The San Diego Tennis Federation (SDTF) hosted 260 players in its 20th annual San Diego Open (SDO) tennis tournament over the Fourth of July weekend. Players competed in singles and doubles competition in five categories of play: Men’s Open (highly advanced), A (advanced), B (intermediate), C (low intermediate), and D (novice).

Four different facilities in the San Diego area hosted the SDO, sponsored by Ray’s Tennis, Vitamin Water, Century 21 and CQ Financial Group. The main site for the SDO and the semifinal and finals matches was the Balboa Tennis Club in Morley Field. The first two days of the tournament also utilized courts at the Barnes Tennis Center in Mission Bay, the Peninsula Tennis Club in Ocean Beach, and courts at the University of San Diego.

“The turnout this year was far beyond my expectations,” said Allen Sanchez, SDO tournament director. “We had four prior champions competing in the Men’s Open Division. We also had three of the top six players in the GLTA [Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance] competing in the tournament.”

Spectators gathered at the Balboa Tennis Club on July 4 for the Open Division championship, which once again featured the top two seeds in the tournament. Everything went according to plan as the top four seeds all made it to the semifinals. Second-seeded Vince Riveroll from San Diego took on last year’s SDO champion, first-seeded John Lansville of Los Angeles. Lansville successfully defended his title by defeating Riveroll in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Last year Lansville also defeated Riveroll in straight sets.

Lansville’s winning ways were not over as he also captured the Men’s Open doubles championship, teaming with Tatsuya Ogawa of Los Angeles in a 7-5, 6-0 win over Rob Goodwin and Jose Sambas.

After a first-round bye, Lansville didn’t drop a set, with three solid straight-set wins. In the semifinals he defeated fourth-seeded Donald Wong, 6-4, 6-2 for his closest match of the tournament.

Lansville, currently ranked No. 1 in the GLTA standings, has not lost a match on the GLTA circuit since the Palm Springs Open in November of 2003. Since then he has dominated the scene, winning all nine GLTA tournaments he has entered.

Riveroll, ranked fourth in the GLTA, last won the San Diego Open in 2003 and has won the title eight times. He had a more difficult time reaching the finals, with a tough second round match against San Diego’s Aaron Pratt. After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, Riveroll was able to pull out a gutsy 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-4 win. In the quarterfinals he defeated Dave Campbell 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), and then third-seeded Sambas in the semifinals with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) win. Sambas is also a prior SDO champion and ranks sixth in the GLTA.

Each division had a consolation round, which guaranteed all players at least two matches if they failed to win in the first round. In the Open consolation final SDTF member Jim Winters defeated SDTF member Kevin Mallery, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0.

Two SDTF teams were pitted against each other in the Men’s B doubles championship. San Diego’s Grady Mitchell and James Tuck defeated second-seeded Scott O’Brien and Minh Pham 6-3, 7-5. The unseeded tandem of Mitchell and Tuck pulled off an upset in the semifinals when they came away with a solid 6-3, 6-4 win over top-seeded Ken Horgan and John Kokum. O’Brien and Pham earned their spot in the championship by beating San Diego’s Junior Rivera and Robert Voces 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals.

The SDTF won another championship at Men’s D doubles. The third-seeded tandem of Richard Espinoza and Bill Godsey upset the first-seeded team of Jerome Kerman and Thomas Lister 6-4, 6-3 in the finals. Espinoza and Godsey barely made it to the finals after narrowly defeating San Diego’s Brett Bell and Ed Sanchez 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2) in the semifinals.

Top-seeded Ken Pomeroy of San Diego lost to unseeded Mark Love 6-3, 6-0 in the A singles quarterfinals after winning two tough, consecutive three-set matches in the previous rounds.

Fourth-seeded Michael Sanchez of Los Angeles barely got past sixth-seeded Steve DeJong of St. Paul, Minn., in a close 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory in the A singles championship.

In the A singles consolation finals, San Diego’s Brad Hasper blanked Bob Walton 6-0 in the first set before Walton retired from the match.

San Diego’s Carlo Santilla posted four solid straight set victories to earn a spot in the semifinals of the 64-player Men’s B singles draw. In the quarterfinals he beat fellow San Diegan Rowel Cannu 6-3, 6-0. In the semifinals, however, Santilla fell to Palm Springs’ Bill Eir 6-3, 7-5. Bret McAllister of Los Angles defeated Eir 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in the championship.

The consolation finals for the Men’s B singles featured two San Diegans: Robert Tiangco barely defeated Robert Voces in a marathon 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) win.

Although fourth-seeded Keith Millard of San Diego lost to top-seeded Efren Serna 6-3, 6-3 in the Men’s C singles final, he played well to get there. In earlier rounds Millard posted three consecutive straight set wins before finally dropping a set in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Chuck Wheeler in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals Millard got back on track with a solid 6-1, 6-2 win over Robert Cook.

In the Men’s D singles final, San Diego’s Phillip Villagomez lost to Steve Ledoux 6-2, 6-1. Ledoux had upset top-seeded Thomas Lister 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals. Villagomez had a tough three-set opening match but breezed into the finals with two consecutive straight-set victories, including a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win over Eric Levine in the semifinals.

San Diego’s Edward Bauer won the Men’s D singles consolation draw with a tough 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 win over third-seeded Armando Sausedo.

To learn more about the SDTF, visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the SDTF Web site.