Valley youth faring well on tennis circuit

James TenBroeck, 13, has been tearing up the NorCal tennis circuit, winning three of his last four tournaments in the 14 division.

His only loss came in the finals at Lodi, Calf., 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to the eventual champion.

Kari TenBroeck, 12, has won the consolation bracket in her last three tournaments at Lodi, Walnut Creek and Novato in the 12 division.

At the South Lake Tahoe Junior Satellite, Amelia Ritger, 14, won the 16 bracket with a 6-2, 6-0 victory in the finals.

Three of the four Johnson brothers made their tournament debuts. Matt, 11, Pat, 10 and Mike Johnson, 9, competed in the 14 divison due to lack of participants in the younger groups.

They all showed promise and gained some valuable experience. Pat Johnson won his first round match, 6-3, 6-4.

The Johnsons have tennis in their genes as their mother, Janie Johnson, was previously ranked No. 62 on the Pro Tour and held the world record for women's fastest serve for a while at 117 mph.

-- Bill Welch is The Record-Courier's tennis columnist. He can be reached at 782-5775.