2008 Tournament Dates: August 1 -10

There have been many dramatic moments and matches in the USTA Nationals, not all of them in the finals. Here are a few:

In 1956, Rod Laver, considered by many to be the finest player ever to perform in the tournament here, fought off 12 match points in a three-set, first round match with Oklahoman Don Brewington in 18-and-under singles before advancing to the finals to defeat Chris Crawford, Piedmont, Calif., in straight sets.


Pete Sampras

When Pete Sampras first appeared in Kalamazoo he was short (5 feet even) and slight (88 pounds) but did not lack determination. In the second round of the 16-and-under singles he carried No. 8 seed T. J. Middleton, Dallas, Tex., three sets before losing in a tournament-record five hours-23 minutes, 6-7, 6-4, 18-16. Sampras was just a few days shy of his 13th birthday.

The most dramatic match in the memories of long-time viewers of the Nationals was the 1968 18-and-under semifinal singles confrontation between Bob McKinley and the popular Dick Stockton. McKinley won the two-hour nail-biter, 10-8, 12-10, in an era before the insertion of the tie-breaker in the tennis rules. The two players received a prolonged standing ovation from the gallery.

Jimmy Connors never won the 18-and-under singles title in the USTA Nationals. Although ranked as the No. 1 seed in the 1970 tournament he was upset in an exhilarating three-set semifinal (6-3, 4-6, 7-5) by eventual champion Brian Gottfried.

Tony Trabert, noted for his incisive commentary on network tennis telecasts, passed this way as a junior. During his 1948 singles semifinal against Gil Bogley he removed his shoes for better traction during the first set. Trabert, however, developed blisters by the time the third set rolled around and he was stunned by an underdog Bogley who went on to win back-to-back titles in Kalamazoo.

Maryland's Paul Goldstein in 1994 became the first player since Vincent Richards to win three consecutive singles titles in the USTA Nationals. Goldstein was the 16-and-under champion in 1992, and then added the 18-and-under titles in the next two summers. Richards dominated the early Nationals with five championships in a row - the 15-and-under (the age group wasn't changed to 16-and-under until 1962) in 1917-18 and the 18-and-under in 1919-20-21.

Aaron Krickstein of Grosse Pointe, Mi., attracted the largest gallery for a finals match (4,506 spectators) in 1983 when he defeated Patrick McEnroe, current Davis Cup Captain and younger brother of seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe, 7-6, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6, for the 18-and-under singles championship.