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Despite April showers, junior tennis players around the country still find time to impress on the court. We checked in with some of last month's top performers in the May edition of the Hot 100.

The Hot 100 lists are published each month, and the May Hot 100 lists feature the one hundred boys and girls who most improved their rankings during the month of April. You can find out more about the Hot 100 - and how the lists are calculated - by reading here.

The latest lists, published today, are available here:

• Boys' Hot 100
• Girls' Hot 100

We talked to a few of these top performers...

Roundup

Sahm Irvine (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.)

Four-star junior Sahm Irvine has been devoting time to develop his mental game. "I believe that I have been more focused, disciplined, and relaxed both on and off the tennis court," he said.

Irvine credits this shift in attitude, rather than any specific technical changes, for his recent growth as a player.

"Even though I felt indifferent as far as my working habits, such as my practices, fitness sessions and eating habits are concerned, I was much more prepared mentally for my matches," he said. "I focused on playing my best tennis and not on winning. My mental mindset was what contributed to my better play recently."

Irvine put his mental strength to good use last month at the historic Ojai Valley Junior Tournament. As the number four seed in the 16s, Irvine defeated the number one and two seeds to capture the title.

Five-star freshman Ali Amiri was the number one seed, and the two competed in a tough semifinal match.

"Ali was very fast and got every ball back, and we had very long rallies," Irvine said. "I dictated the points well and chose my opportunities to attack. We were both playing great tennis, but I turned out to be the better player that day."

Irvine took the match, 6-4; 1-6; 6-1. He then went on to defeat five-star sophomore Fernando Fonseca in the finals to clinch the championship.

In addition to tennis, Irvine dedicates much of his time to academics. "I take rigorous classes and strive to do the best I can in order to get the best grades," he said. He plans to major in a math or science-related major in college. "Like tennis, academics plays a meaningful part in my life."