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Nationals Feature
Papa on the Summit of the Boys' 12s
by Julie Wrege, 15 August 2008
The city of Edmond, Oklahoma was originally named Summit because it lies at the highest point on the once-critical Santa Fe railroad line. That old name seems appropriate today - Edmond's Spencer Papa reached the highest point in junior tennis last week when he won two gold balls - both singles and doubles - in the USTA Boys' 12 Nationals in North Little Rock, Ark.
Playing so many matches in August in the South can be challenging in tennis, and last week was a scorcher in Arkansas. But Papa was able to enjoy the ride.
"I love Little Rock and the atmosphere at the tournament. It is a really fun place to be."
Papa, relatively new to the national scene, has not lost a match in the 12s all year. He won the singles and doubles titles in two National Opens - one in Springfield, Missouri, and a second in Houston, Texas. On this, his second trip to the Nationals in Little Rock, Papa came in as a confident player with plenty of momentum.
As the #8 seed, Papa rolled through the early rounds, losing a total of four games in his first four matches. That run set up a quarterfinal match-up with top-seeded Jacob Dunbar (Medina, Ohio), a finalist in the USTA Clay Courts just a month earlier.
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