The Palisades Tennis Center courts were filled this weekend as over 150 kids from throughout Southern California participated in the PTC’s first annual Spring Junior Satellite tournament. More than 50 Palisadians, some of whom had never even picked up a racquet, flocked to the PTC along with players from as far away as Simi Valley, Laguna Niguel, Westlake, Valencia, Thousand Oaks, Ladera Ranch and San Clemente, to compete in 17 different divisions. The public facility on Alma Real was packed with fans all weekend for an event in which 12 local kids won singles and doubles events and 13 more reached the finals in their respective divisions. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the success of this event,” said PTC Director of Tennis and tournament organizer Ivan Lauzon. “It was so neat to see the hillside filled with parents, relatives and friends watching all of this great tennis. And the kids themselves loved it.” In one of the closest matches of the tournament, PTC standout Harry Cohen nearly beat top-seeded Lucas Bellamy in the Boys 8-and-under division final on Sunday. Cohen, a student at Marquez Elementary, led 5-0 in the third set tiebreaker before Bellamy won 12-10. The match was full of long rallies and lasted over three hours. Winning was a family affair for the Kogans. Fourteen-year-old Samantha, an eighth-grader at Paul Revere, won the Girls 16s while her brother Jackson, 10, a fifth-grader at Marquez, captured the Boys 10s. After beating Nora Hoeger of Redondo Beach 6-1, 6-4 on Friday, Samantha topped third-seeded Justine Mendes 7-5, 6-1 in the semifinals on Saturday. She faced top-seeded Sunia Riggins of Beverly Hills High in Sunday’s final and prevailed 7-6, 6-4. Jackson, who started playing tennis just a few months ago, was unseeded in his division but gutted-out three close matches on his way to the title. First, he beat Chad Le Duff of Valencia, 7-6, 7-5. In the semifinals, he edged fellow Palisadian Ryan Metzler in a third-set tiebreaker and in the finals Jackson ousted second-seeded Gabriel Rappaport 10-2 in a third-set super tiebreaker. The 10s was a strong division for local girls as well. Palisadians Katie Winkenhower and Ilana Oleynik each advanced the semifinals. To the delight of the home crowd, Oleynik went on to beat Juliana Simon of Los Angeles in a third set tiebreaker in the championship match. One division that wasn’t close was the Girls 12s’thanks to PTC standout Caroline Kolin, who did not lose a set on the way to the title. PTC player Perry Zaret was up early in the Girls 14s final Sunday morning and nearly upset Taylor Vallee of Palos Verdes before the top seed’s consistency took over. Joel Suchil showed why he is one of the PTC’s most promising talents, playing near-flawless tennis on his way to winning the Boys 16s division. Thanks to his booming left-handed serves and rocket forehands, Suchil rolled through to the finals, where he needed a third set tiebreaker to prevail over Carlos Flores of Inglewood. In the Girls 16s, Genna Rochlin reached the semifinals while fellow Palisades High player Rose Schlaff produced the event’s most lopsided final score with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Deb Shamsian of Los Angeles in the Girls 18s Palisadians dominated the doubles draws as well. The Boys 8s featured four players from Corpus Christi, as Will Bantle teamed with William Winkenhower to beat partners Christian Gambale and Roscoe Bellamy in straight sets. Despite taking up the sport less than a year ago, Gambale showed the saavy of a seasoned veteran. In another all-PTC final, Ryan Metzler and Sam Sherman beat Zaven Dadian and Lucas Bellamy on Sunday. Playing his fourth match of the day, Bellamy persevered despite spending over seven hours on the court. Metzler’s retrieving ability meshed well with Sherman’s blazing forehands and both are among the PTC’s fastest-improving players. In the Boys 12s final, locals Hagen Smith and Chris Soffer gave the Mariano Twins from Los Angeles all they could handle before falling 6-2, 7-6. In the Girls 16s, the PTC’s Genna Rochlin and Marina Sterngold beat fellow Palisadians Rose Schlaff and Amy Goore in the semifinals before losing a nailbiter, 13-11, in a third set tiebreaker against sisters Sunia and Akasia Riggins of Los Angeles.
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