CLAREMONT, Calif., June 25, (by Steve Pratt)

Jagger Leach made his SoCal Pro Series debut on Wednesday in just his second tournament in nearly a year following a serious elbow injury with his Hall of Fame mother Lindsay Davenport cheering him on.

The 19-year-old Floridian, who was born, raised and still lives part-time in Laguna Beach, came back to beat former Illinois star Alex Petrov, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 and said after the match the tournament setup at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center on the campus of Claremont Mudd Scripps Colleges – also making its SoCal Pro Series debut this week – reminded him of playing an ATP Challenger ($50,000 and higher) event.

“This is the nicest 15K in the world,” said Leach, not neglecting to acknowledge the USTA Southern California section wild card committee for granting him entry into the fifth SoCal Pro Series event over seven straight weeks taking place for the fifth straight year. “I mean, the courts are incredible, the facility’s great, there’s a challenge system. I was just talking to my coach about it. We were blown away. It feels like a Challenger-level tournament. I’m happy I get to come back tomorrow.”

Leach was commenting in the men’s locker room while icing his elbow and halfway submerged in an ice bath. He recently completed his freshman year at Stanford and helped the Cardinal to a 19-9 overall record and its fifth consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance. He was named the ITA Northwest Region Rookie of the Year and a three-time ACC Freshman of the Week.

Besides a wild-card entry and first-round qualifying loss at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event in March, Leach’s last match was the Wimbledon Junior doubles final. “Yeah, it has been so long,” Leach said. “I really missed it, too. I love playing tournaments. But I got injured and then got through the college season and it’s just the way everything worked out. But I’m so happy to be back, just playing matches again. I’m not taking it for granted at all.”

Leach is playing in his eighth career ITF World Tennis Tour tournament and hopes to play the final two SoCal Pro Series events in San Diego (Barnes Tennis Center) and Rancho Santa Fe. He next faces No. 6 seeded Brit Lucas Pow.

The Tennis Channel commentator Davenport was just as impressed as her son with how the tournament was running and the SoCal Pro Series overall. “It’s honestly amazing,” Davenport said. “It just shows the USTA Southern California’s commitment to these kids. It’s really hard to navigate the pathway to the pros, and a lot of the kids have such big dreams to make it. But it’s not easy. There are not tons of opportunities, and it’s really expensive. So to be able to have something like this, where players can seamlessly move from tournament to tournament, and get these opportunities is amazing.”

Davenport added: “Jagger actually texted me this morning and was like, ‘Mom, this is the nicest 15K I’ve ever been to. Of course, he wanted to play sooner, but he just wasn’t 100% healthy. So, we just waited. He had a horrible injury last year. He was out six months after Wimbledon with his elbow injury. He’s just really happy to be healthy and be able to play here.”

A few days following his first ITF pro singles title on Sunday in Irvine, UCLA senior Spencer Johnson recorded a solid win over No. 8 seeded and a future Leach Stanford teammate and No. 8 seeded Ronit Karki, 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-1, from New Jersey.

In other men’s action on Wednesday, Irvine singles finalist Bryce Nakashima from San Diego beat Claremont Mudd Scripps sophomore Henry Wilson, 6-2, 6-3. Nakashima’s Ohio State teammate and top-seeded Aidan Kim from Michigan took out wild card Brayden Tallakson from Irvine, 6-4, 6-1. No. 7 seeded Emon Van Loben Sels from UCLA fell to Canada’s Alexander Rozin in straight sets. Leach’s  Stanford teammate Nico Godsick, who looked impressive winning two rounds in qualifying and is the son of former WTA pro Mary Joe Fernandez, lost to Australian Benjamin O’Connell, 6-2, 6-2.

Like Leach, Brooke Kwon, a 16-year-old from Diamond Bar, had an impressive SoCal Pro Series debut two years ago in Lakewood when at just 14 she won two qualifying matches and then two more in the main draw to make the quarterfinals before falling to Amelia Honer. Wednesday, she beat her SoCal junior rival Madeline Cleary, just 15, from Moorpark, 6-2 6-0.

Keeping with the Stanford theme, Kwon is locked and loaded to be a Cardinal in the fall of 2027. She is coached by Ian De Guzman at In Tennis Academy in San Dimas. “I just remember they were like insane matches, and I knew I had nothing to lose back then so I just played my heart out,” said Kwon of her 2024 SoCal Pro Series debut at Lakewood.

In an all-Mexican matchup, Midori Castillo Meza from Chula Vista continued her strong play beating No. 8 seed Ingrid Mlillan Acosta, 6-2, 6-1. Castillo Meza is playing her fourth SoCal Pro Series in five weeks with her best showing last week in Irvine when she made the quarterfinals in singles and the doubles final.

“Just living so close and being able to play these $15,000 events without spending a bunch of money on plane tickets and room nights has been incredible,” said Castillo Meza, who is now playing under the Mexico flag. “And just being able to compete with some of the best players, not only in the country, but internationally has been so nice. Deep down, I always wanted to play for Mexico. Both my parents are Mexican and my coach (Angelica Gavaldon) is also Mexican.”

Castillo Meza hopes to play the final two SoCal Pro Series events in San Diego and Rancho Santa Fe. The former University of Arizona standout said being a full-time pro is tough, but she loves what she does.

“It’s a good job. Obviously, it’s hard being away from home for so many weeks, but when you love it, I feel like it shows on the court. And for me, I love what I do, and the best part is to travel and to see new places, learn about new cultures and try new foods. So, it’s just such a fun thing. I don’t even see it as a sacrifice being away from home. I see it as a privilege.”

San Diego teenager and future Stanford player Ayssa Ahn, seeded No. 7, recorded a straight-set win over Anna Tabunshchyk from Canada. In another all-SoCal matchup, Newport Beach’s Anya Arora, just 15, beat Camille Allegre of Aliso Viejo, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Laguna Niguel’s Kelly Keller downed former CSUN star Yuliia Zhytelna from Ukraine, 7-6(2), 6-0.

Longtime Claremont Mudd Scripps men’s head tennis coach and this week’s tournament director Paul Settles was ecstatic to see two of his players receive their first ATP Tour world ranking point as CMS commit Kristian Sharma from Porter Ranch and his future teammate Wilson upset the No. 1 pairing of Max Exsted and Pow, 11-9 in a super tiebreaker in doubles action.

To learn more about the SoCal Pro Series, go to socalproseries.com.