Tennis: Orange County bragging rights at stake

Richard Dunn

It will be like heavyweight boxing today in the Final Four of the

Private Tennis Club Association of Orange County Club Challenge.

The inaugural event, which began Feb. 3 with 14 teams, will feature

semifinal matches today and finals May 5 to determine the best club in

Orange County.

The top seed is Newport Beach’s Palisades Tennis Club, which rolled

through Old Ranch Tennis Club of Seal Beach in the first round, 17-1, and

Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club in the March 3 quarterfinals, 16-2.

On the road today, Palisades will face unseeded Racquet Club of Irvine

in the semifinals, while Tustin Hills Racquet Club plays at Sunny Hills

Racquet Club in Fullerton in the other semifinal.

Newport Beach Tennis Club, seeded second, enjoyed a bye in the first

round, then was upset by Sunny Hills, 11-7, in the quarterfinals. Sunny

Hills knocked off Mesa Verde Tennis Club in the first round, 10-9.

Third-seeded Laguna Niguel Racquet Club was defeated in the first

round by Tustin Hills, while fourth-seeded Lindborg Racquet Club of

Huntington Beach was upset in the quarterfinals by RCI.

Today’s semifinal matches are open to the public. Call the host club

for starting times.

The PTCA Club Challenge is adult competition in a tournament format

similar to the Davis Cup. The clubs field 18 individual adult teams: One

men’s, one women’s and one mixed doubles team in six different skills

levels (3.0 to 5.5).

The winning club will be awarded a permanent championship banner and

keep a perpetual Davis Cup-type trophy will the following year’s

competition.

For the first time in Orange County tennis history, there will be a

definitive club championship. For the 19 members of the PTCA of Orange

County, it means yearly bragging rights for No. 1.

Newport Beach Tennis Club’s top seniors are playing elsewhere these

days.

Newport Beach’s senior team (50 and over) of Peter Finch, Jerry

Robinson, Leo Fracalosy, Bruce Malloy, Gene Rhodes, Chris Bowen, Gary

Adams and captain Gene Nalbandian won the eighth annual Palm Desert

Senior Cup recently.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame has announced that Carol

Schneider of Newport Beach has been selected as the 2000 Samuel Hardy

Award winner, given annually by the United States Tennis Association to a

volunteer in recognition of long and outstanding service to the sport of

tennis.

Schneider, who has been active in the USTA for almost 30 years and has

served many years on the Board of Directors of the USTA/Southern

California Tennis Association, won the prestigious award at a luncheon

Monday during the USTA Annual Meeting in Tucson, Ariz.

Schneider, the first female elected to the SCTA board, was a driving

force behind a structured SCTA ranking program and has been the SCTA

Ranking Chairman since 1970. She is also credited with creating the

Evelyn Houseman Junior Sportsmanship Awards program to recognize

outstanding role models in SCTA junior tennis.

Currently Vice President of the SCTA and a member of the Junior Tennis

Council, Schneider has held numerous SCTA committee positions.

Also active on the national level, Schneider, among other things,

aided in the establishment of competitive senior women’s age divisions,

creating the national championships for those age groups and developing

ranking regulations.

Schneider, who has received numerous honors and awards, including

being named recently as honorary chair of the USTA Senior International

competition, was a top junior and senior tennis player. But a knee injury

forced her to retire.

Schneider’s name has been engraved on the base of the Samuel Hardy

Tray, which will be displayed throughout the year at the International

Tennis Hall of Fame Museum in Newport, R.I.

“It was quite a shock to get that (Hardy) Award, because of the

accomplishments of the people who have received it before,” Schneider

said Friday. “I just never thought I’d get that, or anything like that.”

For details at the International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum:(401)

849-3990.

Scott Davis, the Newport Beach Tennis Club Director of Tennis who will

make his debut on the Success Magazine Tour next month at the Success

Magazine Champions at NBTC, often hits with ATP Tour pro Brian McPhee, as

well as former Woodbridge High standout David Lingman.

But will he be ready for John McEnroe & Co.?

“I’ve got to get in that match fitness competitive shape,” Davis said.

“I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

French tennis star Yannick Noah will play Davis in a featured singles

match on opening day, May 9, of the five-day tournament.

Davis, a former ATP Tour Rookie of the Year, will square off next

against McEnroe, the tour’s headliner.

Davis, who won the Australian Open doubles title with David Pate in

1991, launching the team to No. 1 in the world, attained an ATP Tour

singles ranking of No. 11 in 1985.

The Newport Beach TC-based tourney is May 9-13 at Newport Beach.

Davis and Noah will play their round-robin singles match after British

star John Lloyd plays trick-shot artist Mansour Bahrami at 7 p.m. to kick

off the event. Davis and McEnroe will play at 7 p.m. on May 10.

Davis will play doubles in the event with Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon

champion.