Participants for the 2008 Rx Optical/Greenleaf Trust & Greenleaf Hospitality Exhibition match at the Boys’ 18 & 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo were confirmed Thursday afternoon. The always-anticipated exhibition features two tournament alumni, Scott Oudsema and John Isner.

“We are honored to have two tournament alumni returning to compete in the exhibition,” said Tournament Director Mark Riley. “Oudsema is a hometown player that will rekindle memories of his exciting 2004 tournament run. Isner is a former collegiate player and an up-and-coming superstar on the tour. It will be a nice homecoming for Oudsema and an exciting match for the fans.”

Kalamazoo-area residents and tournament attendees are very familiar with Scott Oudsema, the Portage native currently competing on the ATP Tour. In 2004, Oudsema battled all the way to the 18 Singles finals before falling in three sets to Scoville Jenknis (Ga.). Oudsema became the first Kalamazoo-area player to reach the Boys’ 18 final in the entire history of the Kalamazoo-based tournament.

Following the Boys’ Nationals in 2004, Oudsema went on to win five B18 Doubles Championships (with Brendan Evans), including the US Open, the Wimbledon Junior Championships, the 45th Italian Open, the Australian Open and Uncle Toby’s Australian Hardcourt. In 2006 he was a singles finalist at the USA F7 and was the singles champion at the Binghamton Challenger. Oudsema is 6’2”, 160 lbs., and is coached by Tom Walker.

Isner, a native of Greensboro, N.C., is currently ranked 83rd on the ATP Tour, and was ranked as high as 81st in April of 2008. Isner reached the quarterfinals in San Jose in February before losing in a third set tie-break. In 2007, Isner won the Lexington Challenger and the USA F14, and was a finalist in Washington, D.C. Isner played four years (2004-07) and earned All-American honors each season at the University of Georgia. He is the school’s all-time leader in singles and doubles wins. In May 2007, Isner reached the NCAA singles final before losing in a third set tie-break, but led the Bulldogs to a national team title. Isner stands 6’9” and weighs 236 lbs. He is coached by former Georgia standout Brandon Wagner.

The 2008 Rx Optical/Greenleaf Trust & Greenleaf Hospitality Exhibition is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Stowe Stadium on the campus of Kalamazoo College. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, and are available by contacting the tournament office at 269.337.7343. The tournament runs Aug. 1-10.

For the past 65 years, the excitement of the USTA Boys 18s & 16s National Championships overtakes Kalamazoo, Michigan. This tournament is the single most important event of the tennis year for the 400 outstanding juniors who arrive from all parts of the United States. Ten days of intense, tough, inspired tennis earn for each of the ultimate winners in singles and doubles the cherished title of United States National Champion. And as a testament to the incredible tennis played here, the 18s Champions in Singles and Doubles receive an automatic bid to the main draw of the U.S. Open Tournament.

During the past 65 years, most of the great names in mens' tennis have headed the draws in Kalamazoo - names such as Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Aaron Krickstein, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, James Blake, Andy Roddick, Bob and Mike Bryan and many more. This year's tournament will highlight a new generation of future stars.

Volunteers are needed for the following committees of the Nationals. Schedules vary depending on committee.

Ball Runners (kids 10 and older) may sign up until June 1, using the Ball Runner Registration Form located on the Home Page in the Bulletin Section / Ball Runners.

Teen volunteers (ages 12-19) are needed to be Tower Runners. The main job is posting names of the players on the On Court Board. You will also assist Tower Officials with various errands. Shifts begin at 7:45am and end around 7:00pm. We're now signing up teen volunteers to work 3-hour shifts. Sign up with a friend! Call Dee Fish at 269.382.4724; e-mail Donna James at DMJames59@aol.com; call the USTA Office at 269.337.7343 or fax the USTA office at 269.337.7385.

The Pro Shop, Ticket Sales, Usher and Registration committees are also actively seeking teen and adult volunteers. Sign up on the Home Page in the Bulletin Section / Volunteers.

The WMU Red Crew is looking for hardworking young men and women. The Red Crew is very important support staff for the Sorensen Courts at WMU and works from Thursday, July 31 - Wednesday, August 6. Contact Bart VanGiessen for further information: phone 269.668.5521 or email bartvangie@aol.com.

