Tennis: Louisa serving for an ace

Richard Dunn

Thoughts and prayers go out to high-spirited Louisa Arnold today as

she undergoes surgery for endothelial cancer. Her shining light and smile

in the tennis community will be missed temporarily, but she expects to be

back on the courts.

Arnold’s enthusiasm for life carried her to Broadway in her stage career

and, later, as a venerable member of the Newport Beach Tennis Club.

Arnold, a Santa Ana Country Club member and volunteer at the Toshiba

Senior Classic, the Senior PGA Tour stop at Newport Beach Country Club,

said she had no pain leading up to today’s big date at Hoag Hospital, and

even continued to enjoy her active golf and tennis schedules with her

usual overabundance of energy.

The author of the comedic poetry book “Tennis Ticklers” which came out in

July 1994 and wound up on the shelves at the International Tennis Hall of

Fame in Rhode Island, Arnold currently plays on two Newport Beach Tennis

Club Pacific Sun League teams.

A thespian who still acts on stage, Arnold graduated from the American

Academy of Dramatic Arts at Carnegie Hall in New York City, then traveled

with USO Camp Shows, performing original comedy monologues and musicals.

She once played on stage in “Auntie Mame” and appeared in Hollywood

films. Once, as a contestant, she baffled the panel of the television

show “What’s My Line?”

Arnold, whose once told this reporter that she grew up a “fat kid,”

developed a method for figure control which she has taught at health

spas, calling the class “Bottoms Up,” and emphasizing body posture

alignment.

Louisa, who became Mrs. Phil Arnold in 1974, suffered a near-fatal

accident in 1980 at Mazatlan, Mexico, but recovered from a spinal-cord

injury and paralyzed arms. To this day, she wears white gloves while

playing tennis to ward off bacteria from infecting her hands, because of

skin damage suffered in the freak accident involving offshore rocks and a

huge, untimely wave.

Best wishes today to Louisa, a great friend and tennis player, and an

inspiration to many -- myself included.

Double trouble: Palisades Tennis Club member Lindsay Davenport, who has

recently taken up residence in Laguna Beach, is on fire and will soon

overtake Martina Hingis as the world’s top-ranked woman player.

After coming from behind to smoke Hingis in the Tennis Masters Series

final at Indian Wells, Davenport extended her winning streak over Hingis

to five matches.

Davenport, who has been in four finals this year, including one at the

State Farm Tennis Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz., that was rained

out, is also winning in doubles. At Indian Wells, she teamed with Corina

Morariu to beat Anna Kournikova and Natasha Zvereva (a former Newport

Beach resident) in the finals for her fourth doubles title this year.

Davenport has won singles and doubles titles at the same event nine times

in her illustrious career.

Every boys tennis coach at the inaugural CdM/Pavilions National High

School Team Invitational last week loved the competition and can’t wait

to return.

For a first-time event, CdM Coach Tim Mang did an admirable job as

executive director, even though he was stretched too far at times

administratively.

Palisades Tennis Club owner/operator Ken Stuart provided an endorsement,

saying he would continue to open his courts to the national team

invitational.

“This is a great tournament,” Stuart said. “It’s got a lot of potential.”

Stuart designed the tournament bracket, which was made into a large board

posted at the main entrance of center court.

Peninsula High boys tennis coach Tom Cox, whose team was seeded first and

ultimately won the tournament last weekend, was surprised to play the

first two rounds of the event at Costa Mesa Tennis Center, the only

public facility of the five clubs that donated courts.

“You’d think they’d put the No. 1 seed, and one of their featured teams,

at one of the country clubs,” said Cox, referring to Palisades, Newport

Beach and Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club, all of which hosted matches,

along with private Park Newport Apartments, and all within close

proximity of headquarters (Palisades).

“You know, Costa Mesa isn’t a country club. But that’s OK. Everything

worked out well. We were nice and they were nice,” he added.

“Oh, come on. You know why (we were scheduled at Costa Mesa). (CdM’s Sea

Kings) are the hosts,” he added.

Cox’s team was the only school without a challenge in the tournament. The

Panthers’ closest margin of victory was 7-2 in the semifinals against

Harvard-Westlake.

Costa Mesa Tennis Center will host an annual USA Tennis Day on May 1. It

is the only facility in the Newport-Mesa community to receive national

funding for the event.