Vincent Nets Two Tennis Titles

Derek Vincent of the Palisades Tennis Center keeps his eye on the ball on his way to winning the Braemar Tournament in Encino.Ask any of the teaching pros at the Palisades Tennis Center and they’ll tell you Derek Vincent has been one of the hardest working juniors on the court the last few years. Now, his effort is beginning to yield results in the form of victories. Last week, Vincent won back-to-back boys 10-and-under singles titles in Encino and Long Beach. First, at the 24th annual Long Beach Open, the PTC standout and Calvary Christian student dominated the draw. As the second seed, Vincent got a bye in the first round, then proceeded to cruise through the bracket without losing a set, dropping just eight games on his way to the championship. In the quarterfinals Vincent beat Anderson Ju of Cerritos, 6-2, 6-0. In the semifinals he did even better, beating Tyler Yim of Rolling Hills, 6-1, 6-0, to set up a meeting with Beau Pelletier of Huntington Beach in the finals. Vincent won, 6-3, 6-2. “There hasn’t been a kid here who has put in more time, energy or effort than Derek Vincent,” PTC pro Max Osswald said. “These wins are going to set the stage for an incredible junior career.” Vincent carried his momentum on to the Braemar Tournament in Encino, where he blitzed Brent Ifemembi in the first round, 6-0, 6-0. In his next match, though, he was pushed to the limit by third-seeded Curtis Tam and had to fight off a match point in the second set before prevailing, 4-6, 7-5, 10-6, in 115- degree temperature. In the semifinals against Kevin Hq, Vincent allowed just two games in a 6-0, 6-2 win, That pitted him against second-seeded Johnny Barcohana in the finals. Showing heart and tenacity, Vincent once again came from behind to win, 3-6, 6-2, 10-8, for his second straight title and seventh match victory in a row. In the boys 8-and-under division, fellow PTC player Roscoe Bellamy made the finals for the second straight year and this time he won. Seeded No. 1, Bellamy eliminated Jacob Tucker of Calabasas, 6-3, 6-4, in a grueling two-hour semifinal. The Corpus Christi student then faced Andrew Goldberg of Encino and won, 6-1, 6-2. It was Bellamy’s third tournament title since February, the others being the Valley Open and the Palm Springs Open.