Girls tennis: Reitz wins CIF singles title

Richard Dunn

CLAREMONT - The same governing body that imposed eligibility

restrictions on Corona del Mar High’s Brittany Reitz in the first half of

the season awarded her its biggest individual girls tennis trophy Friday

at the Claremont Club.

Poetic justice? “It really is,” Reitz said.

Declared ineligible to play for CdM until Oct. 16 by CIF Southern

Section officials, Reitz, a junior, got the last laugh, ripping through

two Woodbridge players, including top-seeded Susanna Lingman in the

finals, 6-3, 6-1, to capture the CIF individual singles championship.

“It’s very ironic that this happened ... every time I think about it,

I start laughing.”

Reitz, who transferred from St. Margaret’s and helped CdM Coach Andy

Stewart’s squad win a CIF Division IV team title Nov. 20, thought it was

“unfair” that CIF section officials did not allow her to play for CdM

until the second half of the season.

Instead, Reitz became the first player in the same year since

Peninsula’s Amanda Basica in 1994 to win the section’s individual singles

title and play on a CIF championship team.

Also, it’s the first individual CIF singles title by an Orange County

player since Anne Mall of Dana Hills in 1990.

The third-seeded Reitz, who defeated Woodbridge’s Elizabeth Exon in

the semifinals Friday morning, 6-1, 6-2, faced a wide open field heading

into the section championships, because defending singles champion Luana

Magnani of San Marino and Iris Ichim of Beverly Hills, another highly

regarded player, did not enter.

Following action in the CIF Round of 32, CdM teammate Anne Yelsey, who

defeated Reitz for the Pacific Coast League singles title Nov. 2,

forfeited against Troy’s Aya Sakoda because of an important family

function.

“I didn’t steal it,” Reitz said of her CIF title. “I felt I was a top

contender just like anybody else ... I wish (Magnani, Ichim and Yelsey)

would’ve played. I want to have great matches.”

Against the Harvard-bound Lingman, who was 3-0 in matches against

Reitz prior to Friday’s CIF final, the CdM standout who played No. 2

singles for the Sea Kings this year (behind Yelsey) came out strong and

never let up.

Reitz said she was confident from “the minute I went on the court,”

then went on to win easily. She became the second CdM player to win an

individual CIF girls singles title (following Keri Phebus in 1988 and

‘89).

“(Reitz) attacks but she’s also really consistent and throws you off

with her spin (shots),” said Lingman, who suffered her first loss of the

season. “I didn’t feel like I got in my groove at all.”

After Reitz won the opening set, she built a commanding 4-0 lead in

the second set, after breaking Lingman twice.

Lingman had the advantage in the fourth game, but at game point and

down 0-3, the chair umpire overruled Lingman’s line call on a return by

Reitz. Instead of a Lingman win, it became deuce and Reitz won the next

two points, including a double fault by Lingman at break point.

“There were a couple of key points I lost,” Lingman said.

Lingman, however, rallied to break Reitz in the fifth game and the

momentum appeared to shift with Lingman serving at 1-4. But Reitz kept

the pressure on and broke Lingman again, then closed out the match.

“I wasn’t as focused on playing consistent and made way too many

errors,” Lingman said.

Reitz said she was surprised by her opponent’s high number of unforced

errors.

Reitz also said she would love to return to the team next autumn for

her senior year, especially if Stewart is the coach.

In doubles, CdM’s Brittany Holland (freshman) and Leslie Damion

(junior) advanced to the semifinals, but lost Friday to second-seeded and

eventual champion Peninsula (featuring seniors Jamie Pagliano and

Christine Setian).

Pagliano-Setian defeated Holland-Damion, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), in a

wild match, then upset the top-seeded team from Claremont in the finals,

6-1, 2-6, 6-3. Claremont’s Carla Rocha and Sandra Rocha won last year’s

CIF doubles title.

For Holland-Damion, they had match point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, but

couldn’t hold on.

“I thought (Holland-Damion) were going to win the whole thing,”

Stewart said.

CdM’s only section doubles championship was won by Lilly Valdes and

Holly Blare in 1971, the first year of CIF girls tennis.