Tennis column, Options

Richard Dunn

If you’ve never watched a high school team tennis match, you’re in

for a real treat.

If Davis Cup, Fed Cup or World TeamTennis matches are your only source

of team-viewing experience, you’ll discover there are six matches going

on at once -- with cheers coming from every court -- in the national high

school invitational championship organized by Corona del Mar High boys

coach Tim Mang.

If grandstand seating has been your only exposure, consider this event

to be a stroll through the club.

There will be elevated locations (including seating) at the Palisades

Tennis Club in Newport Beach where fans can see more than one match at a

time, but, for the most, those in attendance will want to move around,

roam the premises, get an up-close feel of the intensity on the courts,

and pick and choose which matches to watch.

The inaugural CdMHS-Pavilions National High School All-American Team

Invitational, March 16-18, is pure tennis. No players are paid;

scholarships and individual All-American honors are on the line for some;

and kids from Colorado and Virginia are wondering if they can hold a

racket against the warm-weather state players.

With Mang, a tennis guru and long-respected team coach, at the helm of

the event, the operational details are sure to be precise, fair and

interesting.

“I want everybody to fly back to their homes,” Mang said, “and say to

their friends, ‘You won’t believe the tournament we just played in.”’

Banking on typical Newport Beach weather and all of the amenities the

city and surrounding area offers, Mang has attracted some of the best

tennis programs in the United States and has established what will be the

most official national championship anywhere.

“In all of my (30) years coaching, this will be the first time tennis

has a real, true national invitational,” said Mang, a Balboa Island

resident and a longtime former CIF Southern Section and Ojai Valley

Tennis Tournament seedings official.

In hopes of keeping the event here for many years and building a

tradition similar to the spring frenzy at Ojai, Mang has founded a

working charity -- the National High School Tennis All-American

Foundation -- that will recognize high school tennis All-Americans.

The Palisades Club, selected to host the inaugural because of its

proven track record in major events, will be lined with color and

banners; it will seat about 100 spectators (most people will browse the

outskirts of the courts); and will serve as the backdrop for television

coverage by the Orange County NewsChannel.

The event will also feature a celebrity pro-am to accompany the March

16 opening ceremonies.

Here’s to another chip in the big game for Tennis Town USA.

Tickets for the event are available at ETM kiosks at Pavilions. The

cost is $20 for a three-day pass. Details: (949) 717-7710.

How much pressure will be on Corona del Mar to make it to the finals

(March 18)? If tournament officials are looking for a good gate, having the Sea

Kings or Peninsula’s Panthers in the finals will help. Most of the

schools are coming from out of town and will probably bring a limited

crowd, especially the teams from the East Coast.

Mang, who has the advantage of making the draw, will split the six

California schools with three on each side of the bracket, but following

the first round, “we’ll see who came to play,” he said. “(Seeding the

teams in the tournament) is a guessing game ... they’re all champions.”

In addition to the positive ramifications the event could have on

Newport Beach -- home of Lindsay Davenport -- Mang said the national

invitational “series” that will include girls in the fall is expected to

rotate host sites.

The Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club will host the National High School

All-American Team Invitational for girls in October.

Scott Davis, Rick Leach and the Jensen brothers, Luke and Murphy, head

a list of professionals expected to play in the inaugural Paramount

Pro-Am Classic and Super Bowl Party at Newport Beach Tennis Club Jan. 30.

Proceeds benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

The event will feature a player auction and team bidding party on Jan.

28 (Friday); clinics, drawings, contests, player party and opening rounds

on Jan. 29; and final pro-am rounds and gigantic Super Bowl party the

following day. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is also to celebrate the club’s grand reopening under new

owner Steve Joyce.

The Newport Beach Tennis Club’s celebrated senior men’s team competed

in the Australian National Senior Men’s Championships at Adelaide,

Australia, which concluded Saturday (results forthcoming).

Last April, Newport Beach defeated Australia, 2-1, to win the World

Championship at the Phoenix Challenge for senior men in Palm Springs.

Newport Beach went on to capture the U.S. national title, as well,

becoming only the second team to accomplish the rare double.

Following the Australian National Senior Men’s event, team members at

Newport Beach have been invited to attend the Australian Open.

Newport Beach captain Gene Nalbandian said seven of the nine players

on the world and U.S. national championship teams traveled to Australia.

Leo Fracalosy and Peter Finch play No. 1 doubles in the 50-55 age

group, while Ron Hextell, Chris Bowen and new member Gary Adams fill out

the team.

Nalbandian and Jerry Robinson play doubles in the 60-65 division,

where they’re joined by newcomers Bob Sheppard and Terry Rhodes.