PLAYING WITH ADVERSITY: NOTHING CAN KEEP TURNER DOWN CAMPBELL HALL BOYS' TENNIS PLAYER OVERCOMES ADVERSITY.

Byline: ERIK BOAL Special to the Daily News

Jenson Turner has handled so much adversity the past nine months that even a 5-0, 40-love deficit in the final set of a championship match probably wouldn't faze him.

Watching the Campbell Hall of North Hollywood sophomore pick apart one opponent after another with a strong service game, explosive forehand and precise two-hand backhand, it appears that Turner isn't affected by anything when he's on the court.

Then the 15-year-old standout mentions how he's less than five months removed from surgery to insert a 4 -inch screw in his left hip. Or how he and the Vikings are mourning the loss of Larry Greaves, the father of senior teammate Austin Greaves, who died of a heart attack a month before the season began.

Or how just last Thursday against Brentwood he had to be pulled from a match after the first set with nausea and a hives-like rash.

Turner rebounded Monday to win three sets at Hart of Newhall, and Thursday he'll be on the court at Thacher of Ojai for the opening round of the 106th annual Ojai Valley Tournament. But his recent episode at Brentwood - similar to one he endured last year - is something Turner, his dad, Greg, and Campbell Hall coach Steve Kuechel aren't taking lightly.

"The next day I was thinking about it, but I'm not going to worry about it too much, because then I'll think about it while I'm playing," Turner said. "There was a little bit of concern when it happened, but not too much right now. It doesn't happen too often."

Turner, wanting to help the Vikings, contemplated returning to the court against Brentwood, but that wasn't going to happen.

"I wasn't going to risk it," Kuechel said. "One of the Brentwood parents is a doctor, and he told me Jenson had a heart rate that was near 100. His health was way more important to me, and with his future, we weren't going to take a chance.

"But he was thinking about it. That's the kind of competitor he is. He was more concerned about the team than he was about his condition. You don't see that kind of stuff too often."

Turner's condition also cost him an opportunity to defend his Olympic League singles title. Since he had already missed a couple of matches to compete in USTA junior tournaments, he wouldn't be able to meet the required number of sets to qualify for the league tournament unless he finished the match with Brentwood.

As a result, Turner won't be able to compete in the Southern Section individual tournament next month.

"It's definitely a little disappointing," he said. "But there are so many tournaments ahead, so it's not the end of the world."

Turner, a sophomore, has gained perspective after months on crutches and surgery to repair his left hip. He had an outstanding freshman campaign, going 48-3 and leading the Vikings to the Div. IV semifinals for the first time since 1999, and his stock continued to rise on the USTA junior circuit during the summer. He won a tournament in St. Louis and advanced to the final of another in Lakewood.

After a stress fracture was discovered along the growth plate of his left hip, Turner hobbled on crutches nearly four months before it was discovered the bones had separated by seven millimeters. Surgery was needed.

A screw was inserted through his femur and into his hip joint, and the gap slowly closed.

Although still "achy" at times, Turner said not being able to play tennis was much worse than the pain from the surgery and rehabilitation, which involved rigorous workouts on the treadmill and exercise bike.

"It was horrible," said Turner, who is 38-2 this season. "When you play tennis all the time, a week off can seem like forever. After I realized I wasn't going to be able to play for quite some time, I put my tennis stuff away.

"It was a hard process coming back, but I worked a lot harder, and I think I'm almost back to where I was. But I'd much rather have (that injury) now than later on in my career."

Kuechel said his star player can make an impact at Ojai, where just two years ago, at 13, he reached the finals in the boys' 14-under division.

Turner narrowly lost the first set of his match against Brentwood's Daniel Freeman on Thursday before being pulled by Kuechel.

"I'm still blown away by how well he played (against Brentwood) ...," Kuechel said. "I think he's almost back. He could do some damage at Ojai if he gets a good draw."

A fourth trip to Ojai, especially following all he's been through, is reward enough for Turner.

"It definitely puts things in perspective," he said. "You start realizing how tough you make things on yourself. In tennis, you're always going to have bad days and (Thursday) was one them. But I'll definitely learn from that experience and continue to move forward."

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After being sidelined for nearly eight months with a hip injury, Campbell Hall of North Hollywood's Jenson Turner has posted a 38-2 record this season but will not get to defend his Olympic League singles title after being forced to retire from a match Thursday.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News