Singles Qualifying Begins Sept 22; Main Draw Starts Sept. 26
San Juan Capistrano’s Gavin Spencer won the singles and doubles titles this week in a junior tennis tournament held in Fountain Valley to win slots in both the singles and doubles main draw in the Los Cab USTA Men’s Pro Futures tournament, which will be held Sept. 22 to Oct. 1 at the Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports Club.
“This is a big first for a junior in Southern California tennis,” said Tournament Director Hank Lloyd of the accomplishments of Spencer, who is a senior at San Juan Hills High School.
Spencer joins the 18 other players who have committed to the main draw, which begins Sept. 26, including Ryan Shane, who won the 2015 NCAA singles championship the University of Virginia in 2016, aqnd Martin Redlicki, who won the 2016 NCAA doubles championship with UCLA,
Eight spots in the main draw will be filled by the top eight finishers in singles qualifying, which begins Friday, Sept. 22 at 9 a.m..Players with Southern California connections in the singles qualifying include: Logan Smith, of Carlsbad; Henry Craig, of Murrieta, Isiah Strode, of El Cajon, Tyler Lu of Irvine, Mousheg Hovhannisyan, of Los Angeles, Gage Brymer, of Irvine, and Jayson Amos, of Mission Viejo.
The rest of the main draw will be filled by wildcard tournament winners, including Spencer, and USTA exemptions.
Part of the developmental tour of the USTA, the free event, which ran for 18 years in Costa Mesa before moving to Fountain Valley last year is an opportunity to see the future of professional tennis today.
“Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports Club is the hub of Southern California tennis,” Lloyd says. “This event is a great opportunity to bring future professional tennis starts through this venue and appreciate the pathway of the sport. Great relationships are made between club members and the pros, and it’s an opportunity for everyone to appreciate and grow the game.”
The singles and main draw begins Tuesday, Sept. 26, with the singles and doubles championship held Sunday, Oct. 1.
The final Sunday will also feature a free junior play day for kids designed to introduce them to the game of tennis. It will run from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. . Contact Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports Club 714-756-8560 for more info and to sign up.
Last year’s event was won by Sebastian Fanselow, a German citizen, who beat Tankyani Garanganga, of Zimbabwe, in straight sets. Fanselow nearly claimed a second title, but he and his partner, Sebastian Bader, were defeated by the New Mexican brother tandem of Hunter and Yates Johnson in the doubles final.
Other recent champions of the event include Steve Johnson, who won in 2011 and is currently ranked 45nd in the world, and Bradley Klahn, of Poway, who won the 2013 event and who competed in this year’s U.S. Open. Ernesto Escobedo, who lost in the finals in 2014 and 2015, is currently ranked 81st in the world.
The Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports club is located at 17272 Newhope Street, In Fountain Valley. It is a comprehensive sports club, offering everything from swimming and volleyball courts, to personal fitness and group exercise classes.. For more information, call (714) 546-8560, or visit www.loscab.com.