Tourney features upset winner

Mike Sciacca

The 45th annual City of Laguna Beach Tennis Tournament had a real

family and community flavor to it during a three-day event that concluded

Sunday at Alta Laguna Park.

The closest matches of the tournament, which began last Friday night

at Laguna Beach High, came in Men’s A Division singles and doubles

action.

In the men’s A final, Art Jenkins outlasted Gary Pattengill, 6-1, 7-6

(7-3). Jenkins reached the final by upsetting top-seed Mark Robinson in

semifinal action as he won a pair of tiebreakers, 7-6 (7-3) and 7-6

(13-11).

Pattengill used a third set tiebreaker to reach the final by beating

Kerry Johnson, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

Robinson and Johnson, however, teamed to win the men’s A doubles

final, beating Bernie Schwartz and Rob Crow, 7-6 (9-7), 5-7, 6-4.

Using a round-robin format, the Men’s B Singles Division featured four

members of the Laguna Beach High boys’ tennis team.

Kyle Paxton won the division, using a powerful serve and forehand to

upend Jeff Ferguson, Dieter Schmitz and Riley McMahon.

Schmitz finished second.

The Men’s C Singles Division final was a rematch of last year’s men’s

D final, as Robert Butterfield outlasted another high school athlete,

Michael Codini, in three sets.

In men’s D singles play, high school student John Wagner defeated

Larry Nokes, 6-2, 6-4.

The event that attracted the biggest crowd was the Women’s D Doubles

Division final.

The team of Michele Tura and Ann Schott earned the title by fighting

past Kari Nies and Anna Hecker, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.

Other winners were Raymond Alemania and Keith Lee in Men’s C/D Doubles

Division as they defeated Peter Salomon and Ray Amador in the division

final; Brooke Jamieson and Andy Arnold, who defeated Arthur and Judy

Winer in the Mixed C Doubles Division final; Judy Winer and Tijana

Hamilton, who were winners over Sue Salomon and Cathy Nokes in Women’s C

Doubles; Tijana Hamilton over Lynn Vail in Women’s B/C Singles, and

Tijana Hamilton and Teague Hamilton over Cathy and McKenna Nokes in the

Mother-Child Doubles Division.

The Mother-Child Division was an unadvertised event that gave young

children the chance to learn how to play the game of tennis.