Boys tennis: Jack trumps Ogle

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - Hunter Jack hit most of the winners, and most of

the errors, Wednesday against Hadley Ogle to dictate the quarterfinals of

the Junior Tennis Classic.

But Jack, the boys 18 top seed, hit just enough of the former instead

of the latter to win, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, to advance to today’s semifinals at

the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club .

Ogle, the son of tournament director Bob Ogle and a graduate of Irvine

High, lost to Jack in the CIF Southern Section Division I second round

last May, 6-4, when the Sea Kings beat the Vaqueros, 14-4.

Jack, who will be a senior at Corona del Mar High next fall, mixed

powerful winners and unforced errors with aplomb. After a 3-2 deficit in

the first set, he blasted back with hard baseline strokes to win, 6-4.

But it was in the second set where Jack demonstrated that he dictated

the match, albeit for the wrong reasons. Jack did not get a second serve

in during that set, and he had more double faults than points. Clearly

frustrated in the second set, he ended it by smashing the ball into the

back wall on the last point.

“I didn’t play a very good match,” Jack said. “I wasn’t serving well

at all. I didn’t practice all last week.”

Jack’s performance on Wednesday was neatly summarized in one moment in

the third set. After a double fault in the third game, he blurted out,

“I’m sick of serving.” He promptly followed on the next point with an ace

on the first serve.

Ogle, who will attend Irvine Valley College next fall, took advantage

by keeping the ball in play, and he took a 3-2 lead in the third set. In

the fourth game, Jack was penalized a point for ball abuse, and Ogle was

up 15-0 in the fifth game.

But that marked the turning point of the match. Despite Ogle’s 15-0

advantage, Jack won that game. He won the next game as well to take a 4-3

lead.

From that point on, Jack got all his second serves in. On the flip

side, Ogle was starting to make unforced errors of his own and was

getting visibly agitated.

After Jack took the lead, the next four games ended in deuces. Ogle

fought off three advantages by Jack to win the eighth game after the

fifth deuce.

Ogle had a chance to take a 5-4 lead when he had Jack down at 15-40.

But Jack reeled off four points in a row to take the lead. Ogle won the

10th game in deuce.

Both players were visibly fatigued after the 10th game, and both

committed unforced errors. In a tense battle, Jack won the 11th game

after deuce to take a 6-5 lead. He then hammered Ogle with powerful shots

to win the last game easily.