Friedman falls in final
Newport Beach resident Lauren Friedman fell behind early in her girls’ 12 singles title match Friday at the Costa Mesa Summer Junior Classic tennis tournament.
Friedman, the No. 2 seed, knew she was playing a tough opponent in top-seeded Seychelle Balog of Laguna Nigel. Yet, she never outwardly got frustrated with herself and kept battling.
Though the final result for Friedman was a 6-1, 6-0 loss at Costa Mesa Tennis Center, that kind of attitude will serve her well in the future.
“You’re never going to win if you give up, so it doesn’t really make sense to give up during a match,” Friedman said. “I mean, there’s always the possibility you can come back and win. When you get down on yourself, it’s not helping you in any way. If you whine, it’s not going to help you, so I try to stay positive and fight through the match, never give up.”
Friedman did get into some good rallies with Balog, who is ranked No. 20 in Southern California in the girls’ 12 by the United States Tennis Assn. and recently made the consolation finals at the Junior Sectionals. Friedman is ranked No. 40 in Southern California.
Both players wore light blue tops and a white hat. Friedman said she wore the top to match her nails. But the difference between the two was clear on the score cards.
Friedman was behind just 2-1 in the first set before Balog rattled off 10 straight games to close out the match.
“She mixes it up,” Friedman said. “I like pace a lot, and she tries to mix it up. She does a slice, and sometimes she does lobs. You never really know what to expect. I think that’s one of the things that makes her a good player.”
Balog had beaten Friedman by the same score, 6-1, 6-0, in the final of the Laguna Niguel Junior Open last month. Still, she said she didn’t come into Friday’s match overconfident.
“Not really,” Balog said. “I don’t really get that confident. I get nervous really easily. And she’s a tough player.”
Balog, a left-handed player, said she tried to hit it to Friedman’s backhand as well as down the line, strategies that seemed to work out for her.
Friedman still stayed mentally tough, as her mother and younger brother Logan, 11, who also plays tennis, watched the action. Lauren’s mom, then known as Danielle Scott, starred in tennis at Corona del Mar High before graduating in 1988. She went on to be a two-time All-American at Arizona and play on the pro tour.
In her kids’ tennis, though, she does not play the role of the demanding parent.
“She thinks it’s better for me not to have a parent constantly telling you what to do,” Lauren Friedman said. “She warmed up with me this morning and she just gave me some tips, but [during the match] she let me figure it out myself a little bit. I have to self-correct sometimes. You can’t always rely on your parents or coaches to help you; sometimes you have to self-correct.”
Friedman finished off a solid two-week run that included the 12s doubles title at last week’s “War by the Shore,” where she also made the singles semifinals.