"Unstrung," Jim Courier and Rob Klug's movie chronicling several tennis players on the road to Kalamazoo, will make its broadcast premier on Saturday night, May 3, on ESPNClassic.  Yes, the movie is an instant classic! There will be many repeats, please check the web for other days and times.

Darrell Davies will be conducting two Umpire Schools in Kalamazoo this year.

There will be a RE-Certification School (for umps previously certified for 5 years) on Saturday May 17, 8am-5pm. This school includes: standard USTA (which everyone needs regardless), ITA (collegiate), and USTA Referee in that order throughout the day. Lunch will be catered in.

There will be a "Rookie" School (for those uncertified or previously certified for less than 5 years) on Sunday May 18, 8am-1pm. This will not include ITA or Referee portions, just the mandatory USTA portion. No lunch will be provided in this school.

Darrell needs a head count for the materials and lunches as soon as possible. These are the only schools he will do in Kalamazoo. Others will be offered in Lansing and Ann Arbor later this summer.

Tennys Sandgren and Michael McClune arrived in Kalamazoo as the targets, and after ten days and seven matches both top seeds emerged with the coveted title of National Junior Champions.

On a hot but not unbearable day, Sandgren defeated Tennessee rival James (Bo) Seal 6-3, 6-2, in a routine match that ended strangely, while McClune lost his first set of the tournament, but regrouped to outlast fellow Southern Californian Ryan Thacher 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The usual match point eruption from both the audience of nearly 2000 and Sandgren was absent when the chair umpire ended the match with a point penalty for racquet abuse after Seal flipped it toward the net.

At 5-2, Sandgren, who had had trouble closing out matches all week, was serving for the match but was down 30-40 when Seal let a defensive lob from Sandgren go, only to see it nestle in the corner. His mood already dark from that misjudgment, Seal got no luck on the next point when a clip of the net cord caused his ball to ricochet wide. Almost casually he tossed his racquet toward the net, and seemed almost expecting the penalty, which he got.

"I don't think he did it in anger," said Sandgren, who has now won back-to-back National championships. "He didn't even seem that mad, and maybe on match point he didn't think the umpire would call it. It seemed a little harsh. It would have been nicer to end with a forehand winner, but I'm sure he feels worse about it than I do, because I won."

Sandgren cited his tough path to the final, which included four three-set victories, as instrumental in his win.

"If you go through a tournament not having any tough matches and you get to a point where you're playing someone really good and it's really close, you don't really have that edge, " said Sandgren, of Gallatin, Tenn.

"Today I felt like I had a little bit of an edge mentally because of all those tough matches I had before. Had he lost a set?" Sandgren asked. When the negative reply came, Sandgren continued.

"I don't think that helped him. All those tough matches were tiring, but I think it helped me out in the long run."

The long run for McClune and Thacher was a best-of-five-set match, a tradition in Kalamazoo that helps prepare the winner for their U.S. Open main draw contest in a few weeks.

Neither had ever played a match of that length, but the points were often short in Sunday afternoon's final, which took a little over two and a half hours to complete.

McClune started quickly, and afterwards, both players mentioned his serving as a key to his dominance in the first set.

"My served really worked well," said McClune who reached the 120s on the radar gun several times. "Especially in the beginning of the first set. It got me off to a good rhythm--I think I got four first serves in right then. Second set I didn't serve so well, but third and fourth I got a better first serve percentage."

Countering an athletic left-hander presents some special challenges, and McClune prepared for the different spins and angles by warming up with the 16s third place winner.

"I warmed up with Evan King this morning," McClune revealed. "So I could get that lefty serve down." But he also had to readjust his expectations on what constituted a winner.

"I knew every ball was going to come back," McClune said. "I knew most balls that most kids wouldn't get back, he would get back and get back with a lot of force. So I had to be patient and not go for it too early."

The third set was pivotal and despite an early break, McClune couldn't hold it, with Thacher pulling even at 4-4.

"I was pretty comfortable in the third set," Thacher said. "I got broken, but then I broke back and felt like I was playing pretty well. But I missed a couple of volleys today that I wish I had back. It's a little bit disappointing when you set up the point the way you want it and dump an easy ball like I did a couple of times. But all in all, I'm fairly pleased with the way I played."

