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You've had a pretty exciting summer so far, between winning the US Open National Playoffs Missouri Valley qualifying event and winning the Boys 18s National Championship at Kalamazoo. Tell me a little bit about how your game has progressed in these last few months.

Going to school early down at [Texas] A&M helped a lot. You get a good variety of older players hitting bigger balls, which really prepared me for the National Playoffs and Kalamazoo.  It was a big confidence-booster for me coming into the summer and feeling like you're ready to play with anybody. I'm looking forward to heading back in the fall and getting more of that experience.

You and Jack had competed against one another quite a bit over the years within the section, but never played doubles together.  How did it work out this time?

We've always tried hooking up before at tournaments, but it had never worked out. We thought it'd be a good way to end our junior careers together.  I was actually going to play with [Junior Ore], my teammate at A&M, but he wasn't sure he was going to get a wild-card and I didn't want to be left hanging.  So we agreed that we should find new partners and Jack asked me two days later.

 

Obviously, given the success you two had in Kalamazoo, the pairing was a good one. What is it about your games that works together so well?

Well, I think we work really well together off the court. We're good friends and have a lot of respect for each others' games, so we're able to help each other out and be honest and give advice to one another. Jack helped me a lot with my return game during the tournament, for example. I think we both have open minds and we communicate well, which helped us get the job done.

You had an opportunity to play in the traditional juniors vs. pros exhibition on Opening Night at Kalamazoo, and you ended up winning it, against Luke Jensen and Taylor Dent.  What was that experience like?

The exhibition actually turned out to be really good practice for us. We had a bit of a rough first match earlier in the day, so we wanted to just get some more time on-court together, but at the same time also have some fun with the crowd and have a good time.  We ended up beating them and a lot of people came up to me afterwards and said they couldn't remember the last time the juniors beat the pros, so that was a lot of fun.

What's the goal for the US Open in doubles?

It's going to be my first time there, but Jack knows what it takes to be at that level. I know he doesn't want to just go there wide-eyed and take everything in -- he wants to do some damage.  So I'm going to do the best I can to play well and hopefully we'll have success.  It'll depend on who we get matched up against, and our goal is to be in New York for as long as possible.

You also have the opportunity to earn another spot in the US Open, this one in singles, through the US Open National Playoffs, which begin this week at Yale University. What have you been doing to prepare for that?

I've been doing a lot of training with my coach, Rick Faust, and also hitting with [Omaha native] Anthony Delcore quite a bit.  I'm doing everything I can with each workout to maximize my time, and I'm excited to see where I'm at, compared to the other qualifiers.

Your first-round opponent in the draw is Florida section winner Oleg Dmitriev. Do you know anything about him, or are you just focusing on your own game at this point?

I've heard a little bit about him from some people who've seen him before. It sounds like he's a good, steady player, so it'll probably be a nice grind of a match. I'm looking forward to seeing how our games match up.

So you already have one US Open spot locked up, with a chance for another one this year. Have you been to the US Open before?  And is there anything you're hoping to do in New York while you're there?

I've actually never been to the US Open before, either as a fan or a player. I think besides the tennis, I want to get down to Times Square, check out what that Big Apple life is like.  My family has some friends out there who will show us around a bit, too.

After winning Kalamazoo, Jack said he was planning to buy you dinner in New York City, now that he's the professional in the pairing. Since he apparently ate most of his meals at Chipotle during the Open last year, is that where you're going to wind up, or will you try to talk him into something else?

You know, I think if Jack's buying, I'm going to have to aim a bit higher, for something more high-stakes since we'll be in New York City. He's going to have to pay up a bit. [laughs] I think it's well-deserved.