USTA News

Todd Martin and Jim Courier will return to Kalamazoo on Friday, August 3rd to compete in the annual Rx Optical/Greenleaf Trust & Greenleaf Hospitality Exhibition. Courier, 36, reached the 18s singles finals in Kalamazoo in 1987 and Martin, 37, a doubles finalist in the 18s in 1988, compete regularly in the Outback Champions Series, a collection of events featuring tennis greats who have retired from the ATP tour. In addition to an eight-game pro set against each other, Courier and Martin will take on the top seeded team in the 18s division, also in an eight-game pro set.

The exhibition will also include a demonstration by Peter Burwash International pros, who have been called the Harlem Globetrotters of tennis.

Tickets for the exhibition, which begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, are $15 for adults, $10 for students K-12. They may be purchased at the gate, or reserved by calling (269) 337-7343.

Kalamazoo 18s seeds 2007 Kalamazoo 16s seeds 2007

On Friday, July 21, the USTA announced the following players have received wild cards: 18s: Houston Barrick, Chase Buchanan, Bradley Cox, Adam El Mihdawy, Steven Forman, Tyler Hochwalt, Jason Jung, Nathaniel Schnugg. 16s: Sean Berman, Stan Breland, Kevin McMillen, Jacob Jung, Junior Ore, Justin Rossi.

Riley, a 1982 graduate of Kalamazoo College, will serve as assistant director of the Nationals in 2007, succeeding Timon Corwin, who has joined USTA High Performance as Senior Director of Junior and Collegiate Competition.

\"Playing for Coach (George) Acker is a big part of my life,\" said Riley recalling his two years on the Hornet tennis team. \"When this opportunity came along, I could not turn it down.\"

At Penn, Riley led the Quakers to consecutive Ivy League championships the past two years, so the decision to leave that program was difficult.

\"At Penn, we did some things that had not been done for a long time, an Ivy League championship for the first in 35 years, an ECAC championship for the first time in school history, so it is hard to leave. But when I told my players that I was leaving them to come to Kalamazoo, they all understood, because what Kalamazoo means to tennis and what tennis means to Kalamazoo.\"

With just a few days of on-the-job training, Riley has not formulated any plans regarding the tournament.

\"I think you always have to improve, because if you don\'t improve, you\'re going backwards,\" said Riley. \"But I think my job right now is to work with Timon, use his expertise, visit with different committee chairs and listen a lot.\"

\"The Winner,\" the statue that overlooks the Stowe Stadium tennis courts, will have a new addition this year, a Walk of Fame honoring the tournament\'s Green Jacket recipients.

The Green Jacket is the highest accolade awarded to a volunteer, and each of the 47 winners will be honored with a brick on the path leading to the sculpture.

On Friday, July 27 at 12:15 p.m., there will be a ceremony honoring the retiring David Markin, who served as tournament referee for 32 years and Timon Corwin, who is leaving his position as tournament director after 15 years of service. Likenesses of Markin and Corwin and the brick walk will be unveiled at the ceremony, which will feature remarks by the mayor of Kalamazoo, Hannah McKinney.

Session availability as follows: (Note: Players can attend one or more sessions)
Monday, July 30 from 11:30am-1:00pm
Tuesday, August 1 from 11:30am-1:00pm and 1:30-3:00pm
Wednesday, August 2 from 11:30am-1:00pm

Participants MUST pre-pay to take part. Call the Kalamazoo YMCA at 269.349.5928 to register. There will be no refunds. Space is extremely limited. Participants will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Credit card or check are the preferred method of payment. Checks should be made payable to YMCA Tennis, and can be mailed to: Tom Walker • c/o Kalamazoo YMCA • 1001 W. Maple Street • Kalamazoo, MI 49008.

