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Gary Smith: “Ivan will walk someday. That’s my feeling.”
A Division 1 tennis standout from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, 20-year-old Ivan Smith was 6-3 in singles along with posting 14 wins in doubles action while earning all-conference first team honors in his junior year. Smith was poised to close out another excellent season when his vehicle was struck as…
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Still that quiet kid from San Diego, Nakashima getting comfortable on the global scene
It was only a few days before he hopped a plane to Europe, a whirlwind trip that will take him across the continent on what will be an annual journey for Brandon Nakashima. The San Diego native, now in his fourth year on the pro tour, was asked about his aspirations for this year’s event…
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San Diego: CCA Boys follow Girls into tennis history books, win state title
A short few years ago, the girls’ tennis team of San Diego’s Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) upended the greatest dynasty in California girls’ sports history and started their own 4-year dynastic run. Now the CCA boys have followed in the girls’ footsteps by ending arguably the greatest dynasty in California boys’ tennis history – the…
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SoCal’s Shibahara continues steady ascent on the WTA Pro Tour
Ena Shibahara was a standout at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School before making a splash at UCLA, where she won 67 singles matches in her first two years with the Bruins. Along the way she tallied the team’s best winning percentage in doubles, and with teammate Jada Hart earned the US Open Junior doubles title…
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Sky’s the limit for Kim, a tennis entrepreneur on an amazing journey
Maybe it’s not too much of a stretch to call Sky Kim the Forrest Gump of Southern California tennis. The iconic movie character played by Tom Hanks is based on someone who had unrivaled experiences and had chance meetings and interactions by global icons. Kim is much the same. “You know, when you’re living that…
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Let’s Rally with DAMU BOBB
Damu Bobb is a man who wears many hats. He lives and breathes sports media as an Emmy-winning professional, plays the role of tennis dad on SoCal sidelines, and feels just as comfortable in a pair of Jordans as he does in Kenneth Coles – though he admits his special occasion footwear is the Nike…
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Pro Circuit: USD’s Holmgren has more to give before moving on from San Diego
The most successful player in University of San Diego tennis history, August Holmgren was looking for a way to extend his five-year stay in his adopted hometown following the upcoming completion of his final semester. With the addition of three USTA/ITF Pro Circuit $15,000 events in San Diego – the first leg of a new…
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SCTA Foundation’s Teaching Pro Certification Scholarship is Now Open
By Karen Ronney Are you considering becoming a certified US Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) or Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) teaching professional? Now is your chance with help from the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation, which is offering a total of twelve (12) scholarships: Six (6) for USPTA Southern California or USPTA San Diego District and…
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Santa Ana’s Match Point Academy extends a valuable opportunity to stranded Ukrainian nationals
The consequences of the war in Ukraine extend into every corner of the world, including the world of tennis players here in Southern California. Players from Ukraine that might otherwise have journeyed back home this spring find themselves stranded in the United States, with their careers and livelihoods in tennis hanging in the balance. As…
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JR Sarmiento’s tennis rollercoaster starts and ends in Carson
The Director of Junior Excellence program at the First Break Academy in Carson, JR Sarmiento has been a staple on the courts in Carson since he was a child. “I’ve been playing tennis since five or six, at least as far as I can remember,” recalls Sarmiento. “There is a huge Filipino tennis community here…