Tennis: Ball bounced from Costa Mesa Pro Classic

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - When Corona del Mar’s Cameron Ball learned of his ATP

Tour computer ranking for the first time last week -- 7,037th -- he

figured there’s still quite a ways to go in his men’s professional tennis

career.

But Ball, who played at CdM High the past three years and is currently

attending an independent study school in Mission Viejo, is only concerned

about experience and progress at this point.

“I’m trying to win and get some experience against guys who hit harder

(than high school players). I’ve lost some close matches, but I’ve been

getting some good experience,” said Ball, who has played 15 different

USTA Futures and satellite events, including the $15,000 Costa Mesa Pro

Classic this week at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

Ball won two matches in the qualifier, then lost in the final round

Sunday to Robert Topalo of Czechoslovakia and did not reach the main draw

of the Costa Mesa USTA Futures stop, which began Tuesday with six singles

and six doubles matches.

“I’m working hard and trying to give it my best shot,” Ball said of

playing on the pro circuit. “But I can’t say I’m turning pro (any time

soon). It’s my desire to turn pro. I guess it’s a matter of time, but

it’s also a matter of getting some lucky breaks.”

Ball, 18 and ranked 25th in Southern California, has regained most of

his strength since recovering from mononucleosis, which plagued him most

of last spring on Coach Tim Mang’s CdM boys tennis team.

“I got over it totally about 2 1/2 months ago,” Ball said. “I’ve been

working and working, and grinding and grinding, for hours and hours. I’m

trying to get my SCTA ranking back up. I had a couple of tough losses

when I was sick.”

Ball said playing high school tennis next season “is still up for

debate,” and that it largely depends on how well he performs in the USTA

Futures and satellite events.

In an abbreviated opening round in singles Tuesday, top-seeded Ronald

Agenor of Haiti survived an upset bid by Michael Jessup in winning two

tie-breakers, 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4). Agenor, the tournament’s

highest-ranked player in the world at 184, is a former top-20 player on

the ATP Tour who launched a comeback four years ago at age 33.

In other action involving seeded players, third-seeded Matthew Breen

and fourth-seeded Jeff Williams advanced to the second round, while Tom

Lloyd, a wild card, lost to Alex Reichel, 6-4, 6-4.

Lloyd, a University of Arizona standout, is the son of Costa Mesa

Tennis Center operator Hank Lloyd.

In an upset Tuesday, Wesley Whitehouse rallied to knock off

sixth-seeded Zack Fleishman, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Chad Carlson defeated another wild card, Adriano Biasella, 2-6, 6-0,

6-1.

At least two singles matches were held over until today, because of

flight delays and postponements caused by Monday’s airliner crash in New

York, USTA circuits supervisor James Handly said.

Former Newport Harbor High and Stanford standout Geoff Abrams will

play Diego Ayala in the first round of the main draw today at 10 a.m.,

one of 10 singles matches on the schedule.