Alpine tourney Alpine tourney (August 13, 2004)is tough on local players

by Keith Peters

The Alpine Hills Junior Fall Classic tennis tournament usually has been kind to local players in years past. This season, however, may be different.

Either the fields are tougher or more local players are off on vacation or playing elsewhere. In other words, local champions are few and far between in 2004.

In the Boys' 18 singles, for example, only Nathaniel Gorham of Los Altos Hills advanced past the Round of 16 this week at Alpine Hills Tennis & Swim Club in Portola Valley. Rajeev Herekar of Palo Alto also advanced that far in Boys' 12 singles.

In Girls' 16 singles, only Bobbie Englert of Atherton made it past the Round of 32.

In Girls' 18 singles, no local player reached today's championship match and in Girls'12 singles, no local player even reached the quarterfinals.

The rare exception this week was Atherton's Haley Hemm, who played for the Girls' 14 singles title on Thursday. The No. 4-seeded Hemm was impressive during the week as her bracket remained true to the seeds. Of the four players to reached the semifinals, all were the top four seeds.

Of the 304 players entered in the annual tournament, few local players were even among the top seeds this week.

In the Boys' 18 singles, for example, the top seeds ranged from San Francisco to Ross to Saratoga. Of the 16 seeds in Boys' 16 singles, none were from the local communities.

Hemm and Englert may have the best chances, then, of taking home a trophy. It's rare a tournament goes by when local players are shut out of the trophies.

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