Willson stepping up for CdM

Danielle Willson had a special guest watching her on Monday, during the first three rounds of the CIF Southern Section Individuals girls’ tennis tournament.

As the Corona del Mar High junior competed at The Claremont Club, a professional tennis player was there for support. But not just any professional tennis player.

It was Jared Donaldson, Willson’s boyfriend of just more than two years. The name might ring a bell to tennis fans, as Donaldson made the third round at the U.S. Open this year to crack the top 100 in the ATP rankings for the first time. He’s currently at No. 106.

As it turns out, it’s a lot of fun dating a pro. Willson, who at 17 is three years younger than Donaldson, went to New York this past August to watch him win three qualifying matches for the U.S. Open main draw. Next weekend, she plans to go with Donaldson to Las Vegas as he trains with Andre Agassi.

“Overall, it’s a really great experience,” Willson said. “It’s pretty cool for me.”

Of course, Willson is not yet an adult. She’s the youngest of three children, and she said her mom, Carol, is protective of her. A curfew is in effect for her dates, Danielle said. But she doesn’t see that as an altogether bad thing.

“My mom does not approve, but she’s going to deal with it,” Danielle Willson said with a smile. “She’s very strict at home. She’s very protective. I think that’s because she’s had a little wild side to her when she was younger, so she’s seen that. No, but I think I’ve gotten a little bit closer to her in recent years because of it. And also, she’s helped me with my tennis a lot. She pays for everything, so I kind of have to be close to her, be on her good side.”

One thing on which Carol and Danielle’s dad, Marvin, can agree is that Danielle has shown steady improvement in her own game. A three-year singles starter at Corona del Mar, she is hoping to extend her season as long as possible.

She eased through her three rounds in Claremont without dropping a set, and will continue CIF Individuals play on Tuesday in the round of 32 at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center.

It’s the third year in a row that Danielle has made it this far, which is impressive. The three-time Pacific Coast League singles finalist hopes to better her showing from a year ago, when she lost in the round of 16 to No. 3-seeded Christie Wan of Sunny Hills.

CdM Coach Jamie Gresh certainly believes that’s possible. He saw Willson overcome an early-season shoulder injury to post a 47-3 singles mark for CdM through the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. They ended for the Sea Kings in disappointment, a fourth straight semifinals loss after a narrow 9-9 (77-73 on games) loss to Harvard-Westlake. But Willson certainly did her part in that match. She swept, edging Harvard-bound Wolverines senior Jenna Moustafa to pick up her first win against her.

“Just being around Danielle for the past two years, I’ve seen her go through a transition,” Gresh said. “She’s able to go through some adversity. Whether she plays a couple of bad points in a row, there’s a tight call or something happens. That used to throw her off a little bit. I’ve seen her handle it with much better mental resiliency, and I think that’s been a big factor in her winning some close sets. That’s just a part of the maturity process, and she’s really come a long way in the past two years, for sure. It was a big jump from her sophomore year to her junior year.”

Willson started playing tennis when she was 7, tournaments when she was 10. She’s grown a lot, and not just into her current height of 5-foot-11.

She said she’s more patient on the court now. She certainly stays focused, rarely cracking a smile. She did get a good laugh on Monday, though, after completely missing on an overhead try during her second-round match in Claremont.

“It’s not that I’m not happy at all, it’s just that I’m focused,” she said. “Shoot, I can’t smile, but at least I’m focusing and I’m trying my hardest. My mom always tells me, ‘Smile, smile,’ but when I smile I get too loopy and I just lose focus. Keeping a serious face works, for me at least.”

She also has put in the work. For years she went to Dent Tennis Academy before Taylor Dent, the former Newport Beach resident and former pro tennis player, recently moved it to Texas. Now, Willson trains three days a week at La Habra Tennis Center with Dave Nowick, and twice a week at Woodbridge Tennis Club with Chuck Brymer. Being on the court for hours each day is the norm for Willson, who is ranked No. 20 in Southern California in the girls’ 18s and is a five-star recruit on tennisrecruiting.net.

But don’t think that Willson doesn’t value the team aspect that high school tennis provides. She said the camaraderie of the team has improved this year. In particular, Willson has become good friends with CdM sophomore doubles player Bella McKinney.

“We’re all close,” Willson said. “It’s such a big difference, and I think that’s helped the team go farther. Even though we got to the same place, semis [of the Division 1 playoffs] and semis [of the Southern California Regionals], I think it’s different. We almost beat Harvard-Westlake, and they have a blue-chip [prospect] and two five-stars, and we’re high school girls. How is that even happening? It doesn’t make any sense to me, but I think that’s how we’ve gotten so far, with the knowing each other and cheering people on, not sitting on the bench looking at your phone.”

Three of Willson’s CdM teammates remain in contention at CIF Individuals as well. Senior Jasie Dunk will join Willson at Whittier Narrows for the singles, while the doubles team of Camellia Edalat and Brooke Kenerson will play in the round of 16 on Wednesday at Seal Beach Tennis Center.

For Willson, the goal is to win the tournament.

“Her freshman year she lost the round of 32, her sophomore year the round of 16,” Gresh said. “I’m not going to say, ‘Hey, let’s try to make the quarters.’ You know, it’s, ‘Let’s see how far you can go.’ Let’s see what the draw brings, and let’s see how much you’ve improved. I think she’s improved a lot, mentally and physically on court. You never know when that big breakthrough is coming, and it could be right around the corner.”

Willson hopes so. If you look closely, you might even see her crack a smile.

“I think it’s just about keeping myself focused and applying my game to the match,” she said. “If I get too caught up in the other person’s game, it just doesn’t end well. But I think I’m totally capable of getting far. I don’t want to sound cocky, but that’s a goal for me and I believe I can do that. If I don’t believe that, then there’s no chance of me winning at all.”