Maxi steps up
FOUNTAIN VALLEY — Remember the name of Maxi Duncan.
Duncan moved with her family from Marina del Rey to Costa Mesa last December, in order to further her junior tennis career. She started training at The Tennis Club Newport Beach and is coached by the club’s owner, Sean Abdali.
Maxi just turned 13 this week, but she routinely plays up in the 16s and 18s at tournaments. That’s by design, said her father, Gerald.
“The good thing about [The Tennis Club] is that she gets to play against girls that are really, really great, like the Branstine sisters,” Gerald Duncan said. “The older girl [Cassidy] goes to UC Irvine, so she gets to play matches against girls in college at this age. It’s just phenomenal. The competition is good, the coaching is good.”
Maxi is getting pretty good herself.
She’s making a run in the girls’ 14s at the 113th annual Southern California Junior Sectionals. Duncan, seeded No. 9, overpowered Karen Gao of San Diego, 6-1, 6-0, in a main draw round of 32 match Friday afternoon at Fountain Valley Tennis Center.
Maxi Duncan will play No. 5-seeded Lindsay Hung of San Clemente in the round of 16 on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., also at Fountain Valley Tennis Center.
“I think I did pretty well,” she said of her win over Gao. “We had some good points. I just have to make sure I stay aggressive, instead of being defensive, which sometimes I do.”
Maxi, who is home-schooled, is growing into her game. Late last year she spent about two months training at the Nick Saviano tennis academy in Florida. Recently, she made the finals in the girls’ 14s at the Esme Pearson tournament in San Diego, as well as the finals in the 18s at the South Bay Junior tournament.
She is already 5-foot-7, and she wears a size 11 1/2 shoe.
“Everybody’s predicting 6 feet, but I’m like, ‘You know, 5-11 is fine,’” Gerald Duncan said with a laugh. “She’s really learning how to play, learning what tools she has.”
One of the tools is a big lefty forehand. Duncan used it often against Gao, taking a 4-0 lead in the first set before Gao got on the board. The second set was even easier.
Duncan admittedly set up her first match point with a lucky shot, a backhand off the frame that landed on the right sideline.
“Sorry!” she called out to Gao, before winning the match with a forehand shot.
“It was so lucky,” she said after the match. “I shanked it, so I felt bad.”
But Duncan likes her chances of continuing on at Junior Sectionals, although she’s never played Hung before.
So does dad.
“Ability-wise, she can win the tournament,” he said. “It’s just going to be the mental part of it. She’s beaten most of the girls in this tournament, but it’s really down to the mental side.”
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•In other main draw singles action Friday at Junior Sectionals, recent Newport Harbor High graduate Reese Stalder advanced to the round of 16 in the boys’ 18s with a 6-1, 6-1, victory over Andrew Leahy of Claremont. Stalder, the No. 3 seed, will play Zac Brodney of Los Angeles on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports Club.
Also in the boys’ 18s, No. 5-seeded Bjorn Hoffmann of Corona del Mar outlasted Daunte Harris of Lomita, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, in a round of 32 match. Hoffmann will also play in the round of 16 at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, against No. 9-seeded Daniel Gealer of Los Angeles.
Other locals lost in the main draw Friday. Corona del Mar’s Jasie Dunk fell to No. 4-seeded Julia Haynes of San Diego, 6-3, 6-2, in a girls’ 16 singles round of 32 match. Newport Beach resident Austin Di Giulio lost to top-seeded Robert Baylon of Buena Park, 6-2, 6-0, in a boys’ 16 singles round of 32 match, while Newport Coast resident Kyle Pham lost to No. 5-seeded Alexey Lunin of Irvine, 6-2, 6-0, in a boys’ 14 singles round of 32 match.
Round of 32 doubles matches scheduled for Friday will be rescheduled due to long main draw and consolation singles matches, according to a post on the Junior Sectionals website.
