SAN DIEGO – Because of NCAA recruiting rules, this time of year falls under a “dead period” where college coaches are not allowed to speak with the junior players taking part in the next two weeks of ITF Grade 1 tournaments.
In past years college coaches would take in matches at the International Open of Southern California and the Adidas Easter Bowl to get a look at some of the top juniors both in the U.S. and internationally. Due to COVID restrictions, coaches will not be permitted to attend the tournaments taking place back-to-back at the Barnes Tennis Center.
One of Sunday’s ISOC qualifiers from Southern California, Katie Codd of Carlsbad, used a company called Next College Student Athlete to post a video profile and other information that college coaches can check out.
According to her TennisRecruiting.com profile, Codd lists schools Cal, Pepperdine, Princeton, Virginia, Stanford, UCLA, USC and San Diego that she is interested in playing for.
“It’s kind of hard because of the dead period, and now with COVID, to get the attention of the coaches,” said Codd, after beating No. 10 Sophie Llewellyn at Barnes Tennis Center, 6-2, 6-1. “I know they check the scores and will be following the tournaments closely online.”
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The top-seed in the boys’ draw Nicholas Godsick of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, didn’t get to play a full match as his opponent Michael Ross was forced to retire after Godsick won the first set, 7-5. “I guess he rolled his ankle when he was up 5-3 in the first,” said Godsick, who was watched by his mother former WTA pro Mary Joe Fernandez. “Before that I was happy with the way I was playing and just a couple of points behind.”
Godsick’s father Tony is the longtime agent of all-time great Roger Federer.
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Santa Barbara’s Masato Perera has Ivy League aspirations. “My top choice is Harvard,” said Perera, after winning his third qualifying match to make the main draw. “I’m looking at some other Ivy League schools. Of course, I’d be interested in the Pac-12s schools but I’m a little skeptical about that right now because they are all so good and I’d have to pick it up my game a little bit to play there.”
A junior at San Marcos High School, Perera plays out of the Santa Barbara Tennis Academy run by Former Pepperdine University player Stefan Menichella.
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In an all-California matchup, No. 8-seeded John Kim saved one match point in the second set against Dylan Charlap from Palos Verdes Estates to eke out a 2-6, 7-6 (9), 11-9 victory.
“It’s funny because I actually hit a backhand down-the-line winner on that match point,” said Kim, who trains out of the Eagle Fustar Tennis Academy in his hometown of Sunnyvale, Calif. “He was serving at 8-9 in the tiebreaker. I feel pretty confident in my one-handed backhand.”
Kim said he’s interested in playing college tennis and lists USC, Arizona State, Notre Dame and Columbia as his current top choices.
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The top-seed in the boys’ draw Nicholas Godsick of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, didn’t get to play a full match as his opponent Michael Ross was forced to retire after Godsick won the first set, 7-5. “I guess he rolled his ankle when he was up 5-3 in the first,” said Godsick, who was watched by his mother former WTA pro Mary Joe Fernandez. “Before that I was happy with the way I was playing and just a couple of points behind.”
Godsick’s father Tony is the longtime agent of all-time great Roger Federer.
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Mary Stoiana of Southbury, Conn., quickly got used to the sunshine and outdoor hard courts at Barnes as she is used to playing indoors this time of year. “Yesterday it was a long day, nine, 10 hours,” said Stoiana, 17. “The conditions are so different for me, but I have three matches now under my belt.”
This is the first trip to San Diego for Stoiana, who is playing her first IOSC and was granted a USTA wild card into next weeks Adidas Easter Bowl.
–Compiled by Steve Pratt