Tennis column

The grande dame of tennis, Dodo Cheney, will return to Newport

Beach this month, but without her longtime doubles partner, Corky

Murdock, who passed away in July.

Murdock, whose death was sudden, was a favorite among friends and

participants in the U.S. National Senior Women’s Hard Court Championships

(65s and 75s) at the Newport Beach Tennis Club, which hosts the sixth

annual event Sept. 27 through Oct. 2.

“Corky was a beloved player by everybody, a very colorful player,”

said tournament director Norma Veal of the Newport Beach Tennis Club.

“She won numerous (USTA) titles with Dodo Cheney.”

Cheney, of La Jolla, and Murdock, who was from Los Angeles, captured

the national 75 doubles title at Newport Beach the last four years.

Murdock, who died in her sleep, will be missed in the week-long

sweetheart event to celebrate senior women’s tennis.

The national women’s hard-court event is the second USTA national

championship hosted throughout the year by the Newport Beach Tennis Club.

It also hosts the U.S. National Senior Father-and-Son Hard Court

Championships in June, with the finals on Father’s Day.

This year’s women’s championship will have about 60 entries, including

players from Maine, Florida and Hawaii. Secure Horizons is again the

event’s sponsor.

Defending singles champions Ada Cowan (65s), of Palo Alto, and Betty

Eisenstein (75s), of Washington D.C., are the top seeds in their

respective brackets.

Newport Beach’s Julie Hayward, a first-year player in the 65s who

played at Wimbledon and has been a longtime tennis instructor in the

area, is the leading local candidate to dethrone Cowan.

Newport Beach’s Bev Winans, a former doubles champion and runner-up in

the national hard courts here, is a solid 65s player, while locals Cathie

Hall and Dee Armstrong will also play in the 65s.

In April, Cheney won her 300th gold ball -- signifying a USTA national

championship -- in the 80s division of the U.S. National Senior Women’s

Hard Court Championships at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

“I never expected to hit 300, until this year,” said Cheney, 82. “I

realized I had 297 at the end of last year, so I thought I might be able

to do it.”

Cheney, whose mother, May Sutton Bundy, became the first American to

win a Wimbledon title in 1905, is the all-time leader in gold balls.

According to USTA history, no one else has won even half as many national

titles as Cheney.

Considered the No. 6 woman in the world in 1946 by the international

tennis media, Cheney was the nation’s third-ranked player in 1937, ’38

and ’41.

Cheney, a four-time semifinalist at the U.S. Nationals, known today as

the U.S. Open, won her first USTA national championship in 1941 with

Pauline Betz, an indoor title. Since turning 40 on Sept. 1, 1956, and

becoming eligible for USTA women’s senior events, Cheney has been

unbeatable.

Cheney has won 146 USTA singles title and 154 doubles championships,

including 107 of those titles in the 1990s, while playing in the 65s,

70s, 75s and 80s.

She will only play 75 doubles in the Newport Beach event. For details

on the senior championships at Newport Beach: (949) 644-0050, ext. 14.

There has been a changing of the guard at Paramount Tennis in Costa

Mesa, where Von Simindian has completed his first full year of ownership,

pouring an estimated $150,000 into the facility.

The remodeled Paramount store features new decorations, racks of

clothing, merchandise and memorabilia, and reportedly has enjoyed a

prosperous 1999.

Simindian purchased the Paramount store from legendary local tennis

figure Bill Hodges in August 1998. Hodges owned and operated Paramount

for 28 years, before retiring.

The 73rd annual Emulex Pacific Southwest Senior Tennis Championships,

considered the largest and oldest continuous senior tournament in the

U.S., conclude Sunday at the Palisades Tennis Club.

The event, which features age divisions from 25 to 85 in men’s and

women’s singles and doubles, moved to the Palisades Club four years ago

from Los Angeles. The prestigious hard-court tournament has missed only

one year (during World War II) since 1925.

Courts were donated for preliminary rounds by the Newport Beach Tennis

Club and Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club.

Tonight, the Palisades Club will host a players’ party to also

commemorate the facility’s 25-year anniversary, following semifinal

matches. All finals are Sunday.

Newport Beach resident Roy Emerson, a member of the International

Tennis Hall of Fame and tied with Pete Sampras for the most career Grand

Slam singles titles (12), is co-chairman of the 18th annual CHOC Padrinos/Vic Braden Tennis Tournament Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 1-3 at several

clubs throughout Orange County. The event benefits Children’s Hospital of

Orange County. Details: (714) 532-8690.

The Building Industry Association of Southern California, Orange

County Chapter, will host its 18th annual tennis tournament Sept. 27 at

the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club. Organizers are seeking sponsorships and

player entries. Details: (949) 224-0321.

Richard Dunn is the Daily Pilot tennis columnist.