McClune, who turns 18 in ten days and has been a professional since April, now heads home for some rest before journeying to the US Open, where his win has earned him a place in the main draw. Thacher receives a men's qualifying wild card, while Sandgren has assured himself a spot in the US Open Junior draw. But despite those prizes, all three boys will leave Kalamazoo with many of the same memories as the other competitors who didn't win quite as often as they did.

"It's all about living the dream that very few people get," said Mickey McClune, Michael's father, in his remarks to the crowd following the match. "Whether they lose in the first round of the main draw and the first round of the consolation, or whether they get to the quarters, the semis, the finals, they're all able to say, I lived the dream, I played at Kalamazoo."

Top seeds Kellen Damico and Nate Schnugg added a National 18s title to their bulging trophy case, defeating the No. 5 seeded team of Tyler Hochwalt and Michael McClune 7-5, 6-3 on a balmy summer evening at Stowe Stadium.

The 2006 Wimbledon Junior champions, Damico and Schnugg reunited for the first time in 2007, but the chemistry of the childhood friends didn't seem to suffer. Schnugg was playing college tennis at the University of Georgia through May, partnering Jamie Hunt, with whom he won the US Open junior title last year, while Damico was competing on the ITF Junior circuit.

But after beating Jim Courier and Todd Martin in the exhibition that traditionally opens the Nationals in Kalamazoo, Damico and Schnugg were unstoppable--dropping only one set during the tournament and earning a US Open main draw wild card.

"Nate and I came into this tournament expecting to win the doubles," Damico said. "It's a great way to end a junior career, especially at Kalamazoo, a great tournament."

Hochwalt and McClune weren't about to concede in Saturday's final however.  It wasn't until 5-6 in the first that Damico and Schnugg had an opening, and it took them seven set points on McClune's serve before they finally capitalized.

But their ability to anticipate and to volley, to lob and to serve big when required gave them an edge and in the second set, the pair relaxed and really displayed their teamwork.

"We've been playing together a long time; we're really comfortable with each other," Schnugg said. "And we're comfortable on a big stage; we've played a lot of big matches."

In a couple of weeks,  Damico and Schnugg will debut on the big stage of New York, where they'll play the main draw of men's doubles. Who would they like to play in the first round?

"Bob and Mike," said Schnugg, referring to the Bryan twins, the top-ranked doubles team in the world. "We want to take them down."

"We want a night match on Ashe," Damico elaborated, "Against Bob and Mike."

There was no long-standing partnership for the 16s doubles champions, as No. 5 seeds Daniel Nguyen and JT Sundling decided to play together for the first time at Kalamazoo and jelled so quickly that they surprised the top seeded team of Ryan Noble and Seal 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in the final.

"We just asked each other at the beginning of the tournament to play doubles," said Nguyen, who like Sundling is from Southern California.

"We've played each other so many times--he has great returns and I usually serve well," said Sundling when asked how their games complemented each other. "In the whole match, I think we were the ones in control. They played well to win the second set, but we had chances. Then in the third, we played a lot better and came up with the good stuff."

Anticipating a wild card into the US Open Junior doubles that traditionally goes to the 16 doubles champion, Nguyen and Sundling are hoping to continue their winning streak in New York next month.

"This will be my first time going to New York, " said Nguyen, "so I'm pretty excited." 

The National title in the 16s division will be an oft-fought battle between Tennesseeans, but the two Southern Californians squaring off in the 18s, Michael McClune and Ryan Thacher, are strangers on the tennis court.

"Michael's always been a level ahead of me," said the 18s No. 3 seed Ryan Thacher of Studio City, Calif, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over sixth-seeded Mateusz Kecki in one of Saturday's semifinal matches. "I'll be honest, both tennis-wise and in the tournaments he's been playing. He's a pro now, playing Futures, playing Challengers, while I'm still playing National tournaments. I think this is the first tournament I've ever played where he's been in the draw."

The athletic left-hander, a finalist in the 16s division last year, admits that he loves to watc McClune play, but on Saturday, that wasn't possible as McClune, of Irvine, Calif. was ousting No. 30 seed Ty Trombetta 6-3, 6-1 at the same time Thacher was disposing of Kecki.

After losing the first three games of the match, McClune took control, winning 12 of the next 13 games.

"I wasn't feeling too good at the beginning," said McClune, who turns 18 later this month. "I think a little nerves played into it, but I just started bouncing around and tried to get some momentum and it worked out."

In addition to relaxing, McClune also revised his strategy after the first few games.

