Girls tennis: Yelsey claims second national doubles crown.

Barry Faulkner

The two gold balls that symbolize the pair of United States Tennis

Association national 16s doubles titles she won this summer are modestly

displayed, for the time being, in the home of Corona del Mar High junior

Anne Yelsey. But those interested in catching a glimpse of this

hard-earned hardware, should be advised not to dally.

“They’re up ... for now,” said Yelsey, whose latest conquest, along

with partner Reza Zalameda from Beverly Hills, was completed Sunday at

the USTA Girls Super National Hard Court Championships in San Diego.

Yelsey, the reigning Pacific Coast League singles champion who helped

lead CdM to the CIF Southern Section Division IV team title last fall,

teamed earlier in July with Zalameda to win the 16s national clay court

crown in Virginia Beach, Va.

The duo, which formed when a mutual partner was injured, also finished

second at the prestigious Easter Bowl.

“When you win a national title, you get a gold ball,” Yelsey said. “I

have a silver from the Easter Bowl and three bronzes from last year. But

the gold ones are much more fun ... and they shine more, too.”

Yelsey and Zalameda, who plays for Beverly Hills High, shone together

at the Barnes Center in San Diego. The top-seeded tandem swept its first

five best-of-three-set matches, before handling No. 8-seeded Jolyn Taylor

and Joelle Schwenk, both from Florida, 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, in Sunday’s

final.

“We had to play well the whole tournament,” Yelsey said. “But we went

through pretty easily. Our toughest competition wasn’t there, because one

of their girls was injured in a car accident. We were both extremely

nervous for the final. After we lost the second set, we realized the only

way we were going to win was to play the way we did the whole tournament.

We relaxed and did that, and we won.”

Yelsey said she and Zalameda both have strong volleys and big serves.

Combine that with an equally positive attitude and the ability to

communicate, often nonverbally, and the results have been impressive.

“We both really like to play doubles and we can volley with anyone,”

Yelsey said. “And, we’re both very positive. If one of us gets down, the

other can pump that one up.”

Yelsey is extremely pumped about her USTA doubles season.

“Winning two national titles is special and winning hard courts is

even better, because more people play on hard courts, so it’s a bigger

tournament,” she said.

But despite her doubles dominance, Yelsey remains motivated to equal

that prominence on the national singles scene.

“Doubles is fun, but, for now, I just really need to be focusing on

singles.”

Yelsey reached the semifinals of the singles back draw in San Diego

and watched as many matches as she could to try to pick up ways she could

improve her own game.

“I know what I have to work on,” she said.

That work, however, can wait, as Yelsey enjoys a rare extended break

this week.

“I don’t like to take time off, because I forget things,” she said.

“But there isn’t really a big tournament to work toward right now, so

I’ll take about four days off.”