This Rivalry Is Taken to a Higher Court

For the most part, the rivalry between Lindsey Nelson and Tracy Lin has been about neighborhood bragging rights. They have grown up a few miles from each other in Villa Park and Anaheim Hills, and they have usually done battle in local junior tournaments and high school matches.

But on Sunday at the Palm Springs Racquet Club, Nelson and Lin took their rivalry to a bigger stage--the Easter Bowl/USTA Supernational Spring Tournament. With brighter lights and temperatures in the high 80s, the play was sloppier than usual. But the emotions were just as high and the match just as competitive as always.

Lately, though, Nelson’s play and nerves have been better at crunch time. They were Sunday too, as she hung on to beat Lin, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, in a 2 1/2-hour marathon in the fourth round of the girls’ 16 division.

“I just dug out a few extra points and made a few miracle shots,” Nelson said. “There wasn’t much difference. Tracy played great tennis.”

It didn’t appear as though Nelson, seeded second in the 128-player draw, was going to have to work very hard to reach today’s quarterfinals. She won the first set in 25 minutes and took a 2-0 lead in the second set as Lin struggled with her serve and her overall game. Lin, seeded 10th, served six double faults and was putting only one of every five first serves in play.

“I felt very lucky in that first set,” Nelson said.

But the luck and the momentum started changing once Nelson went up, 2-0. Nelson’s serve started to desert her and Lin began putting more pace on the ball and dramatically improving her first-serve percentage. She won the next six games and then went up a break at 2-1 in the third set.

“I knew there was no way I was going to lose to her one and zero,” Lin said. “I had to start picking it up.”

Nelson won the next three games to go up, 4-2. But Lin rallied to tie it at 4-4. Lin had a break point to take a 5-4 lead, but she made an unforced error on a ground stroke. Nelson won the next two points and the game, then finished the match by breaking Lin’s serve with a backhand return down the line.

“I felt in control the entire match, but she played awesome,” Nelson said. “I guess I should know by now that she’s going to come back. I just have to be ready for it.”

Nelson has defeated Lin in their last three meetings, all in three sets. Lin’s last victory came in a one-set high school match last year between Villa Park and Canyon. Lin, who couldn’t hold back her tears after the loss, vowed to improve her game.

“I played all right,” said Lin, who has been working with her older brother, Eric, a former top-ranked junior and college player at UCLA. “I just need to work harder.”

Nelson, who will play 20th-seeded Riza Zalameda of Beverly Hills in a quarterfinal today at 12:30, said she is working hard to win her first USTA national singles tournament.

“I’m the No. 2 seed, so I’m supposed to do well here,” Nelson said. “I want to win that gold ball.”

In another round-of-16 match in the girls’ 16s, 12th-seeded Jenna Loeb of Ossining, N.Y., upset Corona del Mar sophomore Anne Yelsey, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

In the third round of the girls’ 18s, Woodbridge senior Susanna Lingman defeated Alli Pillinger of Coral Springs, Fla., 6-4, 6-4. Lingman will play fourth-seeded Amber Liu of La Mesa at 8 a.m. Third-seeded Diane Mattias of Gardena defeated Villa Park senior Arpi Kojian, 7-5, 6-2.

In the girls’ 14s fourth round, 13th-seeded Cosmina Ciobanu of Brea lost to top-seeded Jennifer Lee Heinser of Miami, 6-4, 6-3.

Adam Loucks of Irvine ran into the No. 1 seeded-player in the boys’ 16s and he didn’t survive. Loucks fell, 6-4, 6-1, to top-seeded Sukhwa Young of Wesley Chapel, Fla. Loucks’ left-handed serve was a bit off and Young’s attacking baseline game was on throughout.

“I didn’t attack well enough and I hit too many high balls to his forehand,” said the 15-year-old Loucks, who is home schooled. “He just played better than me. There’s not much difference between the top 50 players nationally. They just have fewer weaknesses and are stronger mentally.”

Loucks’ long and slender frame and soft hands suit his serve-and-volley game. But he is still waiting for his power game to arrive.

“I think my better days are going to be next year and beyond,” Loucks said. “I need to grow a little more and improve my strengths and work on my weaknesses.”

In another boys’ 16s third-round match, Brett McKeon of Boca Raton, Fla., defeated 27th-seeded Kevin McQuaid of Los Alamitos High, 6-3, 7-5.

In the third round of the boys’ 18s, University High junior Aaron Yovan outlasted 12th-seeded Drew Hoskins of Los Alamitos, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Yovan plays top-seeded Ytai Abougzir of Boca Raton, Fla., today at 9:30 a.m. Brian Morton of Corona del Mar lost to fourth-seeded Prakash Armritraj of Encino, 6-3, 6-2.

In the boys’ 14s, Carsten Ball of Newport Beach upset Jeremy Sonkin of Wheaton, Ill., 6-1, 6-4. Ball plays K. Clancy Shields of Grand Junction, Colo., in the quarterfinals at 9 a.m.