Injured Nelson Turns Up the Heat

Villa Park High freshman Lindsey Nelson is proving she’s not only one of the best young American tennis players in the country, but one of the toughest too.

Nelson overcame 95-degree heat, a strained stomach muscle and a talented opponent for the second consecutive day to reach the girls’ 16 final in the Easter Bowl USTA Super National Spring Championships at the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club.

Nelson’s 6-2, 6-3 victory Tuesday over fifth-seeded Whitney Deason of Houston didn’t seem likely an hour before the semifinal started.

“My injury was worse today,” she said. “When I warmed up before the match it was really sore and I couldn’t hit a serve.”

But once Nelson stepped into the furnace that was Riviera’s center court at 10:30 a.m., her side began to loosen up. She also realized her service motion would have to be tweaked a little.

“I didn’t turn at all,” she said. “I just used my arms and not much of my body. It’s a trash serve but it’s the only way I can serve without hurting.”

Nelson had a relatively easy first set, winning in only 25 minutes. The second set was a tougher battle, especially the fourth game that lasted 20 minutes and had five deuces. Nelson, who will play eighth-seeded Caitlin Collins of Lawrence, Kan., in a 1 p.m. final today, eventually held her serve to lead 3-1.

“I had to win that game,” she said. “It’s a totally different match at 2-2.”

Nelson’s serve wasn’t nearly as strong as it has been, but she kept her double faults to a minimum and Deason was unable to attack her second serve. And Deason held her own serve only once the entire match.

“I don’t think she was very confident,” Nelson said. “It was obvious I was hurting by the way I was serving and icing during every changeover. I think she thought I was going to fall apart. I would have thought that too if I was playing me.”

Despite her injury, Nelson continued playing in the doubles draw with partner Judith DeVera of Carson.

“She is out of the tournament in singles,” Nelson said. “I can’t let her down. She had an injury last year and she hung in doubles for me. It’s the least I can do.”

Nelson and DeVera, who are seeded first, lost to fourth-seeded Anne Yelsey of Corona del Mar High and Riza Zalameda of Beverly Hills, 6-1, 6-2. In the other semifinal, second-seeded Audrey Banada of North Miami Beach and Joelle Schwenk of Boca Raton, Fla., defeated third-seeded Kady Pooler of Dana Hills High and Julianna Gates of Encinitas, 6-2, 6-4.

In the boys’ 18 consolation round, Aaron Yovan of University lost his match to Eric Hechtman of Miami after being penalized a point in the 12th game of the third set.

After Yovan missed a shot that he believed would have won the game evened the set at 6-6, he became ill on the court. After a short delay, roving chair umpire Bob Christianson called the score ad-in to the server, Hechtman. Yovan disputed the score, saying it should be deuce, and was warned by Christianson to play within 25 seconds or receive a code violation.

Yovan, who had already received a violation for hitting a ball out of the court, did not take the court and he was penalized a point for his second code violation. That point ended the set and the match at 7-5.

Yovan, who won the first set, 6-2, and lost the second 6-1, asked tournament referee Rollie Shea to hear his appeal. Shea agreed with Christianson’s decision, but the final ruling didn’t come until an hour later when tournament director Seena Hamilton upheld Christianson’s ruling.

“It is the chair umpire’s call, right or wrong,” Hamilton said. “But in junior tennis, it would be better in the future for the chair umpire to help the kid [making the appeal] and ask for the referee first before making the final judgment.”

Ron Yovan, Aaron’s father, was frustrated over the entire process.

“The umpire didn’t want to admit he made a mistake,” Ron Yovan said. “He didn’t have the character to own up to it. He didn’t seem sensitive enough to give my kid any consideration after he had been playing so hard for two hours . . . Aaron was polite, he never even raised his voice. I was real proud of him.”