Vegas twins take on the court

Spencer Patterson

Monday, June 29, 1998 | 10:03 a.m.

VENUS AND SERENA Williams are the sister tandem making news at the All-England Club this week. But it may not be long before a pair of sisters from Southern Nevada find themselves playing on famed Centre Court.

In the seven years since their father saw an ad for a free tennis clinic at Sunset Park and decided to send his two daughters, 13-year-old Henderson twins Catrina and Christian Thompson have emerged as two of the country's most promising young players.

Currently the top two ranked under-14 girls singles players in the Intermountain Section (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming), both sisters also have earned top 10 national rankings.

And perhaps most impressively, with their wins in the prestigious Easter Bowl Tournament in Palm Springs, Calif., and the recent Intermountain Junior Sectional Championship in Denver, the duo is on pace to finish the year ranked No. 1 by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in doubles.

"I don't think there's anyone in town that can touch them," said their coach, Bally's head pro Rita Agassi. As the sister of Andre Agassi, she knows a little something about successful tennis families. "They rival how good I was at their age."

Their success at such a young age can be attributed in part to the support they've received from their parents, Bob and Mary Thompson, the tutelage of Agassi and Craig Witcher (the girls' former coach) and a strong work ethic.

But above all, the fraternal twins' accomplishments are a result of their close relationship.

"They have their moments, like all siblings, but they don't get tired of each other at all," Mary Thompson said.

"They support each other," Bob Thompson agreed. "On the court, you have enough people that you're battling with. You need all the support that you can get."

For that reason, their parents initially decided it was best for Christian and Catrina not to play one another in tournament finals, preferring to have them flip a coin to determine a winner.

"Having them compete against each other seemed like an unnecessary thing if they reach the final," Bob Thompson said.

When the USTA began insisting the Thompsons play their matches, their parents relented. Since then, the sisters have played to a near 50-50 draw against each other.

As for their doubles success, Christian and Catrina have an edge on the competition.

"We know each other a lot better than most (partners)," said Catrina, the older twin by about 10 minutes.

Because they've spent most of their lives practicing together daily, the Thompsons can anticipate each other's moves like few other doubles teams.

"When one moves, the other automatically moves the other way," Agassi said. "They're good at covering up for each other, and that's a key for every good doubles team. I guess being together every day helps."

Something else that's helped has been their father's suggestion that his daughters devote some of their free time to a new sport as a way to prevent burnout.

"They were traveling so much for tennis that we wanted to get them into something else," he said. "So we looked into junior golf, and I liked what I saw."

Christian said the girls have welcomed the chance to take a break from their number one sport.

"When we get done playing tennis, we'll hit a bucket of balls at the range," she said.

The Thompsons also get relief from their grueling tournament schedule on Tuesday and Thursday nights, when they volunteer to help young tennis players at a local clinic.

College scholarships and even professional careers seem like strong possibilities for both players.

The sisters know that for that to happen, their sibling bond will need to stay strong. And that's just fine by the Thompson twins.

"It's more fun having your sister out there," Catrina said.

Added Christian: "You don't feel as lonely out there when you're with your sister. Tennis has made us a lot closer."