Kids are doing all right

Rick Devereux

Bob Ogle has been involved with the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club

junior tennis tournament in some capacity since it started in 1989,

and has been the tournament director for the last eight years. He has

seen the tournament grow and contract in entries along with the

cyclical wave in popularity of tennis. He sees a resurgence in the

sport because there is a spurt in the number of juniors entered into

the 15th annual War by the Shore tournament at the club.

“We have almost 400 kids this year,” Ogle said. “If we get anymore

[entries] we’ll have to expand the tournament to seven days instead

of five.”

Despite the swelling of participants, Ogle said the biggest

tournaments occurred in the early ‘90s when the event needed to take

place over seven days to accommodate all of the athletes.

“We really want to keep the matches here [at the Bay Club],

instead of sending the kids out to play at other clubs,” Ogle said.

“I think it’s easier for the kids, their parents and the tournament

organizers.”

Ogle’s experience -- he is also the Balboa Bay Club’s general

manager and head tennis pro -- has allowed him to witness how the

tennis tournament has changed over the years.

“The level of play, especially in the younger age brackets, has

really gone up,” he said. “The under-10s and under-12s, they are

really smashing the ball. They’re not hitting mush balls anymore.”

Troy Arnold, a Newport Beach resident, hammered home Ogle’s point

by zipping out to the semifinals by beating Andrew Torok, 6-2, 6-1,

in the boys 10s singles. He will play today against top-seeded Miles

Seemann at 8 a.m.

Also from Newport Beach, Joseph Di Giulio eased into the boys 12s

singles semifinals by beating James Wellman, 6-0, 6-0. Di Giulio will

play Nicholas Cummins today at 9:30 p.m.

Connor Curry and Charlie Corum are two other locals that advanced

to the boys 12s singles semifinals. Curry, from Newport Beach,

defeated Gavin Krogius, 7-6 (10), 6-2, and will play Chak Ting Justin

To today at 9:30. Corum, from Costa Mesa, will play David Barkeley at

9:30 after defeating Alexander Anderson, 6-3, 6-3.

Tyler Deck, a Newport Harbor product, will play No. 1 seed Ronald

Chow today at 12:30 in the boys 18s singles round of 16 after beating Kevin Kordestani, 6-3, 6-1. Corona del Mar senior-to-be Spencer

Reitz, the No. 2 seed, won, 6-1, 6-2 to advance as well.

Also, in girls 18s, Miranda Young, a sophomore-to-be for Corona

del Mar High, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) win

and will face Kristy Fournell, who upset the top seed, 6-1, 6-2.

Jillian Braverman, the No. 2 seed and CdM sophomore to-be, also

advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 win, while Diana Khoury, a Newport Harbor

product, won, 6-1, 6-2 and will play in a different quarterfinal.

In boys 14s, Newport Beach’s Parker Rhodes, the No. 5 seed,

advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-0 win.

In girls 16s, Kellie Kawabe won an all-Newport Beach matchup in

the round of 32, defeating Megan McKay, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5).

In girls 14s, Costa Mesa’s Eleanor Edles, the No. 10 seed, won her round of 32 match, 6-2, 6-1, while Corona del Mar’s Cierra

Gaytan-Leach won, 6-0, 6-1.

Newport Beach’s Hailey Hogan, the No. 8 seed, won, 7-5, 6-4 in a

round of 32 match in girls 12s, while Newport Beach’s Melissa

Matsuoka, the seventh seed, won, 6-3, 6-4.