More than 400 of the nation\\\'s best young amateur male tennis players will arrive in Kalamazoo this week to compete in the United States Tennis Association\\\'s boys\\\' 18 and 16 National Championships played at Stowe Tennis Stadium on the campus of Kalamazoo College.

The tournament will begin with match play at 8 a.m. on Friday, August 6 and conclude with the singles finals on Sunday, August 15. The 18 and 16 doubles finals will be played on Saturday afternoon, August 14.

Phillip King of Long Beach CA and Mardy Fish of Vero Beach FL are this year\\\'s top seeds in the 18-and-under-age-division. King won the Easter Bowl defeating Matias Boeker of Deerfield Beach FL. The No. 2 seeded Mardy Fish won the Thames Ditton tournament and is ranked 11th by the ITF. LeVar Harper-Griffith of Sarasota FL is the No. 3 seed and Andy Roddick of Boca Raton, FL is seeded No. 4.

Jesse Witten of Naples FL, is this year\\\'s top seeded player in the 16-and-under-age-division. He won the Easter Bowl over Hamid Mirzadeh of Lake Worth FL and defeated Jeff Kazarian of Rolling Hills Estates CA in the Clay Courts final. The number 2 seeded Robby Ginepri of Marietta GA, reached the finals in the ITF Panama Bowl and the semis of the ITF Costa Rica. Hamid Mirzadeh, seeded number 3, won the Gator Bowl and was runner-up in the Easter Bowl. The number 4 seed, Sam Warburg of Sacramento CA reached the semis in the Clay Courts and the Easter Bowl.

Michigan Players in the 16-and-under-age-division include Alexander Conti of Grosse Pointe Woods, Nathan Edmunds of Birmingham, Andrew Formanczyk of Rochester Hills, David Hiniker of Ann Arbor, David Lynn of Clarkston, Tony Tran of Wyoming and Blake Willmarth of Grosse Pointe Farms. In the 18\\\'s David Bere of Midland, Chris Mitchell of Ann Arbor and West Nott of Midland will compete.

For ticket information call (616) 337-7343. Tickets will be available at Stowe Tennis Stadium during the week of the tournament. The ticket booth number is (616) 337-7336.

Source: Darlene Pontello (Tournament Office)