Junior tennis: Radeva breaks through

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - When 11-year-old Nelly Radeva shakes off the

nervousness, the girls 12s singles field in the 100th annual Southern

California Junior Sectional Tennis Championships should look out. Radeva

came out of her shell Thursday at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center and Bianca

Modoc of Yorba Linda had to pay the price.

Radeva, the No. 4 seed, fed off momentum she built in the first set

for a 6-1, 6-3 triumph to advance to today’s quarterfinals, at 3:30 p.m.

at the Los Caballeros Tennis Center. She will face Manhattan Beach’s

Rachel Manasse, who knocked off No. 7-seeded Jovanna Sangria, 7-5, 6-3.

“I’m really nervous sometimes before matches,” said Radeva, who will

be a sixth-grader at Kaiser Elementary in the fall. “So, I knew if I got

ahead early and if I won the next two games (after her serve was broken

in the second game), I would relax and I would start hitting my shots.”

Radeva, who was patient and consistent with hard ground strokes from

the baseline, hit frequent winners in the first set and took advantage of

Modoc’s errors.

Radeva did not appear too nervous in the first game, as she broke

Modoc’s serve. But, in the second game, Radeva became a bit shaky and

Modoc answered, winning after one deuce.

From there, Radeva won the next five games, including three with deuce

scenarios. She closed out the set with a strong return to win after a

third deuce, breaking Modoc’s serve.

“(Winning) those deuce games were important for me to relax,” Radeva

said. “After that, I was just hitting my shots and staying consistent.”

Radeva built a 5-1 advantage in the second set, displaying her

versatility and talent. She won when serving, then used her solid

returning ability, which put Modoc off balance. Radeva also found some

lucky shots.

Serving for the match, Radeva fired back after Modoc’s return.

Radeva’s shot hit the top of net and dropped on Modoc’s side of the net.

Modoc could not react in time.

Radeva also reached the quarterfinals in the Roxy Junior Open

Championships last month.

After the junior sectionals, she will play in the 15th annual Costa

Mesa Boys and Girls Tournament (ages 10-18), Aug. 5-9.

In other sectionals action:

In girls 18s singles, Corona del Mar High standout Anne Yelsey, ranked

No. 1 in Southern California, defeated Leslie Koffi of Los Angeles, 6-2,

6-0. Yelsey advanced to the semifinals, where she will meet No. 2-seeded

Lori Stern (Ojai), today at 12:30 p.m. at Los Cab, site of all the main

draws.

Yelsey is unseeded in the junior sectionals because she had not played

in any Southern California tournaments this year.

In boys 16s singles, CdM sophomore-to-be Carsten Ball advanced to the

quarterfinals after defeating Shan Sondhu of Laguna Niguel, 6-2, 7-5.

Ball, the No. 7 seed, will face Laguna Niguel’s Lee Singer, the No. 2

seed, today at 11 a.m.

The No. 8 seed, Kaes Van’t Hof of Newport Beach, defeated Joshua

Lederman (Pacific Palisades), 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, and will meet Samuel

Tadevosian (Glendale) in a quarterfinal today at 2 p.m.

In girls 14s singles, Newport Beach’s Alexa Glatch, the No. 2 seed,

defeated Gabriela Gresham (Panorama City), 6-0, 6-0. Glatch will face

Michelle Murphy (Laguna Hills) in the quarterfinals, today at 2 p.m.

In girls 18s singles, Natalie Braverman, a recent Newport Harbor

graduate bound for Pepperdine, lost to Stern, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, in an

exciting match. Braverman will meet familiar foe and former Sea View

League rival Elizabeth Exon of Woodbridge High in the consolation

quarterfinals today at 9:30 a.m.

In boys 14s singles, No. 8-seeded Jake Fleming of Newport Beach lost

to unseeded Jordan Abergel, 6-4, 7-6, in a Round of 16 match.

Fleming will play Mike Gurman of Los Angeles in a second-round

consolation match today at 12:30 at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

In boys 18s singles, CdM’s Garrett Snyder defeated Christian Hand from

Placentia, 6-4, 6-4, and will meet Reyniere Roxas from Carson in a

second-round consolation match today at 11 a.m. at Los Cab.