"He looked more comfortable hitting backhands," said McClune, who had never played Trombetta. "I think I hit him a little too many in the beginning of the match. I changed it up a little bit, just started making some balls and made him hit a few more forehands."

For Thacher, waiting out the three separate medical timeouts that Kecki took was a big challenge.

"It's tough. It's hard to stay focused when you know your opponent is hobbling around," Thacher said. "I mean he wasn't hobbling, he was still doing pretty well, but hurting. Right away you feel you should win the match....you start to press, hold back on attacking because you don't want to miss a ball."

Kecki, who experienced shoulder problems during his upset of No. 2 seed Kellen Damico on Thursday, took the court with an elbow brace, and even served underhand once or twice during Saturday's match. But none of the delays for treatment could rattle Thacher, who walked around the court with a towel over his head during the medical interludes.

"I tried to focus on the points that were upcoming. It tended to be on my service games, and I did a great job--I was really pleased with the way I served, especially coming out of those breaks," Thacher said.

Breaks of a different type have become familiar to 16s top seed Tennys Sandgren, who has been extended to three sets in four of his six matches this week, including his 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 victory over No. 3 seed Evan King in Saturday's semifinal.

The ten minutes between the second and third sets that the 16s division requires have been an opportunity for Sandgren to collect himself and get the advice of his coach and mother Lia.

"My mom gave me a good game plan for the third set," said Sandgren, who turned 16 last month. "She said to stop rushing short balls and be a little calmer on those. That was basically it."

The quality of tennis varied throughout the match, with King making a slew of unforced errors in the first set and Sandgren following suit in the second before he began to get his forehand on track in the third.

Looking ahead to his match up with James "Bo" Seal in the final, Sandgren admitted that it would take a better performance to defeat his rival from Tennesseee.

"He's playing really well; he's so good off the ground, " Sandgren said. "He has one of the best backhands, so I'm going to have to be on my game completely and my forehand's going to have to be clicking pretty good."

Seal has seen a great forehand and has beaten it already in the tournament, when he took out No. 2 seed Lawrence Formentera 6-4, 6-4 in the other 16 semifinal Saturday.

"He's got one of the biggest forehands in junior tennis," said Seal, who was down a break early in both sets. "I was trying to keep away from that as much as possible."

Seal succeeded in neutralizing that weapon in the middle of both sets, going from a break down to a break up and then closing both sets out with holds.

"One thing I've been focusing on is when you get on top of somebody, try to put them away right then when yo can." Seal said. "You never know what may happen later on down the road. You might get a bad break, you might cramp, he might get a lucky let cord, so I try to take care of business at that time."

For Seal, facing Sandgren will be business as usual.

"I've played Sandgren many times," Seal said. "He only lives about two and a half hours away, so I've played him seven, eight times. I've played Tennys two times in about the past four months--he beat me the last time, but I beat him the time before."

Both matches, one in a National Open final in July, the other in a Southern section Designated in March, went three sets, so Sandgren should be prepared for yet another pep talk from mom on Sunday.

No. 30 seed Ty Trombetta of Hallandale FL created some buzz on Wednesday when the 17-year-old right-hander edged past 2007 Clay Court champion and No. 26 seed Clint Bowles in two close sets. But the buzz became a roar on a warm and sunny Friday when Trombetta played nearly flawless tennis to upset No. 4 seed Nate Schnugg of Medford, OR, 6-4, 6-4.

Trombetta, a quarterfinalist in the 16s last year, got the only break of the first set and made it hold up, although Schnugg had two break points to even it with Trombetta serving at 5-4. Trombetta 's first serve proved the difference and combined with pinpoint passing shots, he never allowed Schnugg to control points.

After losing the first set, Schnugg made a statement, breaking Trombetta in his first service game and taking a 3-0 lead. But Trombetta didn't relent, taking the next three games and then breaking Schnugg in the critical ninth game.

Serving for the match, Trombetta banged a second serve ace to make it 30-30 and in the next point needed three or four attempts at a pass before finally getting it by Schnugg at the net. It was fitting that on his first match point, Trombetta blistered a backhand winner that Schnugg could only watch, one of many outright winners from his racket

"I think my backhand worked really well," said Trombetta, who has competed primarily on the European Junior Circuit this summer. "And my serve was good today. I played pretty well. I don't think today was his best day."

