Top seeds still alive at BBC Racquet Club

Three local players entered this week’s War by the Shore junior

tennis tournament with the top seed in their respective divisions and

after three days of play at the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club, all

three are still gunning for titles.

Corona del Mar’s Cierra Gaytan-Leach prevailed in the

quarterfinals of the girls 12s singles Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-4 win

over Hayley Miller. Gaytan-Leach, the top seed, will face

fourth-seeded Sarah Lee in the semifinals at 12:30 p.m. today.

In boys 12s, top seed Joshua Lorentzen of Newport Beach was a 7-5,

6-1 winner against Nicolas Carrillo. He advanced to the semifinals

where he will play No. 3 seed Junya Yoshida at 12:30 p.m. today.

Yoshida defeated Corona del Mar’s Omeed Ghassemi Wednesday, 6-0, 6-1.

In the bottom half of the 12s bracket, Daron Arnold of Newport

Beach, a 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) winner over Nathanael Burt Wednesday, will

play Christopher Naamani, also at 12:30 p.m. today.

The other Newport-Mesa player with a top seed is in boys 16s,

where Ryan Caughren has barely broken a sweat in his first two

matches. Caughren has yet to lose a game, defeating Andrew Ung, 6-0,

6-0, Wednesday. He will play in the quarterfinals against Cory Harris

at 8 a.m. today and a victory would advance him to the semifinals,

scheduled for 2 p.m. today.

Though they don’t have No. 1 seeds attached to their names, other

local players are still vying for a title as well.

In boys 18s, Spencer Reitz and Tyler Deck have both advanced to

the semifinals. Reitz, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Ryan Malawy, will play

top-seeded Josh Lederman of Pacific Palisades at 12:30 p.m. today.

Deck, a 6-1, 6-1 victor against David Grazer Wednesday is slated for

a matchup with Shimpei Suzuki, also at 12:30 p.m. today.

The girls 18s bracket will see an all-Newport Harbor High

semifinal when Bonnie Adams and Vanessa Dunlap battle at 2 p.m.

today. Adams defeated Diana Ramball, 6-1, 6-2, in the quarterfinals,

while the second-seeded Dunlap was a 6-3, 6-3 winner against Alyssa

Tonelli.

The bottom quarter of the girls 16s bracket had four local players

in action Wednesday and No. 2 seed Jillian Braverman emerged with a

semifinal berth by way of victories over Carly Adams (6-0, 6-1) and

Miranda Young (6-1, 6-2). Braverman faces fourth-seeded Lorren

Butterwick of Laguna Beach at 12:30 p.m. today.

At 9:30 a.m. today, Newport Beach’s Michelle Atkins will battle

No. 2 seed Stacy Kaufman with a semifinal berth in the girls 14s on

the line. Atkins defeated fellow Newporter Elizabeth Van’t Hof

Wednesday, 6-2, 6-4.

The last local still remaining in the singles competition is in

the boys 10s bracket. Also a No. 2 seed, Newport Beach’s Joseph

DiGiulio was a winner against Daniel Esparza Wednesday after Esparza

retired in the second set. DiGiulio had won the first set, 6-1. He

will face Jim Myers in the semifinals at 11 a.m. today.