Calissa Dellabarca earns another dominant win at Junior Sectionals

The competitive nature of Newport Coast resident Calissa Dellabarca pulses through her 5-foot-1 frame.

You aren’t going to outwork her on the tennis court. Most players aren’t going to out-talent her either.

Dellabarca is the top seed in girls’ 14 singles at the 116th annual Southern California Junior Sectionals tennis tournament. She has not come close to dropping a set in four main draw matches, including Saturday’s 6-0, 6-1 win over No. 9 Grace Hakopian of San Clemente in the quarterfinals at Los Cab Sports Village. She will play No. 3-seeded Madeleine Jessup of Rancho Palos Verdes in a semifinal Sunday at noon at Los Cab.

This fall, Dellabarca could also be giving a big boost to a local high school team.

Dellabarca, who was home-schooled this past school year, said she plans to enroll at Corona del Mar High as a freshman and play on the girls’ tennis team. That would be a big boost for the Sea Kings, who went undefeated on their way to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title last year but lost key players like USC-bound Danielle Willson, Harvard-bound Annika Bassey and University of Rhode Island-bound Paulina Loredo to graduation.

Dellabarca would be the second good player to join the team, as Janie Marcus will transfer in as a senior.

“It’s a very good team,” said Dellabarca, a blue-chip prospect who has a Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) of 9.93 and has been hitting with CdM coach Jamie Gresh. “I’m excited for it.”

Gresh showed up to watch Saturday’s match. He did not have to stay long. Dellabarca, whose mother De Anna said that the family moved from Santa Barbara to Newport Coast last August, has few holes in her game. She easily won against Hakopian, rebounding from the lone hiccup when her serve was broken at 4-0 in the second set.

By then, De Anna had left to check out another match on the adjacent stadium court.

“I don’t really watch [Calissa],” De Anna Dellaverde explained. “I kind of check out. I’m like, ‘It’s up to you.’”

Calissa, whose father Casey played college tennis at Fresno State and warmed her up for Saturday’s match, was more than up to the task. She is aggressive and smart on the court, which is a good combination.

“I definitely adapt to the player I’m going to be playing,” Calissa Dellabarca said when asked to describe her game. “I like to be aggressive. I have a very physical game, and I like to come to the net a lot and just be aggressive. I have a lot of spin in my game, just kind of use different shots.”

Dellabarca, who will turn 15 in October, said there is a bit of pressure being the top seed at a big tournament like Junior Sectionals. Last year, she lost in the 14s quarterfinals at this tournament. But she is happy with the tennis that she’s been playing.

“I feel good,” she said. “It’s a huge part of my game, that I’m competitive. I feel like that definitely helps me out in a lot of my matches.”

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David Duong of Fountain Valley was the other local player to advance in the main draw Saturday at the Junior Sectionals. Duong beat Franklin Liu of San Diego 7-6, 6-4 in a boys’ 12 singles quarterfinal match. Duong plays No. 9 Tyler Li of La Jolla in the semifinals Sunday at noon at Los Cab.

Other local players lost in main draw action Saturday. In a girls’ 18s quarterfinal match, No. 9-seeded Newport Beach resident Rebecca Lynn lost to No. 5 Rena Lin of Northridge, 6-1, 6-1.

Kaytlin Taylor of Huntington Beach was outlasted by No. 3-seeded Justine Dondonay of Newhall, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, in a girls’ 16 singles quarterfinal. No. 5-seeded Jack Pulliam of Manhattan Beach defeated No. 3 Austin Di Giulio of Newport Beach in the boys’ 18s quarterfinals, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

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