Eduardo Nava has grown accustomed to playing kids two or three years older than he is, so it came as no surprise when he advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the 12s division at the Nationals last weekend in Palm Springs. Nava, ranked No. 2 in the world in the Boys 10s, beat the ninth and 13th seeds in straight sets before meeting fellow Palisades Tennis Center junior Robbie Bellamy in the third round. The friends played one of the best matches of the tournament, with Nava finally prevailing 7-6(5), 7-5. Nava’s amazing run finally ended with a loss to Masayoshi Ono of China. Other PTC players at the Nationals included Clay Thompson, Alex Soheil, Alex Giannini, Chase Pekar, Spencer Pekar, Blake Anthony, Derek Levchenko, Katy Nikolova, Reid Shumway and Jonathon Deeter. The PTC’s contingent was one of the largest at the tournament. Nava won the 8-and-under division of the “Little Mo” national tournament in 2005–by far the toughest event for that age group in the United States. Nava has been training at the PTC since early last year.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
