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Chamberlain to face off against European foes By GREG STILES Erin Chamberlain has played against some of the best junior tennis players in the nation. Now she's going to try her forehand against Europeans. The 14-year-old Chamberlain will play in four tournaments in June for Tennis: Europe, a private organization that has sent high school-aged players to that continent for 29 summers. The USTA's junior national team is comprised of the top 10 players in each age group. Everyone else is on their own to secure international-caliber experience. Tennis: Europe helps fill the gap by taking another 150, who pay their own way, annually. Chamberlain will be a freshman at North Medford next fall and is ranked No. 3 among Pacific Northwest 14-year-olds after finishing last year at No. 11. Because she is ranked in her section and has national tournament experience, says Tennis: Europe director Martin Vinokur, Chamberlain will play for the organization's top team. Chamberlain played in the USTA Girls 14 Junior Open National Championships in El Paso, Texas, in February and the USTA Super National Spring Championships - the Easter Bowl at Palm Springs, Calif. "The players at those tournaments live where there's a lot more competition," Chamberlain says. "They train a lot harder and have the advantage of playing with better people." Chamberlain, however, did finish second in the Seattle City Championships in February and tacked on a runner-up finish at the Lithia Motors Junior Championships in April. She will miss a sectional qualifier tournament and a chance to play in a zonal tournament in Florida against premier players from every region in the country. "But I'm going to learn more playing against Europeans with different styles and on different surfaces than I would at zonals," Chamberlain says. The first stop will be the Gerry Weber German Junior Open, a grass-court tournament in Halle, where the U.S. junior national team will be competing in a tuneup for Wimbledon. The German Junior is an International Tennis Federation competition Grade 5 event. Vinokur says Chamberlain would have to win two matches to enter the main draw. But if she won two more matches and reached the quarterfinals, she would earn ITF points that would help her gain entry in future events. Clay-court tournaments will follow in Betzdorf, Germany, near Cologne; Bilthoven, The Netherlands; and Antwerp, Belgium. "I'm hoping to develop a stronger mental game by playing on clay," Chamberlain says. "You have to stay focused and be patient because on clay you work for a point longer. Hopefully, my footwork will get better." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.