Tennis: Top-seeded Agenor kicking up a storm

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - As tennis balls are whacked back and forth on the

courts in qualifying matches for the Costa Mesa Pro Classic, four

professional tennis players are playing soccer on the vast lawn adjacent

to the Costa Mesa Tennis Center, site of this week’s United States Tennis

Association men’s Futures tour stop.

They’re warming up for a training session with their coach, Ronald

Agenor, who is also the top-seeded player in the tournament. They also

prepare for matches this way, kicking around a mini soccer ball with mini

orange cones as goals.

“(Soccer) is good for your footwork on the tennis courts,” said Iphton

Louis, one of four players on the USTA Futures tour under Agenor’s

tutelage, a group that includes Zack Fleishman, the tournament’s

fourth-seeded player.

“We (play soccer) just for a warmup, before we come out to the tennis

courts,” said Parsa Samii, another Agenor disciple.

Agenor, of course, isn’t just any old coach. He was once the

22nd-ranked singles player in the world with victories over several top

players, including four career wins over Andre Agassi.

While the $15,000 Costa Mesa Pro Classic is light years away from the

million-dollar Grand Slams Agenor competed in, he’s the No. 1 attraction

for tournament director and Costa Mesa Tennis Center operator Hank Lloyd.

“He’s ranked 152nd in the world (actually 185th), so for a tournament

like this, that’s pretty good,” said Lloyd, whose club is hosting the

final round of qualifying today, before the main event.

Agenor, at age 33 in 1997, decided to make a comeback and began with

only five ATP Tour computer points. He was ranked 790th and battled his

way through qualifiers, like the one this weekend in Costa Mesa, without

the benefit of wild cards at USTA Challenger, Futures and satellites

tours.

“I travel all around the world (to coach),” said Agenor, who added

that his playing schedule “is up in the air.”

Of the 128 players registered for the three-day qualifier, only eight

will find open invitations for the main draw, which starts Tuesday and

runs through Nov. 18. The main draw also includes former Newport Harbor

High standout Geoff Abrams, ranked 590th in the world.

Following Saturday’s Round of 64 qualifier, Corona del Mar’s Cameron

Ball is still alive, beating Daishi Murakami, 6-2, 6-2, for his second

qualifier victory.

“Cameron played well today, and he served well,” said his father and

coach, former Australian Davis Cup member Syd Ball, an instructor at

Costa Mesa Tennis Center. “He’s healthy now and playing better than ever.

This is really good experience for him.”

Ball, who played for CdM High the past three years but probably will

not play high school tennis his senior year, no longer attends school at

CdM. Instead, Ball attends Futures, an independent study school in

Mission Viejo, where he plans to finish high school.

Although Ball said he “might still play” next spring for Coach Tim

Mang’s Sea Kings, he has played 15 different USTA Futures and satellite

events.

“I don’t have a timetable (for turning pro),” said Ball, who will face

Robert Topalo today for a chance to enter the main draw. “I just take

each day as each day.”

Today’s schedule

First series (10 a.m.)

Juan Pablo Di Cesare vs. Kyle Spencer; Nicolas Brochu vs. Anthony

Ross; Lesley Joseph vs. Marshall Brown; Jeff Greenwald vs. Jong Min Lee;

Conor Niland vs. Go Fukugaki; Cameron Ball vs. Robert Topalo; Jason Cook

vs. Alex Krohn; Witold Cudny vs. Brandon Kramer; Lester Cook vs. Matt

Daly; Alexandre Renard vs. Ryan Moore.

Second series

Jason Mallaiah vs. Stefan Suta; Chris Sands vs. Rouslan Nourmatov;

Ramsey Smith vs. Roeland Brateanu; Lance Johnson vs. Daniel Dauber;

Bertrand Contzier vs. Brian Battistone; Tin Dong vs. Kean Feeder.