Boys tennis: Ball delivers in clutch

Steve Virgen

FOUNTAIN VALLEY - The score was hardly an indication. Carsten Ball

received much more than the visible result Thursday in the 99th annual

Southern California Junior Tennis Sectionals at Los Caballeros Sports

Village.

The incoming Corona del Mar High freshman, seeded No. 1 in boys 14s

singles, apparently won easily, 6-2, 6-1. But Newport Coast’s Matthew

Chou provided a definite challenge and, at times, came oh-so-close to

taking control of their match in the Round of 16.

In a crucial first set, the two 14-year-olds played to deuce in five

out of eight games, including four straight to close out the set. Ball

won four of the games which reached deuce.

“That gave me a lot of momentum going into the second set,” said Ball,

who turned 14 June 20. “I got in a pretty good groove with him. He made

me run. He made me work hard. It was good for me. He got me really warmed

up for (today).”

Ball will play No. 7-seeded Kaes Van’t Hof of Newport Beach in today’s

4:30 p.m. quarterfinal. Van’t Hof battled past Sam Querrey of Thousand

Oaks, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Ball had an easier path to victory in the second set. He used

aggressive approaches to the net, serves which put Chou off balance and

wicked returns to break Chou twice. Ball’s varied movement also caused a

bundle of errors for Chou.

“I just needed to keep more balls in the court,” said Chou, who will

attend University High in the fall. “I needed to go to the net more.

(Ball is) really good. He’s really consistent.”

Ball also said he liked his consistency, which, he believes, is

becoming staple of his game.

“I thought this match was very good for (Carsten Ball),” said Syd

Ball, Carsten’s father, a former Australian Davis Cup player and current

teaching pro at Costa Mesa Tennis Center. “(Chou) played very well in the

first set. Carsten picked up some key points when he approached the net

and those were huge. Carsten worked very hard. It was a very close match,

though the score didn’t say that.”

Carsten Ball broke Chou’s serve for a 2-0 lead in the second set and

increased his command by holding serve in the third game. In the sixth

game, with Chou serving, Ball earned four straight winners for victory,

including three solid returns and a volley to build a 5-1 lead.

Using a variety of fancy shots throughout, Carsten Ball saved one of

his best shots for last. He closed out the match with another charge to

the net and planted a deft drop volley, which skimmed the net.

Also Thursday:

CdM standouts Garrett Snyder and Brian Morton lost in their respective

Boys 18s Round of 16 singles matches. Snyder fell, 6-3, 6-2, to Fountain

Valley’s Travis Rettenmaier. Snyder will face Ryan Redondo of Carlsbad

today at 3 p.m. in the second round of consolation at Neal Machander

Tennis Center in Santa Ana.

“I couldn’t really get into a rhythm against (Rettenmaier),” Snyder

said. “He was always coming into the net. The first set was actually

close because I had my chances to break him. But he came up with some big

points. In the second set, I think I just a got a little frustrated.”

Morton lost to Ari Rosenthal of Pacific Palisades, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Morton will meet Jeffrey Melnick of Los Angeles today 3 p.m.

Cameron Ball won in the first round of the consolation bracket, 6-3,

6-4, over James Magsino. Cameron Ball will join his teammates in Santa

Ana and play today at 3 p.m, against Whittier’s Chris Surapol.