Trombetta credits improvement on his forehand as the key to his recent success.

"I wasn't hitting it so hard last year," said Trombetta. "I'm a lot stronger."

Next for Trombetta is top seed Mike McClune, who reached the semifinals with a clinical 6-1, 6-1 win over unseeded 15-year-old Ryan Harrison.

"There's definitely a little more nerves than normal," said the 17-year-old from Irvine, CA about playing an unseeded and much younger opponent. "But you've just got to trust your shots and continue playing the way you have the whole tournament."

For McClune, that means hitting deep in the court and keeping errors to a minimum, although he admitted that Harrison's ability to volley made for a special challenge.

"I knew he was going to attack my second serve," McClune said. "I knew he was going to try to come in as much as he could, so I really worked on my passing shots, and making every return."

McClune and Trombetta have never played, but the stoic Trombetta promised he would be more emotional if he succeeded in pulling off his third straight upset.

The 16s singles semifinalists decided on Friday are developing quite a rivalry. No. 2 seed Lawrence Formentera beat No. 4 seed Bo Seal in a third set tiebreaker to win the Easter Bowl, and Seal, playing in the National 16s team event recently, defeated the Southern Californian in two close sets.

Formentera avenged his three-set loss at the Clay Courts to Seal's doubles partner Ryan Noble on Friday, taking a 6-1, 6-4 decision from the No. 5 seed.

"I was so impatient," said Formentera of his loss to Noble three weeks ago on the Delray Tennis Center's clay courts. "It's weird that I was more patient on hard. Today I got up 5-2 and I didn't want to miss, he started attacking and took over the net."

Noble used his forehand slice to come in to the net and down 4-1 in the second, it worked, putting more pressure on Formentera's passing shots. But in the end, Formentera's aggressive play returned and on his fourth match point, the first on his serve, he struck a perfect backhand volley to earn a spot in the semifinals against Seal.

Seal took out No. 18 seed JT Sundling 6-4, 6-1 and after the first set was 4-4, the right-hander from Chattanooga took eight of the next nine games.

"I started out a little slow, got down 2-0," Seal said of the opening set. "We had a long game on his serve and I was able to get the game, get on the scoreboard, get some momentum. The momentum helped me get into a rhythm, I got smoother and was able to play my game."

Seal, who is known for his emotional c'mons on key points, is delighted to be playing Formentera again.

"I like playing him," said Seal. "He gives you a good ball to hit. I'm looking forward to a good match tomorrow. It'll be fun."

The doubles semifinals were played Friday afternoon, or at least three of them were.  Kellen Damico and Nate Schnugg, the No. 1 seeded team in 18s, received a walkover in the final when Bradley Klahn was unable to compete with partner Dennis Nevolo due to a shoulder injury.

In the 18 doubles semifinal that was played, Tyler Hochwalt and Michael McClune, the No. 5 seeds, upset 2006 U.S. Open Junior finalists Jarmere Jenkins and Austin Krajicek, the second seeded team,  6-4, 6-3.

In the 16s doubles, the top-seeded team of Noble and Seal fought back to take a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision from No. 11 seeds Chris Camillone and Ray Sarmiento.  In Saturday's final, they will face the No. 5 seeded team of Daniel Nguyen and JT Sundling, who eliminated No. 16 seeds Sekou Bangoura and Nelson Vick 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the other semifinal.

"I was really lucky to win that match, I don't think I deserved it."

Those were the words of Mateusz Kecki after he won the last four games against a cramping Kellen Damico in their quarterfinal contest Thursday afternoon.

Trailing 5-2 and serving underhand on occasion due to a sore shoulder, Kecki wasn't optimistic about his chances.

"I honestly thought I was going to lose the match," said the 17-year-old from Sacramento, Calif. "I wasn't really expecting anything. He was cramping up, but I couldn't serve. It doesn't really matter if he's cramping if I'm servng at 20 mph."

Although Kecki said he noticed Damico's cramping early in the third set, and Damico didn't sit down during the changeovers, the 18-year-old from Parker, Colo., looked to be headed for a victory when serving at 5-3, 30-15, he fell over after double faulting. A trainer went to his aid on the court, and a few minutes later he was able to return to his feet, but lost the next two points.

