Spring Internationals, Day One

© Colette Lewis 2005--
Carson, CA--

Some brief first impressions of opening day at the Spring International.
Venue: Big, new, impressive.
Field: not very international, with 90% of the draws Americans
Weather: windy, but after the wet winter, can't complain about a sunny day.

The best match I saw was a three set marathon between Wil Spencer and Leo Rosenberg in the Boys 18s. Though only 15, both are ITF veterans, and Rosenberg, seeded 13th, is in the top 100 in the world in the ITF rankings. But Spencer is nobody's idea of an easy first round-- and his athletic gifts were frequently on display in his 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-4 victory. The match featured two trainer breaks in the third set, one by each player, and Spencer's roll of an ankle at 5-3 seemed to jeopardize his chances to close out the match. But although he was not moving as fluidly in the final two games, he served it out, overcoming the distractions of both blustery conditions and injury to advance.


The first couple of days of a tournament are a chance to acclimate-- stroll between courts, catch up on the news, see who is onsite. With two more weeks of junior tennis ahead of me here in California, I'm in no hurry. The tournament story will tell itself by the weekend.