Please contact Tom Walker, YMCA Director of Tennis for further information. Phone 269.598.8767 or e-mail: twalker136@gmail.com

• Hitting Professionals
We have assembled a fantastic staff of players and coaches; able to be that perfect workout or pre-match hit. Hitting pros will be available to you beginning July 29, and throughout the Tournament. These sessions are by appointment only. For further information contact Tom Walker at (269) 598-8767 or e-mail twalker136@gmail.com. When contacting please include in the message: your name, telephone number, the day and time you wish to have a hitting appointment as well as the duration of the appointment (half hour or one hour). Be sure to leave your local Kalamazoo housing and contact information. All hitting appointments will be must be paid at the beginning of the session. Checks or credit cards are preferred.

Hitting Lessons are $55 per hour or $30 per half hour.

Please share with us, in a few sentences, one or more of your favorite memories or anecdotes from past tournaments. Is there a famous professional player who made an impression on you when he was a teenager? A match you attended or played that you\'ll never forget? A funny or dramatic incident that was will always come to mind when you remember Kalamazoo?

Please reply no later than April 30, 2007 to boysusta[at]aol[dot]com. Or use the \"Contact Us\" section on this site. There is a \"memories\" selection in the drop down menu.

Disclaimer: All submissions become the property of the 18 & 16 Boys\' Nationals and may be used at the discretion of the Tournament.

Jamie Hunt and Nate Schnugg won their first Grand Slam title as a team Sunday afternoon at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, defeating fellow Americans Jarmere Jenkins and Austin Krajicek 6-3, 6-3.

Although they were obviously happy to win, accepting congratulations from many family members as they posed for postmatch photographs, they spent most of the press conference singing the praises of their younger opponents.

"Jarmere was hitting some of the most unbelievable shots I've ever seen," said Schnugg who now has another Grand Slam junior doubles title to go with the Wimbledon crown he won with Kellen Damico in July. "I can't even imagine getting to the finals of the US Open when I was 15," Schnugg said, referring to Jenkins' age.

"Even if I did, I don't think I would be able to hit a ball I'd be so nervous," Schnugg said. "I was still playing high school tennis when I was 15," Hunt chimed in.

There were no signs of nerves from Jenkins and Krajicek, as they took a 3-1 lead in the first set, and it looked as if their string of upsets might continue. As unseeded wild cards, they won their first three matches in third set tiebreaks and in the semifinal rolled past the eighth-seeded team 6-3, 7-5. But Hunt and Schnugg reeled off six straight games before Krajicek held for 1-1 in the second.

"We kind of started rolling at 3-1," Schnugg said. "We got in a groove on our returns, and we didn't have any trouble on our serve games after that. They lost a little of their energy and they had a hard time getting it back."

"We didn't play our best," Krajicek, 16, said. "But you have to give Jamie and Nate credit for that. They played well, better serves, they had good returns when they needed it."

"But we'll be back next year, in the men's," Jenkins said half-joking or perhaps eyeing the wild card that goes to the 18s doubles champions in Kalamazoo.

Hunt has played his last junior event, and as a freshman at the University of Georgia already two weeks into his first semester, he will have little time to celebrate his first Grand Slam junior title. "I'm getting up aat 6:30 to go running with the team tomorrow," the 18-year-old from San Antonio said. Medford Oregon's Schnugg, who turns 18 next month, expects to play the Orange Bowl in December and enter Georgia in January. "It was so fun playing with Jamie," Schnugg said. I've been living with him for three years at both academies I went to, and the next four years at Georgia, I can't wait to see what we do."

And as Bulldogs, they'll keep their eye on the junior ranks, and on Jenkins and Krajicek in particular. "Their potential is unlimited," Schnugg said. "I can't wait to see what they do."

And as they collected the aqua boxes that held their Tiffany crystal chalices, they reflected on their junior experiences.

"It's a little sad," Hunt said, "because I'm not going to be able to see some of these people that I've made friends with from all the different countries and I'm not going to get to play any more junior Grand Slams--that's disappointing. But I'm excited about my next four years at Georgia, although there's going to be some matches in Starkville Mississippi. It's a little different than playing in New York, Paris and London."

"This year has been kind of a dream for me," said Schnugg, who also reached the finals of the Australian Open Junior Championship in January with Damico. "I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."