Aug. 8, 2005
August 2005
Aug. 8, 2005
August 2005

Seeds Struggle but move on in 16s Second Round Play Sunday

Although all advanced in second round play on Sunday, few of the top eight seeds looked unbeatable in their first matches at Stowe Stadium.

Top seed Dennis Lajola dropped his first set before righting himself, defeating 14-year-old Daniel Nguyen 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

?I needed to play 16s for my confidence,? said the 16-year-old Hawaiian who has played primarily ITF events this year. ?I haven?t had many good tournaments lately.?

Second seed Wil Spencer and third seed Steve Forman won in straight sets, but both struggled in the first before finding the answers in easier second sets. Spencer beat Casey Cullen 6-4, 6-2 and Forman prevailed over Drake Bernstein 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Fourth seed Mateusz Kecki was a notable exception in the top eight seeds as he breezed to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Ravi Yegya-Raman.

Fifth seed Nate Schnugg needed a tiebreaker to close out his match against Benji Kendall, and sixth seed Dennis Nevolo managed to win five straight games after going down 2-5 in the second set in his win over Zach Nichols.

Seventh seed Will Guzick, the 16s Easter Bowl champion, had the most difficulty advancing to the third round, as a stubborn Alex Sanborn battled him shot for shot in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 marathon.

Eighth seed Tyler Hochwalt, who made created a stir last weekend when he won two matches in qualifying for the ATP Legg Mason, was back on the courts against juniors and managed a straight set win, although he wasn?t happy with it.

?I?m not a fan of late matches,? said the six-foot three-inch righthander of his 4:00 p.m. starting time. ?My preparation was terrible. I hit at eleven and then just hopped out of the bleachers when my match was called.?

Hochwalt didn?t trail in his 6-3 6-4 win over Andrew Yazmer, but Hochwalt?s expectations are higher now. He admitted that his recent Clay Court titles and success at Legg-Mason has given him confidence, but, he said, ?maybe it?s a bad confidence?I know I slacked in the thinking department today.?

Looking at Stowe?s expansive draw board for his time for Monday?s match, Hochwalt was happy to see it was scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

?I?ll have a talk with my coach (John Roddick) tonight,? he said, ?and I?ll definitely be more ready tomorrow.?

The only seeded players to lose in the second round of 16 singles were 14th seed Bryant Salcedo, who was dropped by Colin Fujishige 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, and Jonathan Wolff, the 17th seed, who lost 6-3, 6-3 to Erick Quigley.

There was no main draw singles action in the 18s on Sunday, but the third round of doubles is in the books. The upsets were minor with the 15th and 16th seeded teams joining the third-seeded team of Fugate and Neilly on the sidelines. Fugate and Neilly lost in the second round on Saturday.

Source: Colette Lewis (Tournament Office)