August 04, 2008
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Texas A&M men’s tennis players Austin Krajicek (pronounced CRY-check) and Wil Spencer continue to advance in the singles main draw of the USTA Boys 18’s National Championships held at Kalamazoo College’s Stowe Stadium.
Krajicek, seeded fifth at the prestigious juniors tournament which runs through Aug. 10, used a 6-2, 6-1 second-round rout of Neil Clausen to move on to the round of 64. Spencer, one of the top 16 seeds in the field, also advanced to the round of 64 by defeating Matt Walters, 6-3, 6-2. Both Aggie sophomores earned first-round byes.
Teammate Kayvon Karimi (pronounced KAY-von KUH-REE-me) won his opening-round match against Conor Berg, 7-5, 7-5, but later fell to second-seeded Chase Buchanan, 6-0, 6-1, in the second round. In consolation play, Karimi lost a hard-fought three setter to Lucas Andreika, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
In the doubles main draw, Krajicek combined with partner Jarmere Jenkins of College Park, Ga., for a first-round win over the California duo of John Huang and Michael Lin, 6-3, 6-0. Krajicek and Jenkins went on to defeat Joey Burkhardt and Drew Daniel, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2), in the round of 32.
As the top-seeded 18’s doubles combination at the tournament, Krajicek and Jenkins had the unique opportunity to play against two ATP Tour players in an exhibition doubles match Friday night at Stowe Stadium. The two junior players lost to former Georgia All-American and NCAA doubles champion John Isner and Kalamazoo native Scott Oudsema, 6-3, before a crowd of 2,000 spectators.
The winner of the singles draw will earn a wild card into the men’s U.S. Open main draw in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., in late August. Krajicek reached the junior doubles finals of the U.S. Open in 2006, while Spencer earned a wild-card berth into the main draw of junior singles at the U.S. Open in 2005, where he advanced to the second round.
USTA Futures Pro Circuit Recap?...Senior All-American Conor Pollock (San Antonio, Texas) lost a close three-setter to No. 517-ranked and eventual tournament champion Raven Klaasen of South Africa, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), in the quarterfinals of the singles main draw of the USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic held in Decatur, Ill. Pollock will compete in the final stop of the USTA Futures Pro Circuit in Milwaukee, Wis., later this week.