Billie Jean King and Friends Night Oct. 17; Deford Honored, Carillo to MC
The 12th annual Billie Jean King and Friends Event will be held on Oct. 17 at the Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena. The public is invited to the annual event where King will be recognized for receiving the ‘09 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.
King’s special guest of honor this year will be one of the most honored writers in the country, Frank Deford, who will receive the 2009 Joe Shapiro Humanitarian Award. Deford served as national chairman of the Cystic Fybrosis Foundation for 16 years . His daughter passed away from cystic fibrosis and he wrote a book about her, “Alex: The Life of a Child.”
The event is the major fund-raiser for the athletic department.
As a journalist, Deford has been elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. At Sports Illustrated, he was voted by his peers as U.S. Sportswriter of the Year six times. Tennis analyst and Deford’s fellow “HBO Real Sports” correspondent Mary Carillo will serve as the celebrity Master of Ceremonies. A tennis clinic that will include a luncheon with Billie Jean King will begin at 9 a.m. on the Cal State L.A. campus. There are several sponsorship opportunities still available. Call (323) 343-3080.
Spadea Wins Second ‘Shotgun 21’
Vince Spadea survived match points against a tough junior in the semis but rallied to win that and the final at the second annual “Shotgun 21” Championship, Steve Bellamy’s event at the Palisades Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades. Spadea beat fellow ATP Tour veteran Ramon Delgado in the casino online final of the one-day unisex tournament.
Clay Thompson, 17 and a senior-to-be at Crossroads High in Santa Monica, had two match points against Spadea in the semifinals before losing 21-20 on the winner-take-all final point. Despite being ranked among the top 15 in the nation, Thompson reached the final four in a field that included ATP players Taylor Dent, Andre Sa, Donald Young, Robert Kendrick, Kevin Ullyett, Phillip King and WTA players Alexandra Stevenson, Ashley Harkleroad and Maureen Diaz.
Spadea took an 8-1 lead in the final and never looked back, winning on a drop shot that Delgado was unable to reach.
Celebrities who participated included comedian Jon Lovitz, actresses Donna Mills and Elisabeth Shue, actors Chad Lowe and Vince Van Patten and retired pro beach volleyball king Sinjin Smith. Spadea left with the winner’s check of $5,000 and a Fender electric guitar.
Pennetta Wins LA Open at HDC
Italy”s Flavia Pennetta outran and outsmarted Australian Samantha Stosur to win the LA Championships at the Home Depot Center.
Pennetta stayed strong throughout the contest, while Stosur frequently imploded and was unable to dictate with the big serve and forehand that had carried her to wins over Ana Ivanovic, Zheng Jie and Sorana Cirstea. “I was afraid of her serve, but I returned unbelievable and I think that was the most important thing today,” said Pennetta, who rose to No. 12 in the rankings “I”ve never won a tournament this size and I”m really happy.”
The title was the 27-year-old Pennetta”s eighth overall, while Stosur, seeded 13th, had been aiming for her first WTA title. Stosur finished with 32 unforced errors to only 16 for Pennetta. “Sure, I’m disappointed,” said the 25-year-old Stosur, who has yet to get over the hump in five finals. “I would have loved to win my first title today, but it wasn’t meant to be. I played a very good player today and she played a little better than me.”
The 10th seeded Pennetta also knocked off No. 2 Vera Zvonareva and three-time Slam champ Maria Sharapova en route to the crown. “Finals are different when you never get there,” Pennetta said. “I’ve played a few finals before. It’s not the same because this one is a very big tournament, but I was ready.”
Molenda Wins Manhattan Beach
Vladislav Molenda of Rancho Santa Margarita was a double winner at the Manhattan Beach Open played at Live Oak Park. He won both the men’s open singles and doubles with partner Jonathan Poon.
Molena lost the first set in his singles 6-0, but roared back to record the 6-4, 6-1, three-set win over Daniel McCain of Greensboro, N.C. In the women’s open singles, Brianna Morgan of LA s beat No. 1 Jenni Trass of Torrance 6-4, 6-2.
Jack Kramer Day Official
On a motion by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors honored legendary champion Jack Kramer at its July 21 meeting, naming it “Jack Kramer Day.”
The youngest Davis Cup final round player ever, Kramer was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 five times and was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1946 and 1947, when he won 23 of 24 tournaments. He currently works with young players with the USTA National Junior Tennis League Program and the Pacific Southwest Youth Tennis Foundation.
