Tennis: Ojai king Abrams not quite ready for the scalpel

Richard Dunn

Ever since Geoff Abrams decided to get serious about tennis, he

became a youth phenom at age 13 and dreamed about playing at Stanford and

one day turning pro.

That day is about to come.

No matter how Abrams and his Cardinal teammates finish at the NCAA men’s

tennis championships later this month in Athens, Ga., this year’s

Stanford team captain and top player will join the big, bad world of the

pro futures and satellite circuits, where many are “playing for meal

money.”

But Abrams, a Human Biology major who plans to become a doctor, might

have his toughest challenges off the court, pending his acceptance into

medical school and subsequent deferral of a year or two before starting

down the surgical path.

“At this point, I definitely want to play tennis,” Abrams said.

“Hopefully, I’ll earn enough points (playing satellites) and move up to

the challengers, then the big boys. Hopefully, that will happen. But it’s

not an automatic process. You’ve really got to work your way through.

“(Turning pro) is definitely something I’ve been gunning for most of my

tennis life.”

Abrams (Newport Harbor High), part of Stanford’s NCAA championship teams

as a freshman and sophomore in 1997 and ‘98, would love to cap his

stellar collegiate career with another NCAA team title.

“It’s been wonderful so far,” Abrams said of his experience at Stanford.

“But to win the NCAA title going out (as a senior) would be one of the

nicest things. So far, it’s been everything I could hope for.”

Abrams, who will graduate from Stanford on June 11 and immediately start

playing pro satellites, recently performed surgery at the 100th Ojai

Valley Tennis Tournament, where he captured the men’s Pacific 10

Conference singles championship with a three-set victory over doubles

partner Alex Kim.

Abrams, ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division I in singles this year and No. 1 in

doubles with Kim, became the first player in history to win the boys 14s,

16s, CIF and men’s Pac 10 singles titles at Ojai, arguably the most

prestigious Open tennis tournament on the West Coast.

Congratulations to former Estancia High standout Mike Leonard, who has

recovered from brain surgery and returned to the Texas Christian

University men’s tennis team.

Leonard, a redshirt sophomore for the Horned Frogs, was told during a

routine physical examination in his freshman year that something was

wrong with his eyes and it was suggested Leonard see a specialist.

At first, doctors told Leonard he was suffering from swollen optic

nerves, but then, after an MRI, it was discovered that he had a brain

tumor.

Since the tumor was found early, doctors gave Leonard a good prognosis

and, two weeks later, performed surgery.

Leonard is back on the TCU squad and reportedly feeling fine. Leonard has

always been one of the sport’s true good guys.

The venerable Adoption Guild Tennis Tournament, a great tennis tradition

in Newport Beach and celebrating its 39th year, will feature several new

twists this year, including the tournament headquarters, Newport Beach

Tennis Club, also hosting the players’ party.

Also, Roy Emerson has lent his name to the event. A Newport Beach

resident, Emerson is tied with Pete Sampras for the most career Grand

Slam singles titles (12). Emerson held the mark for numerous years, until

Sampras captured the Australian Open championship this year.

Player entries for the Adoption Guild, sanctioned this year for the first

time by the United States Tennis Association, are open until May 12.

One of the oldest continuous sporting events in Orange County, the

Adoption Guild started on one court at the Balboa Bay Club in 1962, and

has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout the years for Holy

Family Services, a nonprofit organization providing counseling, adoption

and foster care services.

Newport Beach Tennis Club is the event’s host site, but matches will be

played at several clubs in the area.

The Adoption Guild is May 27-29 and June 3-4. The Palisades Club, Balboa

Bay Club Racquet Club and Racquet Club of Irvine are also hosting rounds.

Paramount Sports in Costa Mesa is giving away $200 gift certificates to

each winning team from 5.0 to 3.5. Details: (949) 760-8394.

Palisades Tennis Club’s Lindsay Davenport, slowed by an ankle injury, was

spotted last week at RCI, where she’s practicing on the clay courts in

preparation for the French Open later this month at Roland Garros.

Is Davenport, who won the Australian Open in January for her third career

Grand Slam singles title, healthy enough to win the only Grand Slam she

has yet to claim?

“Yeah, I’m psyched (about going to the French),” said Davenport, who

leaves for Europe this week to rejoin the Women’s Tennis Association

Tour.

Newport Beach’s Andrew Cheney reached the men’s open semifinals at Ojai,

losing to eventual champion Mark Ellis of Ventura.