After Kecki held to pull even at 5-5, Damico did his best to hold, hoping to reach the deciding tiebreaker, but despite a couple of game points, his underhand serving, which he did exclusively in the final game, produced several double faults--points he couldn't afford to lose. And when the game was Kecki's, Damico told the chair umpire he was done.

"Both of us were hurting, it was just who could hang in there longer," Kecki said. "I got really lucky, because two more points and the match would have been over."

Kecki's opponent in Saturday's semifinal is No. 3 seed Ryan Thacher, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 winner over No. 16 seed Steve Forman in Thursday's other quarterfinal contest.

Thacher, who dropped the first set in his round of 16 match on Wednesday against unseeded Zach Nichols, and had begun to cramp as he closed out Nichols in the third, was eating a Jimmy John's sub sandwich on changeovers during the Forman match.

"He was having trouble breaking me if I was making serves, but in the second set there, I stopped making serves, I gave away my game, double faulted a couple of times," the left-hander from Studio City, Calif. said. "It's bittersweet when I double fault, because it tells me I need to re-fuel somehow."

After a bite or two of a Turkey Tom --no mayo, no sprouts-- Thacher revved up the serving engine, especially in the final game, when he hit two aces and two service winners to earn a spot in the semifinals.

The two 16s quarterfinals were more subdued affairs. Number three seed Evan King defeated No. 8 seed Walker Kehrer of Pacific Palisades, Calif., 6-2, 6-4, in what the Chicago left-hander called "the best match I've played all tournament." Using his serve to maximum effect, King, who at 15 is already playing in Kalamazoo for the second time, has earned a day off Friday before taking on top seed Tennys Sandgren.

Sandgren had his first straight-set victory in four matches, but it was far from easy, as he defeated Frank Carleton 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Sandgren roared out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, but Carleton pulled even at 4-4. And in the tiebreaker Sandgren again took a substantial lead, 6 points to 1, but lost four straight points before coaxing an error from Carleton on his final set point.

"It was kind of weird, it could have gone either way," Sandgren said. "But today it went for me. He got a game penalty (for ball abuse after losing the tiebreaker) at the beginning of the second set which really helped me. There were a lot of breaks in the second set, but I hung tough and closed it out."

The 16s doubles quarterfinals were completed on Thursday evening, and except for top seeds Ryan Noble and Bo Seal, three lower seeded teams prevailed.

Noble and Seal won an unbelievable first set tiebreaker in their match against Lawrence Formentera and John Huang, the No. 8 seeds. On the 44th point of the tiebreaker, Huang netted a volley, giving Noble and Seal the first set 7-6 (21) and they used the momentum to win the second set 6-3.

The first set of the match on the adjacent court to decide Noble and Seal's opponents was started and finished before that titanic tiebreaker concluded, with No. 11 seed Chris Camillone and Raymond Sarmiento winning it, and taking the match from No. 6 seeds Ian Chadwell and Blake Davis 6-3, 6-2.

The No. 16th seeded team of Sekou Bangoura and Nelson Vick rallied to take a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory from the No. 12 seeds Matt Kandath and Robert Wong, and in the evening's final main draw match, No. 5 seeds Daniel Nguyen and JT Sundling upset the third seeds, King and Jordan Cox 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

The doubles semifinals are Friday in both age divisions.

The top four seeds in both 16s and 18s singles moved through to the quarterfinals, but it was a couple of lower seeded Southern Californians who provided the most dramatic moments on the Stowe Stadium courts on Wednesday.

First it was Thousand Oaks Calif.'s JT Sundling, the 18th seed in the 16s, coming back from a 5-0 third set deficit to defeat No. 7 seed Mousheg Hovhannisyan of Los Angeles 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in a contest that took nearly three hours to complete on a hot and sticky morning that became afternoon before the match was finished.

Then on the same court--number 4--16th seed Steve Forman, who played college tennis this past season at Wake Forest, ousted No. 8 seed Austin Krajicek of Brandon, Fla., 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2). Forman, from Del Mar, Calif., credited his five months of college tennis and his history in Kalamazoo as reasons for his success this year.

"It gives me an edge in experience," said Forman, who started college in January of 2007. "I played a few (college) matches that were 3-all, and clinching a few matches really puts things in perspective, because you have a whole team that you have to pull through for, not just yourself. And I've always done pretty well here. Last year I went out to Jesse Levine, but was in the quarters (2004) and finals (2005) and am in the quarters again. I hope I can keep it going."

