Junior Sectionals start Saturday
Newport Harbor High held its graduation ceremony on Thursday, and the Sailors’ Reese Stalder is just about ready to graduate out of the junior tennis ranks as well.
Stalder is bound for TCU. First, he will compete in his final Southern California Junior Sectionals tournament.
The 113th annual event begins Saturday at sites in Orange County, with the Los Caballeros Racquet and Sports Club as the tournament headquarters. Stalder is one of the favorites both in the boys’ 18 singles and doubles divisions, where he is teamed with Billy Rowe.
Stalder, who was undefeated in high school tennis this spring for Newport Harbor before falling in the CIF Individuals singles title match to Palos Verdes’ Brandon Holt, is the No. 3 seed in boys’ 18 singles. He and Rowe are defending champions in the doubles division and favored there as well.
Last year at Junior Sectionals, Stalder advanced to the boys’ 18 singles title match before losing to Kalman Boyd of Rancho Santa Fe, who is again top-seeded in that division.
Among other seeded local players, Corona del Mar’s Bjorn Hoffmann is seeded fifth in the boys’ 18s. Hoffmann advanced to the quarterfinals at CIF Individuals.
Newport Beach resident Perry Di Giulio is the No. 2 seed in the boys’ 10s. Di Giulio is the younger brother of former junior standout Joseph Di Giulio, who now plays at UCLA, as well as current junior standout Austin Di Giulio, who is competing in the 16s this year at Junior Sectionals.
As seeded players in the main draw, Stalder, Hoffmann and Di Giulio will not begin their singles tournaments until next week. Boys’ and girls’ 18s doubles play, however, does get underway for everyone this weekend.
Besides Stalder and Rowe, Andre Saleh of Newport Beach is in the boys’ doubles draw with partner Simon Yundov of San Diego. Newport Coast resident Max Pham, who attends Fairmont Prep school, is partnered with Max Cancilla of Marina High.
In girls’ doubles action, Kristina Evloeva of Newport Coast is teamed with Layla Rodriguez of Rancho Santa Margarita. Corona del Mar High’s Danielle Willson has Dominique Stone of North Hollywood as a partner.
Qualifying rounds begin this weekend as well, with players vying to join the seeded players in the main draw round of 64. Local boys’ players competing include Ari Abrams (14s); Adam Bain (10s); Ari Coskinas (18s); Paul Dandler (10s); Daniel Day (14s); JP Day (12s); Thomas Day (14s); John Dick (14s); Logan Friedman (12s); Jacob Holiday (16s); Niels Hoffmann (10s); Adam Langevin (18s); Max McKennon (14s); Erin O’Connor (16s); Will Pellegrini (12s); Kyle Pham (14s); Max Pham (18s); Alexander Reyna (16s); and Saleh (18s).
Local girls in competition include Isabelle Dajee (16s); Maxie Duncan (14s); Jasie Dunk (16s); Evloeva (16s); Lauren Friedman (12s); Jenn Kingsley (18s); Nicole Knickerbocker (16s); Kylie McCullough (18s); Willson (18s) and Mackenzie Worsnop (18s).
The Junior Sectionals are a Southern California Tennis Assn. Level 1 tournament, and a United States Tennis Assn. Level 3 tournament.
