‘Shotgun 21’ Is A Blockbuster Hit

Spadea Survives Semifinal Scare to Win Star-Studded Unisex Tournament at PTC

Never has there been a greater assemblage of pro talent on the courts at the Palisades Tennis Center than there was Sunday afternoon. Add to the mix a who’s who of celebrities, the area’s top junior players and an enthusiastic crowd and what you have is the community’s second annual “Shotgun 21” Championships. Park patrons were treated to more than seven hours of pinpoint passing shots, strategic lobs, booming overheads and friendly banter in a unisex, drop-hit event unlike any other in the sport. When it was over Vince Spadea, in town to play this week’s LA Tennis Open at UCLA, had defeated fellow ATP Tour veteran Ramon Delgado in the finals, pocketing the winner’s share of $5,000 and a new Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. “First off, I’d like to thank my coach Jon Lovitz,” joked Spadea, who ad libbed a few verses upon being playfully urged to rap for the spectators by Palisadian and tournament organizer Steve Bellamy. “This is a great concept, there were a lot of great points and I’m thrilled to have won.” Lovitz was one of many celebrities invited to participate and he entertained until the end, spouting one comedic gem after another despite expressing that his first-round loss to WTA pro Ashley Harkleroad was “no laughing matter.” “It’s great to hit against a real professional,” said Lovitz, who served as chair umpire for the PTC’s 10-year anniversary “Racquets, Stars and Guitars” event with brothers Mike and Bob Bryan in 2006. “She was just having fun with me–she can hit it anywhere she wants.” The biggest surprise of the tournament was PTC junior Clay Thompson, who came within one point of upsetting Spadea in the semifinals. Thompson led 20-18 before falling 21-20. Earlier he had eliminated pros Wade McGwire and Devin Britton and former pro Chuck Adams, who grew up in Pacific Palisades. “I’ve been Spadea’s warm-up partner at some challenger events so yeah, I’ve played him before,” said Thompson, who turned 17 in May and still has another year of high school at Santa Monica Crossroads. “I’m surprised I made it this far. There are awesome players here. Having to serve underhanded really levels the playing field.” Thompson is ranked in the top 15 in the nation and in the top three in Southern California in the Boys 18s, but was not expected to reach the final four in a field that included ATP pros Donald Young, Robert Kendrick, Taylor Dent, Alex Reichel, Kevin Ullyett and last year’s “Shotgun 21” runner-up Phillip King, who lost to Young in the quarterfinals this year. “I play about four or five times a week and sometimes I play in the clinics here,” said actress Donna Mills, who lost a close match to Tennis Magazine writer James LaRosa in the first round. “I played live ball against the Bryans at the event a few years ago and my partner [WTA pro Jill Craybas] and I were the only ones to knock them off the King’s Court. That was a big moment in my tennis career.” Movie star Elisabeth Shue brought serious game but lost to Spadea, actor Vince Van Patten fell to pro Andre Sa and actor Chad Lowe lost to Dent while WTA pro Alexandra Stevenson beat retired beach volleyball legend and Palisadian Sinjin Smith. “It’s so hard to compare because I don’t play tennis at the highest level but both sports require a high degree of mental toughness,” Smith said. “I’d love to have played more tennis when I was younger. I think I could’ve been pretty good.” Stevenson was looking forward to playing against the men and got her chance, hitting several clean winners despite losing to Reichel in the second round. “Things like this are really great for tennis,” Stevenson said. “Steve [Bellamy] is very creative, very innovative and he has done a lot for our sport. I love events like this that promote the game and give the fans something they don’t normally see.” Qualifying preceded the main draw and PTC juniors Walker Kehrer, Robbie Bellamy, Blake Anthony and Brandon Michaels earned spots in the main draw. Returning to the courts he grew up playing on, Kehrer, who begins his collegiate career at Stanford in the fall, defeated Harkleroad in the round of 16 before falling to Delgado in the quarterfinals. “That was my sixth match so I might’ve been able to win a few more points [against Delgado] if I was fresher,” Kehrer said. “It was a good experience. Live ball would be my game. You can’t really feed and go to net against these guys or you’ll get passed.” Having survived his semifinal scare, Spadea took an 8-2 lead in the finals and led 11-4 when the players changed sides after 15 points. After the chair umpire called a ball in that Spadea thought was long, he called to Delgado across the net, “Ramon, was that in?” Delgado just shrugged, feigning indifference, to the delight of the crowd. Play continued and, on match point, Spadea hit a passing shot that clipped the tape and crept over the net. Delgado sprinted but was unable to dig it out and, with that, Spadea had succeeded Alex Bogomolov as tournament champion. “It’s great because you can play a whole tournament in a single day,” said Delgado, a Paraguayan who played 12 years on the ATP Tour and was ranked as high as No. 52. “I played World Team Tennis with the Newport Beach Breakers and it’s something a little different.”