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When blue chip recruit Dennis Nevolo of Gurnee, Ill., boarded an airplane bound for New York last month, he didn't know if his racquets would get any use. As the 31st alternate among the boys entered in the U.S. Open junior championships, his prospects for making the qualifying draw weren't bright. But he got his chance to compete - he was the second-to-last player in - and two wins later, the 17-year-old right-hander had earned a spot in the main draw.

Nevolo didn't stop there, reaching the final 16 with two wins, including one over No. 12 seed John-Patrick Smith, before falling to No. 7 seed Roman Jebavy in three sets.

"The four matches I played at the US Open are some of the best matches I've ever played," said Nevolo, who was a finalist at the USTA Spring National Championships this year. "I was striking the ball so well, it was really fun. I came to New York, my last junior slam, and I tried to stay away from the idea of winning and losing, and focus on just doing my best."

He didn't have much time to savor his performance in Flushing Meadows however, with the first of his five official recruiting visits just days away.