“They call me coach Ted.” A rather humble self description by Ted Salter, a long-time member of the tennis community and a pioneer in Oregon and Southern California for his efforts to diversify and increase access to the game of tennis. The Compton native is the executive director of tennis for Kids, a program designed…

One of the most accomplished players to ever come out of the University of San Diego, Solymar Colling has a big decision to make this summer – continue adding to her legacy and return to play for the Toreros or venture off to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a professional tennis player. The 22-year-old…

Club Sports on College campuses can be a tenuous affair as the process is entirely self motivated. Students aren’t bound by scholarships and are usually competing for the love of the game as opposed to career motivation. As a result, a lot of club programs across the country find themselves struggling to maintain membership and…

There are many who would argue that winning a USTA National Gold Ball is the ultimate prize for any competitive tennis player, from the seniors all the way down to the juniors. But for a select group of seniors who compete year after year on the ITF International Team Cup circuit, there’s nothing that compares…

A Division 1 tennis standout from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, 20-year-old Ivan Smith was 6-3 in singles along with posting 14 wins in doubles action while earning all-conference first team honors in his junior year. Smith was poised to close out another excellent season when his vehicle was struck as…

It was only a few days before he hopped a plane to Europe, a whirlwind trip that will take him across the continent on what will be an annual journey for Brandon Nakashima. The San Diego native, now in his fourth year on the pro tour, was asked about his aspirations for this year’s event…

A short few years ago, the girls’ tennis team of San Diego’s Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) upended the greatest dynasty in California girls’ sports history and started their own 4-year dynastic run. Now the CCA boys have followed in the girls’ footsteps by ending arguably the greatest dynasty in California boys’ tennis history – the…

Ena Shibahara was a standout at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School before making a splash at UCLA, where she won 67 singles matches in her first two years with the Bruins. Along the way she tallied the team’s best winning percentage in doubles, and with teammate Jada Hart earned the US Open Junior doubles title…

Maybe it’s not too much of a stretch to call Sky Kim the Forrest Gump of Southern California tennis. The iconic movie character played by Tom Hanks is based on someone who had unrivaled experiences and had chance meetings and interactions by global icons. Kim is much the same. “You know, when you’re living that…

Damu Bobb is a man who wears many hats. He lives and breathes sports media as an Emmy-winning professional, plays the role of tennis dad on SoCal sidelines, and feels just as comfortable in a pair of Jordans as he does in Kenneth Coles – though he admits his special occasion footwear is the Nike…