Forman will meet third seed Ryan Thacher, who also hails from Southern California, although the two have not met in over a year. Thacher used a strategy change to outlast a very stubborn Zach Nichols of Austin, Tex. 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1.

"I felt horrible in the first set," said the left-hander from Studio City. "Last night after the doubles my legs just weren't there at all. Then in the second, because of the way I was feeling, I just tried to change the game plan a little bit, put a little pressure on him, serve and volley a little bit more--going for more because I couldn't run around the court."

In the other quarterfinal match in 18s scheduled for Thursday, Mateusz Kecki, the No. 6 seed, will face No. 2 seed Kellen Damico. Kecki bounced No. 18 seed Wil Spencer 6-3, 6-2 while Damico advance when unseeded Oscar Fabian Matthews retired trailing 6-3, 3-2.

Top seed Michael McClune got past No. 21 seed Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-4 to advance to a meeting Friday with 15-year-old Ryan Harrison, who outclassed Daniel Gliner 6-1, 6-2. Harrison, like Gliner, is unseeded, but he was confident his game was mature enough to challenge those in the older division.

"When I saw the draw, I knew I could beat everyone I was playing against, it was just a matter of getting ready to play and playing well. In the second round I had a tough match against (Tyler) Hochwalt--I felt he should have been seeded higher than he was, he's a much better player than his seed (28)--and I was down a set and a break against him...and after that I've been playing well and my confidence is up."

The other Friday quarterfinal will find Nate Schnugg, the No. 4 seed, who downed No. 10 Dennis Lajola 6-3, 6-4 Wednesday, against No. 30 seed Ty Trombetta. Trombetta eased pass 2007 Clay Court champion Clint Bowles 7-6 (4), 6-4 to equal in the 18s the quarterfinal showing he managed last year in the 16s.

For the third match in a row, 16s top seed Tennys Sandgren was extended to three sets, this time by unseeded Chris Cha of Overland Park, Kan. Leading 6-2, 5-2, Sandgren looked to be heading for a routine win, but dropped five straight games before emerging in the third set with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory.

Third seed Evan King and second seed Lawrence Formentera also went the distance, although Formentera didn't need the entire third set to advance, defeating Matt Kandath, the No. 16 seed 4-6, 6-2, 3-1, ret. inj. Formentera was up 3-0 in the first set, but his serve deserted him and he lost six of the next seven games.

"I couldn't make any first serves at all," said the 2007 Easter Bowl 16s champion, who sheepishly admitted that he did watch the radar gun occasionally, but termed his numbers "horrible."

"But then I remembered what my coach said about serving and I just began popping them in, and then everything was going fine."

Like Formentera, King faced an opponent who hits two-handed on both sides, but in King's case it was complicated by Billy Federhofer's being a lefty like himself. King eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-2, but it was a long, tough test of his game.

King will face No. 8 seed Walker Kehrer who advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1 win over unseeded Max Stevens, while Sandgren meets No. 14 seed Frank Carleton, a 6-2, 6-0 winner over unseeded John Collins. Carleton has been the opposite of Sandgren; the Naples, Fla. resident has lost only 14 games in four matches.

The bottom half of the 16s will play their quarterfinals on Friday. Sundling meets No. 4 seed Bo Seal, a 7-6 (1), 6-0 winner over Sekou Bangoura (13). Formentera will play No. 5 seed Ryan Noble, who dismissed No. 12 seed Spencer Wolf 6-2, 6-4. Noble upset Formentera in the quarterfinals of the recent 16s Clay Courts in Delray Beach.

The 16s did not play doubles on Wednesday, but the 18s semifinalists in doubles have been determined. No. 1 seeds Kellen Damico and Nate Schnugg advanced with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over the unseeded Nichols and Chris Price. They've earned their contest against No. 3 seeds Bradley Klahn and Dennis Nevolo, who defeated No. 15 seeds Joey Burkhardt and Spencer 6-2, 6-1.

In the bottom half, No. 2 seeds Jarmere Jenkins and Krajicek will square off against the fifth seeded team of Hochwalt and McClune. Jenkins and Krajicek beat No. 7 seeds Mateusz Kecki and Dennis Lajola 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, while Hochwalt and McClune handled No. 4 seeds Brennan Boyajian and Zach Hunter 6-1, 6-4.

The doubles semifinals in both divisions are Friday.