TENNIS AT OJAI : Third-Round Loss Has Phebus Pensive

OJAI —  Match chart in hand and heart on his sleeve, Myron McNamara sat and painfully analyzed UCLA freshman Keri Phebus’ 6-4, 6-1 loss to Stanford’s Amy Chiminello in the third round of the Pacific 10 women’s singles championships Friday afternoon.

“Keri’s a sweet girl,” said McNamara, Phebus’ personal coach and friend for the last 12 years. “She owns me. We’ve been through a few things.

“I’m dead right now. That one hurt the heck out of me.”

Phebus, a three-time Southern Section player of the year at Corona del Mar High, didn’t take the loss well either, burying her head in a towel for about 10 minutes after the match.

But once she had time to digest her loss, Phebus began looking to the future.

“I hate to lose, but there’s nothing you can do when someone plays like that,” Phebus said. “This loss is more of a steppingstone. At least I know I was trying to do the things that are going to make me better.”

Until Friday, Phebus was riding high. She’s already the sixth-ranked player in women’s college tennis and the top-ranked freshman, according to the Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Assn. Phebus was also the top-ranked junior in the 12-, 14- and 16-year-old age divisions. In the 18s, Phebus slipped all the way to No. 2.

But the past doesn’t mean much to Phebus and McNamara. Each loss reminds them how far they have to go. And it’s evident, neither is content with Phebus being the best freshman in the nation.

“We’re caught in a transition,” said McNamara, who was the men’s tennis coach at Arizona State and now teaches at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. “We’re going to have to figure out how to get off this nowhere street. Where are we going? What are we going to do with the physical characteristics we have?”

Phebus’ thoughts about her past were about as existential as McNamara’s questions.

“I was just floating around . . . a drifter,” she said.

Phebus briefly drifted out of tennis, taking a break this season. Phebus was battling bronchitis and a sore foot, but she said she was more in need of mental healing.

“I missed the Stanford and Cal trip and just went to the beach and laid around,” she said. “I did some surfing too and just got away from tennis.”

When she got out of the sun, Phebus vowed to start over.

“When I came back, I came back with more drive and determination,” she said. “It’s like I turned over a new leaf.”

With McNamara’s help, Phebus unveiled a more powerful, aggressive game last month.

“Everyone can play from the baseline,” said Phebus, who stands 6 feet. “I have to use my height so I can end points quicker.”

McNamara said Phebus will need some time to become consistent with her new serve-and-volley approach.

“Think of the adjustment,” he said. “She grew so quickly. You look down at your feet and the earth has moved.”

Phebus, who lost in the second round of the Pac-10 doubles Friday with partner Jane Chi, still is hoping to steady her game by the time the NCAAs begin May 12 in Gainesville, Fla.

“My goal was to win the Pac-10,” said Phebus, who is 23-10 as UCLA’s No. 1 singles player. “I still have the NCAAs. I have high expectations for myself. There’s not anyone out there who’s unbeatable.”

Meet Notes

In the boys’ interscholastic singles tournament, Sunny Hills High’s David Robbins, who is unseeded, continued his strong play with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Susmu Sugai of North Torrance High. Robbins meets Phillip Tseng of North Hollywood Harvard Westlake High in today’s semifinals.

Other Orange County players reaching the semifinals were: the top-seeded team of Trenton Rhodes and Brian Walden of Corona del Mar in the boys’ interscholastic doubles; Ryan Moore of Fullerton in the boys’ 14 singles; Faye DeVera of Villa Park and Sarah Denson of Irvine play in semifinals of the girls’ 14 singles, and Joseph Gilbert of Fullerton and Geoff Abrams of Newport Beach are in opposite semifinals of the boys’ 16 singles.