The state of Southern California tennis was on display last month at the USTA National Men’s and Women’s 40s Hard Court Championships at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. With more than 300 competitors from California, Nevada, Arizona, Massachusetts, Florida, and many more, Team SoCal represented the vast majority of section players among the draws. In retrospect, the tournament finished with some memorable storylines that exemplify SoCal’s rank among the most prolific tennis regions in the country.
At the top of the list was defending champion Hiromi Sasano (La Mesa), the Women’s 40s top seed and #3 seed in Mixed Doubles. Sasano (pictured) did not drop a set en route to both championship crowns, defeating Dina McBride (Valencia) in the final. She then teamed with Dann Battistone to secure the Mixed Doubles win over Tracie Currie (Ventura) & William Quest (Ventura).
“I was a little nervous in the beginning. I’m expected to win. I’m just going to go one match at a time,” said Sasano, who is 5 ½ months pregnant and expecting a baby girl. “This tournament is always my favorite tournament. I’ll do my best to make it (to the final). I want to tell my daughter that I played this tournament while I was pregnant.”
The 40s were not the only attraction in La Jolla, which annually hosts the National Father/Son and Grandfather/Grandson competitions as well. This year, USC Men’s Head Coach Peter Smith (Long Beach) accomplished a rare feat by winning Father/Son for the third time, with his third son, Colter. Their championship win over Kai & Kip Brady (Redondo Beach) completed the trifecta that included previous wins with sons Tanner and Riley, both currently playing under the tutelage of their father at USC.
San Diego’s Matthew Sah, brother of USTA National Sportsmanship Award recipient Timothy Sah, joined with his grandfather Poh Seng Tang to triumph as the #4 seed in the Grandfather/Grandson competition. Their win over top-ranked Bruce & Ivor Man Son Hing (Calabasas/Glendale) capped a streak of eight consecutive sets to sweep the title.
Other notable winners included Men’s 40s Doubles champions Neil Grover (Laguna Beach) & Arthur Hernandez (Huntington Beach), who squeaked out a semifinal victory before a convincing 6-4, 6-3 win over Gene Carswell (La Jolla) & Jeff Thomsen (Newport Beach) in the final.
Ros Nideffer (San Diego) (pictured) & Debbie Spence-Nasim (Carlsbad) earned their top seed and triumphed in Women’s 40s Doubles, a convincing 6-2, 6-1 win over #4 Deborah Higa (Solana Beach) & Jami Jones (Del Mar).
Laguna Beach’s Stuart Duncan was a semifinalist in Men’s 40s Singles.
La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club will host the 129th Annual Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship beginning March 1, and the USTA National May Hard Court Championships, opening May 7, 2018.