CdM star bounces to the top

The latest United States Tennis Association national boys 18s singles

division finds Corona del Mar High senior Carsten Ball at the top of

the list.

Ball, who won a USTA national open singles title in May, when he

was ranked 35th, has earned 2,245 points so far this year. He led

Travis Helgeson of Overland Park, Kansas, by 40 points when the

latest standings were announced Monday.

The ranking news came a day after the top-seeded Ball claimed both

singles and doubles titles in the boys 18s of the Chanda Rubin

American International Tennis Federation Circuit championship in Fort

Worth, Texas.

Ball didn’t lose a set in going 6-0 to win the singles crown. He

and partner Conor Pollock won five straight matches to claim the

doubles title. Ball defeated Pollock in the singles semifinal, 6-3,

7-6 (3).

Ball has gone 25-8 in singles and 12-7 in doubles in ITF

competitions this year.

-- Bryce Alderton