches, Robert Van’t Hof of Newport Beach and Robert Lansdorp of Rolling Hills Estates.
“It was time to bring attention to the special role so many coaches play in the lives of young junior tournament players,” said Seena Hamilton, Easter Bowl founder and director. “They not only develop their tennis talents but also act as mentors and friends.”
The girls’ 14s and 16s and boys’ 14s begin today and end Wednesday. The boys’ 16s and 18s and girls’ 18 begin Friday and conclude April 19.