Junior tennis: Main event heats up junior sectionals

FOUNTAIN VALLEY - Carsten Ball, who will be a freshman at Corona

del Mar High in the fall, headlines as the No. 1 seed today in the boys

14s in the 99th annual Southern California Junior Tennis Sectionals at

Los Caballeros Sports Village.

Ball, who only turned 14 a week ago, won his second United States

Tennis Association designated junior tournament earlier this month at the

Santa Barbara Open.

Ball, who will face Patrick Adams of Altadena today at 11:30 a.m., has

reached the finals in all five designated tournaments this year, winning

two titles.

In other action, Newport Beach’s Kaes Van’t Hof, the boys 14s No. 7

seed, meets Adam Paladino of Encinitas.

In the boys 18s, Ball’s older brother, Cameron, plays at 4 p.m.

against Fallbrook’s Daniel Andrus. Also, CdM’s Brian Morton, a Costa Mesa

resident and seeded No. 6 in the 18s, will play Irvine’s Brett Van Linge

at 4.

The girls 18s singles will feature four locals, including No. 3 seed

Brittany Reitz of CdM and Sea King teammate, Anne Yelsey, No. 7, facing

their respective foes. Reitz takes on Julianna Gates of Encinitas at 1

p.m. and Yelsey faces Yu Yi Myinttun of Los Angeles at 2:30 p.m.

Newport Beach’s Natalie Braverman will also play at 1 p.m., against

Moe Myinttun, of Los Angeles. Kimberly Singer of Newport Beach will

battle Nina Yafali of Westlake Villa.

Tuesday’s action at the sectionals was highlighted by some intriguing

local flavor in the boys 18s doubles. CdM doubles teammates and CIF

Southern Section champions Morton and Garrett Snyder played with

different partners and their respective squads faced one another in the

quarterfinals.

Morton and K.C. Corkery of Manhattan Beach, the No. 2 seed, defeated

Snyder and Newport Beach’s Hunter Jack, 6-2, 6-4.

Morton and Corkery reached the quarterfinals by earning a 6-3, 6-2

victory over Van Linge and Canyon Country’s Jesse Ferlianto.

In girls 12s singles action, Jillian Braverman of Newport Beach

defeated Laguna Niguel’s Brooke Pletcher, 7-6, 6-0, in the round of 32.

Newport Beach’s Sarah Geocaris was eliminated from competition with a

6-3, 6-0 loss to Olivia Coleman of Los Angeles.