August 2002 News

Rookie of the Year Award
  • Gold Ball: Alex Kuznetzov
  • Silver Ball: Mykyta Kryvonos

    The My Future's So Bright I ...

  • Source: USTA Boys Staff

    Eighth seed Douglas Stewart did not drop a set in getting to Saturday?s 18s semifinal match with 2001 finalist ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Prior to 1997, no unseeded player in the USTA Super National Championships had ever won a national title. The tournament ...

    Source: Matt

    The 2002 Boys 18 & 16 Super National Championships concluded Sunday when second seed Prakash Amritraj of Encino CA beat Douglas Stewart of Malibu CA in the Boys 18 singles title match 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

    Eighteenth seed Travis Helgeson of Overland Park KS captured the Boys 16s singles championship becoming the lowest seed to ever win a singles title in Kalamazoo. He defeated second seed Vahid Mirzadeh of Wellington FL,6-3, 6-4.

    Earlier in the day, 4th seed Robert Yim of Glendale CA won a gruelling third place match over top seed Brian Baker of Nashville TN. Tenth seed Kean Feeder of Portland OR finished 5th, winning the 18s Feed-In championship over 13th seed Ryler De Heart of Tampa FL.

    In the 18 Doubles Championship defending champions and top seeds Jonathan Stokke of Durham NC and Rajeev Ram of Carmel IN won their third consecutive title in Kalmazoo with a 7-6(2),6-2 victory over John Isner of Greensboro NC and partner Brett Ross of Roswell GA, who were the ninth seeds.

    Tenth seed Scoville Jenkins of Atlanta GA finished third, defeating Philip Kao of Cupertino CA (25). Monte Tucker of Birmingham AL(14) won the Feed In Championship over Alex Kuznetsov of Richboro PA (8).

    Ninth seeds Mirzadeh and partner Nick Rinks of Kalamazoo MI took the 16s doubles title over Californians Adam Loucks and Brandon Wai (11). Rinks became the first player from Kalamazoo to win a title in either division(8).

    In addition to Championship trophies, there were other significant awards distributed at the Super Nationals. The 2002 Wes Richards Sportsmanship Award for Feed Ins went to Nick Meythaler of Owensboro KY. The Bobby Kaplan Sportsmanship Award for the 16s was given to Brandon Wai of San Diego CA. Jonathon Stokke of Durham NC won the Dr. Allen B. Stowe Sportsmanship Award for the 18s Division.

    Awards were also given to tournament officials and volunteers who helped make the 2002 tournament such a success. The Ron and Kathy Creager Outstanding Umpire Award was awarded to Sally Paulus of Midland MI. John Brown, Chairman and CEO of Stryker Corporation, was named Honorary Referee; Bobbi Lam won the RX Optical Distinguished Service Award. The 2002 Burger King Green Jacket ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Amritraj, the number two seed, arrived in Kalamazoo with high expectations. Having been named NCAA tournament Most Valuable Player in ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Jonathan Stokke and Rajeev Ram. Two names, one word: dominant. There is no other word to describe the performance of ...

    Source: Matt

    When it comes to tennis title futility, most fans of the game think immediately of tennis' greatest stage: Wimbledon. The ...

    Source: Matt

    Tenth seed Scoville Jenkins of Atlanta GA improved on last year?s performance with an impressive 6-2, 6-2 romp over ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Fashion, Hair Best Match-- Feeder Odesnik Baker Stewart Best Use of Injury Timeout-- BB Most Photogenic Most Likely to be ...

    Sources: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office) & Matt

    Brian Baker (1) looked to be coasting into the semifinals when he won the first seven games of his match ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Thursday afternoon, 9th seeds Vahid Mirzadeh of Wellington FL and Nick Rinks of Kalamazoo MI became the first 16 doubles ...

    Source: Matt

    Rajeev Ram?s memories of Kalamazoo will undoubtedly be positive ones, but they won?t include an 18s singles title ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Tuesday morning, Nick Rinks of Kalamazoo MI lost a disappointing match to the 4th seed Timothy Neilly of Bradenton FL ...

    Source: Matt

    Nick Rinks of Kalamazoo faces his toughest challenge at Tuesday morning, as he is scheduled to play 4th seed in ...

    Source: Matt

    The last time Rajeev Ram of Carmel IN faced Mathew Cloer of Brevard NC in Kalamazoo, Ram held the top ...

    Source: Matt

    Nick Rinks of Kalamazoo advanced to the third round in boys 16 singles Sunday, upsetting 29th seeded Eric Roberson of ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Unseeded Billy Heiser of Vernon Hills IL began his match with 11th seed Michael Samara of Sarasota, FL up three ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    The seeded players in the boys 18 singles took the court for the first time Saturday in second round action ...

    Source: Matt

    Kalamazoo's Nick Rinks recovered from opening match jitters in time to defeat Alexander Zuck of Toms River, NJ, 2-6 ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    The twenty-one year old Boeker, who played for the University of Georgia, won singles titles in 2001 and 2002. He ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Jeff Morrison may have thought he would have to take on the defending National doubles champions of Ram and Stokke ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Tiebreakers in the third set are the ultimate thrill for Kalamazoo tennis fans, and they were treated to a classic ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    Number one seed Yevgeny Supeko of Billings, MT left his half of the draw wide open Wednesday as he fell ...

    Source: Matt

    The 18 doubles quarterfinals were held Wednesday evening, and the four matchups covered the entire spectrum of tennis excitement. Setting ...

    Source: Matt

    Oudsema plays Frankie Green of Philadelphia PA at 10:30 a.m. at Stowe Stadium. Hodgman's opponent is Jarmaine ...

    Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)

    The top seeds for the 2002 boys USTA Hard Court Super Nationals were announced Thursday evening. Two rounds of doubles ...

    Source: Matt