Promotional Efforts Send Junior Sectional Entries Up

The Southern California Junior Sectional tennis championships are always a good barometer for the sport’s health. When entries are down, especially at the lower age-group levels, it’s usually a bad sign for tennis in the United States. After all, Southern California and Florida are considered the hotbeds of tennis in this country.

In 1997, when total entries fell to 1,600 and draws in the 10-year-old division were barely half full, the U.S. Tennis Assn. and the Southern California Tennis Assn. began developing programs to get kids excited about tennis.

Apparently, some of those programs are working--entries were up to 1,700 last year. This year, 1,750 players are entered in the sectionals, which began last Saturday and continue through Sunday at seven sites throughout Orange County. The most encouraging sign is boys’ 10s and girls’ 10s fields have nearly doubled from last year.

“I think the increased girls’ participation has a lot to do with Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova and the Williams sisters,” said John Lansville, manager of player development for SCTA. “The USTA’s push to get more players started in the sport have also helped.”

Two years ago, the SCTA was lucky to have 10 players in its fields for satellite or novice tournaments. This year, the beginners’ tournaments have had full draws of 32. Lansville, who took over this year for the retired Jim Hillman, isn’t ready to say tennis is having a rebirth or that it has overtaken soccer as the county’s most popular youth sport, but he is smiling a lot more lately.

“We’re doing a better a job of marketing the sport and that’s helping,” Lansville said. “[Public service announcements] and advertising in newspapers are things we’ve never really done much of.”

Two groups that still aren’t being reached, Lansville concedes, are Latinos and African Americans. In Los Angeles, the Advanced Community Tennis Program reaches out to inner-city kids by paying for tournament entry fees, rackets and clothing. But there is no such program in this county.

“We have limited funds and [the SCTA] feels there’s more need in Los Angeles,” Lansville said. “Santa Ana would be a great area to do more. It’s something we’re working on.”

CHU UPSETS JACKSON

So far, the biggest upset of the sectionals has come in the boys’ 18 division. La Quinta sophomore Robert Chu defeated Los Alamitos senior Cody Jackson, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, Sunday in the last round of qualifying.

Jackson, who will play for Rice next season, reached the quarterfinals of last month’s Southern Section individuals. Chu was declared academically ineligible days before qualifying began. Chu will meet 11th-seeded Tom Lloyd, a senior at Esperanza.

Cameron Ball, who recently helped lead Corona del Mar to the section Division I team championship, defeated Jesse Ferlianto of Canyon Country, 6-1, 6-3, Tuesday in the last round of qualifying in the boys’ 16 division. Ball is the son of former touring pro Syd Ball, a member of Australia’s Davis Cup team who played during the 1970s.

“Cameron is working on serving and getting up to the net as much as he can,” said Syd Ball, an assistant coach at Corona del Mar and a pro at Costa Mesa Tennis Center. “I’m just trying to keep him going aggressively. It’s more important for him to concentrate on style right now.”

Ball has another son, Carsten, who is seeded seventh in boys’ 12s and will play today.

The boys’ 16 and girls’ 16 finals are scheduled for noon Sunday at Los Caballeros Racquet Club. The 18s finals will begin at noon.

TIBBETTS AN AZTEC

Chris Tibbetts, a former Villa Park High player who spent last year at Ojai’s Weil Academy, will play at San Diego State next season. Tibbetts finished fifth in the boys’ 18 division at Arcadia last month.