Free tennis clinic

- by Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA -- The Diadora Pro Championship men’s tennis tournament

is offering a special community clinic free to the public today at

the Costa Mesa Tennis Center from noon to 2 p.m. The clinic is part

of the Volkl Tennis Demo Day.

Pro tour players and local instructors will be on hand to give

away prizes provided by Volkl during games and drills.

The new $10,000 Diadora Pro Championship, part of the United

States Tennis Association Futures circuit, will be played Tuesday

through Sunday at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center. The final round of

qualifying is Monday at 10 a.m. Eight qualifiers will advance to the

main round Tuesday, out of 157 players who signed up last Thursday.

Among the players with local ties who have competed in the event’s

qualifier include former Corona del Mar High standout Cameron Ball

(headed for the University of Arizona) and current Sea Kings Garrett

Snyder and Carsten Ball.

Boris Turkic, who played for CdM six years ago as an exchange

student from Croatia, and Newport Beach junior sensation Kaes Van’t

Hof of Mater Dei, also played in the qualifier. Cameron Ball and

Turkic both advanced to a semifinal qualifier today with quarterfinal

victories Saturday.

The Diadora Pro Championship Pro-Am is Monday from 4 p.m. to 6

p.m. Details: (714) 557-0211.