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13 - Wednesday, August 9, 1989 - North Shore News

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PAGE 17

Young tennis aces gain experience

WALKER AND JEYASEELAN

NORTH VANCOUVER’S
Stefano Walker and Sonja
Jeyaseelan have something
in common.

They were both taken out by the
No. 3 seeds in the second round of
the Canadian under-18 tennis
championships at Hollyburn
Country Club.

But that’s nothing to be asham-
ed of because at this age in the
game, Walker at 16 and Jeyaseelan
at 13, it’s experience, not winning
that counts.

Not that they haven’t done their
share of winning.

Walker, who won the under-18
men’s title at Stanley Park, is do-
ing his share on the tennis circuit.
He will be going to Toronto on
Labor Day with his father, Jim,
for the Remington Family Cham-
pionships.

Jeyaseelan is also keeping a
busy schedule. She just came back
from the Sun Life Nationals in T-
oronto where she lost in the first
round.

Before that she was touring
Europe where she reached quarter
and semi finals, as well as playing
doubles.‘‘It’s more of a learning

experience than winning tournies,”’
Jeyaseelan’s father, Reggie, said of
the tour.

At Hollyburn, Jeyaseelan, the
youngest player in the tournament,
defeated Caroline Labrecque of
Quebec, 6-2, 7-6(7-3), earning
herself a match against Suzanne
Italiano, the 15-year-old from On-
tarie who pushed Jill Heather-
ington to the limit at the Sun Life
Nationals.

Before the match against
Italiano Reggie Jeyaseeelan said he
doubted she would win and was
already looking forward to flying
his daughter to Quebec Aug. 4 for
the under-16 national charapion-
ships,

“That’s the match she has a
good chance of winning,’’ he said.

He added that Jeyaseelan was
making a lot of unforced errors at
Hollyburn because she was used to
playing the red clay surfaces in
Europe.

Jeyaseelan still asserts that Sonja
is a better player than Italiano,
despite the anticipated loss, 6-1,
6-4,

He said she was tired from her
tour and had lost weight, especially
playing in the 30°C court
temperatures in Toronto.

At Hollyburn, Walker had a
narrow first round win over Greg
Rusedski of Quebec 7-5, 7-6(7-5).

Daniel Nestor took him out in
the next round 6-2, 6-0.

NO. I Kyla Lee from West Vancouver sets up Pat Voracek, no. 5, for
a spike. The B.C. Canada Games Volleyball Team won this exhibition
matck 3; Sutherland School Tuesday, downing the Magnum All-Stars

from California, 13-15, 15-13, 15-7, 15-2. |

phate Mike Wakeflald
SONJA JEYASEELAN belts the ball across the net during one of her recent matches at the Canadian under-18
tennis championships at Hollyburn Country Club.

West Vancouver’s Sean Jeffery
advanced to the second round
where he was ousted by the No. 2
Sebastien Lareau of Quebec 6-2,
6-0.

Tennis hopefuls
perform well

THE NORTH Shore’s three tennis
hopefuls put in promising perfor-
mances at the recent $100,000 Sun
Life Nationals in Mississauga,
Ont.

North Vancouver’s Grant Con-
nell teamed up with familiar part-
ner Glenn Michibata of Toronto to
win the men’s doubles title.

The top seeds defeated Mark
Greenan of Cambridge, Ont., and
Toronto’s Andrew Sznajder 6-
7(4-7), 6-3, 7-6(8-6) in the finals.

No. & seed Connell made it into
the quarter finals in singles play
but was upset by No. 5 Chris
Pridham of Oakville, Ont. 3-6, 6-
2, 6-4.

In other games, Glenn Richards
bowed out in the second round
after meeting top seed of the tour-
nament.

North Vancouver’s Richards lost
6-2, 6-2 to Sznajder.

One consolation for Richards
was that he was able to make it
back to Vancouver in time for the
first round of the Stanley Park
Open.

Thirteen-vear-old Sonja
Jeyaseelan fought a tooth and nail
battle against Kristine Smith of
Calgary in the first. round of the
women’s singles,

But she was finally edged out in
a third set tie-breaker 4-6, 6-2, 7-6
(7-2).

TF

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