Riggle, Yorston Repeat at Mid-Peninsula Seniors
Everett Riggle and Karl Yorston repeated their title wins at the Mid Peninsula Seniors tournament in Palo Alto in August. One was expected; one wasn’t.
Riggle, the ironman competitor from Chico, won the tournament’s 75s singles last year and as the heavy favorite and top seed this year he struggled before stopping unseeded C.M. Knauer in a grueling 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 final at the Foothills Swim and RC.
Yorston, of Menlo Park, should have made an indelible mark last year when, unseeded, he swept past the two top seeds to win the Men 50s singles. This year he was unseeded again, and again he claimed the title. He dismissed top-seeded Anthony Mendoza of El Dorado Hills in the final 6-1, 6-4.
Notable, too, was the continued success of Andrew Magyary. As the No.1 seed, he notched his second singles victory of the season by beating San Francisco’s Bill Duke in the 70s final 6-4, 6-4. The month before, in the Alpine Hills Seniors 70s, Magyary had been seeking his first singles title in at least 10 years, according to the records. Unseeded, he knocked off the top three seeds to win.
The tournament had 141 entries, down slightly from 150 in ‘08. The biggest draws this year were in the men’s 60s and 65s with 12 players each. In the ten doubles categories the competition was round robin, except the men’s 70s draw of seven, and won by Elmer Mangrum and Ron Reynoldson, and the 75s draw of five, won by Owen Hand and John Olmstead.
Other winners: M45s, Mark McKeen; M55s, William McAvoy; M60s, Greg Cicatelli; M65s, Kent Olsen; M80s, Wayne Hippenstiel; M85s, T. Leroy Hardwicke; W65s, Yvonne Merrick; M50D, Jerry Lee/Adam Wang; M55D, Henry Kamakana/Wayne Horiuchi; M60D, John Penero/Gary Wihlidal; M65D, Robert Coo/Peter Klock; M80D, Don Gale/Ramon Myers; M85D, Dyle Anderson/Austin Sellery; W70D, Rose Flahaven/Marianne Siegmund; W75D, Barbara Bachman/Jean Knofler.
BOW Big Servers Hit Record for YTA
The stars may have fallen in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford in July and August but they served a record 260 aces along the way, according to Youth Tennis Advantage, the nonprofit Bay Area teaching and tutoring program that derives donations from pledges based on the aces.
“It was actually 262,” IMG spokesman Sam Henderson said, confirming the unusual stat that’s a whopping 43 percent leap over the 183 served in casino online ‘08. Moreover, it’s the most aces served since at least ‘98 when the ace totals reporting began.
This year the famously big-serving Williams sisters — in the draw together here for the first time — and Aussie Samantha Stosur, led the pack. Serena Williams served 35 aces, Stosur 29, and Venus Williams 21.
Serena’s aces are from singles and doubles over seven matches. Stosur’s 29 aces came in four singles matches, one being her quarterfinal upset of Serena.
The YTA has reported annual totals since ‘98 when it started a unique fundraiser, Aces for Kids. It was a suggestion of Tad Taube, the Stanford contributor after whom the stadium and tennis center is named. Donors pledge some dollar amount to the YTA for every ace served during the tournament. Contributions have varied from $50,000 to $150,000 or more. This year’s aces sent $69,000 to the YTA.
Former Champion Awaits Robbery Trial
Peter Pearson spent his 54th birthday, Aug. 12, in the San Jose jail where he is being held without bail awaiting a court date to enter a plea after Mt.View police arrested him June 10 for allegedly pulling a string of peninsula bank robberies.
Pearson, Inside Tennis magazine’s Open Player of the Decade for the ‘80s, was to appear in superior court on 9/9/09 at 9 a.m. on charges of robbing five banks and attempting to rob another. When arrested, Pearson had been out of jail 18 months after serving time on a narcotics conviction.
“He has had several other convictions,” said Assistant District Attorney Erica Engin, who will prosecute the case. “Any of these (current) crimes are each strike-level and would be a third strike for him.” A conviction would mean a prison sentence of 25 years to life.
Pearson, formerly of Menlo Park, has been assigned Public Defender Gary Goodman. Pearson’s drug habit, his friends have said, began when he played on the international pro circuit.
In Brief
The Alpine Hills Juniors tournament for 10s-18s, played in August, had 126 entries and every final, girls and boys, had a seeded player except the boys’ 18s singles, a nail-biter at that. Unseeded San Francisco’s Brandon On beat unseeded Drew Pearson of Palo Alto 7-6 (4), 7-5 in the final.
What makes a club affordable? Whatever the figure, the Millbrae RC figures it’s got every club that doesn’t use public courts beat by a long shot. Millbrae advertises as “the lowest price club on the peninsula.” Indeed, membership director Claudia Edson says, “we charge $39 a month and that’s a family membership.” Built in ‘76, the club is located 30 miles south of San Francisco and has five outdoor courts. “We don’t charge court fees, either,” says Edson.
