50K Event Returns to Yuba City (Piggy Roast, Too)
It’s no secret: times are tough. And in these lean ‘n mean times, when it comes to running tennis events, sponsorships are a cherished commodity. Just ask any tournament director. So you
can imagine Jim King’s gratitude to Sunset Moulding’s John Morrison and Sierra Central Credit Union’s John Cassidy, who, despite the economic downturn, have returned as sponsors of the Sixth Annual Sunset Moulding Company Yuba City Racquet and Health Club USTA Pro Circuit $50,000 Men’s Challenger.
The event, scheduled for June 1-7, will feature 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams in the main draw. Players ranked as high as Nos. 75-150 in the world typically compete in Challenger-level events. With more than 90 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the U.S. Open and tour-level competition for aspiring players and a frequent battleground for established pros. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed on the circuit for approximately $3.2 million in prize money and ATP/WTA ranking points. Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jelena Jankovic and Andy Murray are among those who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
“The players absolutely love coming here,” said Cassidy, Sierra Central’s CEO. “The fans and the community really reach out to host these guys in a first-class way. Sam Querrey won his first pro title here to kick off his career. A lot of incredible players have come through here and gone on to do great things.”
Also on tap is the Sunset Moulding-Yuba City Piggy Roast — an NTRP event scheduled for June 26-28. For info on both events, call (530) 673-6900 or visit ycrc.com.
Seles Regrouped at Northstar Back in ’93
April 30, 1993 ranks among the darkest days in tennis (if not sports) history. That was the day an unemployed lathe operator and crazed Steffi Graf fan drove a knife into the back of Monica Seles during a match in Hamburg, Germany.
While the Serbian-American’s tale of triumph over tragedy is well documented, few people know that Lake Tahoe played a role in Seles’ recovery. A few months after the incident in Hamburg, Seles arrived at the Northstar-At-Tahoe resort to work with renowned sports psychologist Dr. Jerry May. Resort pro Zeke Straw remembers his first glimpse of Seles well: she was hitting against a backboard.
“I heard this KABOOM! KABOOM!” said Straw, who took over as Northstar’s director of tennis in ‘90. “It sounded like somebody was throwing cannon shots. I went to watch her hit and she was blasting the ball, just ripping it, trying to put a hole in the backboard.”
Straw also recalls Seles relentlessly practicing her serve.
“It was amazing to see somebody work on their serve for over two hours a day,” he said. “She’d have Jerry standing there like a guinea pig. He’d just watch balls go flying by. He’d stand there like he was a player in the ready position. He was just dodging the balls coming at him.”
But for the most part, Straw recalls, Seles kept a low profile at Northstar, preferring the backcourts to the main courts and keeping her cap pulled down low. She was careful whom she hit with.
“She tried to be discrete,” said Straw. “She didn’t want any attention drawn to her.”
Seles recalls her time in California in her new autobiography Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self. — RO
Jump, Bacharach Excelling in Spare Time
Many local-minded sports fans in these tidy reaches of Placer County spent the late winter biting their manicured finger nails over the fortunes of the Rocklin H.S. boys’ basketball team, which claimed its first NorCal championship. Two other nearby cities like to believe they are the area’s hub of outdoor sports. Granite Bay’s Kassidy Jump and Brett Bacharach (who attends high school in Loomis) are busy helping their hometown’s respective causes.
The up-and-coming pair were each champions at the USTA Spare Time Junior Championships, which were held at Johnson Ranch RC and Gold River RC — two sites in Spare Time’s NorCal network of clubs — in April.
The No. 1 player for Del Oro High’s boys’ varsity, Bacharach won the 14s singles title. He began his high school campaign with 10 straight wins and has some compelling tennis pedigree. Dad Cris Bacharach is the head pro at Johnson Ranch.
Many players of similar abilities shun prep competition altogether. A sophomore for Wake Forest’s NCAA tournament qualifying women’s team, Emilee Malvehy (Auburn) never played high school tennis while attending Bear River H.S.
“The opportunity to compete on Tuesdays and Thursdays against older and more experienced players has really matured Brett’s game,” Cris Bacharach said. “It’s helped raise his playing level above normal for his age group.”
The son is no stranger to being ahead of his peers. While most toddlers are mastering the finer points of their big wheels, young Brett swung his first racket on the court at age four. He’s now ranked fifth in the USTA NorCal 14s rankings. He helped his high school team share a league championship with rival Granite Bay.
Jump is currently home schooled but will enter Granite Bay H.S. as a freshman this fall. She also competes in the ahead-of-the-game category. The starlet already owns a quartet of USTA NorCal 16s singles Open division titles, the fourth coming in the Spare Time bracket. She first began competing against the 16s upon turning 13. Jump previously achieved No. 1 rankings in both the 10s and 12s age.
Jump adheres to a strict schedule. Mondays are meant for rest and schoolwork, but every day thereafter involves either the books or the fuzzy yellow ball. Mornings from Tuesday through Friday are spent practicing. The afternoons are meant for schoolwork. Come the weekends, it’s time to hit the road for tournaments.
“She’s amazingly focused,” said Rich Andrews, corporate tennis director for Spare Time.
Andrews drew comparisons to Andre Agassi when discussing Jump’s game, a mixture of opportunistic baseline and cunning net-work. “She has a strong serve and she plays close to the baseline, attacking the ball on the rise and following up with a strong swinging volley, from either side,” he said.
Now there’s plenty to make a hometown proud.
World TeamTennis: Stubbs Joins Caps Roster
Michael Chang has company when it comes to the Sacramento Capitals veteran presence for the ‘09 season. The Caps, who begin their World TeamTennis season July 3 at home, feature team newcomer but steady winner Rennae Stubbs.
The Aussie has collected six Grand Slam doubles titles (four women’s, two mixed).
In Brief
The USA Today’s Doug Robson reports that seven-year-old tennis phenom Jan Silva has returned from France and is again living in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Jan, along with parents Scott and Mari, spent most of the last 24 months training in the Paris suburbs with Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou, owner of an eponymous tennis academy. According to Robson, Mouratoglou will continue to fund Jan’s training.
The 11-court Incline Tennis Center in Incline Village, Nev., will host an NTRP Tournament May 29-31. This event is open to all USTA players in the 3.0-5.0 divisions. The registration deadline is May 24. For info, visit inclinetennis.com or call (775) 832-1235.
The World TeamTennis Finals will head to the nation’s capital for the first time in the league’s 34-year history. The Washington Kastles will host the event on July 26 in Washington, D.C. The WTT regular season runs July 2-22.
