Junior Achievement: Palos Verdes’ Lee Wins U.S. Tennis Title

Janet Lee watched the U.S. Open with special interest this year.

With all the success Lee is having with her own tennis career, the 13-year-old Palos Verdes resident was probably scouting her future competition.

Lee won the 14-and-under U.S. Tennis Assn. girls’ title in Atlanta earlier this month, defeating Christina Brandi in the final, 6-3, 6-3.

Seeded No. 1, Lee faced many eager challengers, and as much as she enjoyed the victory, she said she was happy just to have survived.

“I was supposed to win, so the pressure was on,” she said. “The competition was good. So at the end, I was happy to have the tournament over with.”

Her biggest scare came in the semifinal match against her friend and frequent playing partner, Amanda Basica. Lee fell behind, 3-0, in the third set.

“When I was down, I thought to myself: ‘What am I going to do?’ ” Lee said. “I was able to come back. I tried to stay calm and just concentrate. I came out OK.”

Basica, 12, who recently won the girls’ 18 division of the Santa Monica Open, said of Lee’s comeback: “I was still playing the same, because you never know about her. She is pretty tough. She started coming in and was hitting winners out of the air. I couldn’t do anything to stop her.”

Lee won the match, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Those who know her say that her grit in the Atlanta tournament typifies her competitive attitude.

“Mentally, the girl is tough,” said one of Lee’s coaches, Robert Lansdorp, who as the pro at the West End Tennis Club in Torrance has coached such pros as Tracy Austin and Stephanie Rehe. “She fights until she dies. She is a great little fighter, and the mental part is the part of the game that is toughest to learn.”

Granted, Lee didn’t have to play the nation’s best-known 14-year-old, Jennifer Capriati. But even with Capriati being touted as the future star of women’s tennis, Lee’s title has earned her distinction in tennis circles. Someday she too might get a chance to play with the world’s best.

“There are a lot of great champs to have come through the junior circuit,” said Lee’s other coach, Dennis Rizza of the Jack Kramer Tennis Club. “The goal of every junior tennis player is to win a national title. It is a big win for Janet because she has secured her spot as the No. 1 in the 14-and-under division.”

Lee might experiment with the junior professional circuit. She plans to try out for the U.S. National Team and play in tournaments such as the Wimbledon Juniors next year. However, her game must continue to improve for her to be satisfied that she is ready for the next step up.

“I’ve been taking my time, trying to work on my game more than win,” Lee said. “I know a lot of other junior players who were winning at 12 and 14 but were nowhere in sight later on in their careers. Winning at an early age just isn’t necessary.”

Lee’s biggest concern is her size. At 5-foot-4, she lacks the height and strength of many other players in her age group.

“Janet will become a great player when she completely blossoms,” Lansdorp said. “She is not physically as strong as some of the other players, and that is all that is holding her back. Technically, she is as sound as they come. Girls who are stronger can overpower her, and her arms lose strength during a long match. She might have to wait before she is 16 before she can start doing big things.”

In practice, Lee works on ways to compensate for her deficiencies.

“I try to move my feet quickly and improve my speed,” Lee said. “That helps me against the players who have longer legs.”

Refining her strokes also helps Lee counter the rockets launched by other players’ rackets. Lee uses a slice backhand, a shot many 14-year-olds haven’t learned yet, to change the pace against harder hitters. Her serve is good enough to keep them from teeing off on her.

Yet Lee’s greatest asset may be the support of her family. Her father, Frank Lee, played tennis and encouraged Janet to pick up the game eight years ago. Today, he travels to watch her compete in matches across the nation.

“A lot of people don’t realize what it takes to play on the junior level,” Rizza said. “Every junior player needs tremendous parent involvement. Frank will hit the ball with Janet and help her work on her shots.”

Besides being Lee’s biggest fan, her father also gives her tips on her game.

“He watches most of my matches, and he’ll tell me what I am doing wrong, then we go out and work on it,” she said.

Lee said her father also knows when to be supportive and when to back off and avoid pressuring her.

“He has told me I don’t have to play if I don’t want to play,” she said.

Yet she has no desire to stop. Janet Lee has many things to prove on a tennis court, and, at 13, she has a lot of time to do it.