Easter starts today

Bryce Alderton

Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar and Newport Beach are well represented by

junior tennis players prepared to play in the Easter Bowl United

States Tennis Association national spring championships, which begin

today with singles and doubles matches in girls and boys 14s and 16s

age divisions at the Riviera Resort in Palm Springs.

Players in the 18s division, which for the first time is

considered both an International Tennis Federation and USTA event,

begin competition Monday.

Newport Beach resident Carsten Ball and Corona del Mar High senior

Wesley Miller are entered into the boys 18s singles draw while Alexa

Glatch, from Newport, is scheduled to compete in both girls 18s

singles and doubles brackets.

Glatch is ranked 14th in the ITF junior rankings while Miller is

seventh on the USTA national points standings list for boys 18s.

Ball, a former CIF doubles champion at CdM in 2002, is 26th on that

list.

Ball reached the quarterfinals in the division last year while

Glatch bowed out in the round of 16 in girls 18s singles.

Field sizes in the 18s shrank this year to 64 in singles and 32

for doubles to foster more competitive matches, according to

tournament officials. Players can earn points for both their ITF and

USTA rankings.

The 14s and 16s divisions remained unchanged, featuring draws of

128.

Newport-Mesa players entered into the girls 16s include Newport

Beach residents Jillian Braverman (singles), Jill Damion (Corona del

Mar) and sisters Hayley and Miranda Young (both doubles), along with

Costa Mesa resident Nelly Radeva in both singles and doubles.

Jake Fleming and Fabian Mathews, from Newport Harbor and CdM high

schools, respectively, will compete in boys 16s singles while CdM

resident Cierra Gaytan-Leach is entered in girls 14s singles.

Newport Beach resident Parker Rhodes, along with Charlie Alvarado

and Christopher Freeman, both from Costa Mesa, are entered into boys

14s singles and doubles draws.