TENNIS / OJAI TOURNAMENT : Shorter Commute Serves Jellen, Her Mother Well

After accompanying her daughter Stacey on an unsettling flight to Miami for last week’s Easter Bowl tournament, Louise Jellen was relieved that this week’s tennis schedule called for a trip to the Ojai Valley tournament.

Louise Jellen gets so nervous when she flies that “no one sits next to her,” on the plane, according to Stacey, one of the nation’s top-ranked junior players.

After a 45-minute drive from Calabasas, Jellen, seeded second in the girls’ 18-and-under singles division, needed just 15 minutes more than the commute to glide past Sonya Cotero of San Rafael, 6-1, 6-1, in a first-round match Thursday.

Jellen relied on a powerful backhand and an improved serve to overwhelm Cotero. She also took advantage of Cotero’s shaky serve, breaking five times.

“I’m playing really well,” Jellen said. “I think I have a chance to win the tournament.”

Jellen, who will turn 17 next week, reached the quarterfinals of the girls’ 16s at Ojai last spring. But that was on the heels of a monthlong break forced by a stress fracture in one of her feet.

This year, she is healthy. Moreover, coming off last week’s seventh-place finish in Miami, she has momentum on her side.

Laura Gross of Hidden Hills, a 6-1, 6-0, winner over Poway’s Sasha Boros, will try to slow Jellen this morning in a second-round match at 8.

Ania Bleszynski of Thousand Oaks, the top-seeded player in the bracket, struggled to advance. Bleszynski, the runner-up in the Easter Bowl tournament, was pushed to three sets before beating Nicole Elliott of Dana Point, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Bob and Mike Bryan of Camarillo, two of the top 14-and-under-boys’ players, breezed to opening-round victories. Bob defeated Tyler Stonebreaker of Corona del Mar, 6-0, 6-0, and Mike dropped San Diego’s Scott Kintz, 6-0, 6-1.

In the men’s independent college division, Tomislav Zelenovic of Cal Lutheran, advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Edgar Quilala of Chico State and a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over Gregory Espiritu of Cal State Los Angeles.

In the women’s independent college division, Gabriela Knizek of Cal State Northridge beat Biola’s Frieda Buss, 6-4, 6-0, then teamed with Cindy Nielson to beat Jamie Hutchinson and Kari Pucci of La Verne, 6-1, 6-4, in doubles.