Latest Tennis Title a Crowning Achievement for Michael Chang : Victory in USTA Boys’ 18 Tournament Gave 15-Year-Old a Spot in Record Book and This Week’s U.S. Open

The names Flushing Meadow, Roland Garros and Wimbledon all have their indisputably grand and noble sound, but so far, nothing has tickled Michael Chang’s ear so sweetly as Kalamazoo, Mich.

His victory there--in the U.S. Tennis Assn. boys’ 18-and-under national championships earlier this month--earned Chang a spot in the main draw of the U.S. Open, which begins Tuesday at Flushing Meadow.

Winning at Kalamazoo is more in itself than the prospect of playing in the U.S. Open, where he will draw a seeded player in the first round, Chang said.

“One year or another I’ll get to go to the U.S. Open by a ranking or something,� Chang said. “Kalamazoo for me is more thrilling.�

At 15, Chang has not yet begun to number the years of tennis that lie ahead, but winning at Kalamazoo--the annual site of the USTA national junior championships--is something to remember. It eclipsed his many other notable achievements, which include winning a San Diego Section high school championship as an eighth-grader, finishing second in the 16s at Kalamazoo last year and winning the 18s national hardcourts championship this year.

But winning the boys’ 18-and-under title is not something one is supposed to do at 15 years, 6 months, which is what Chang did on Aug. 9, becoming the youngest ever to do so.

Chang, who recently moved with his family to Placentia from the San Diego area, was seeded sixth in the tournament, and he upset the top seed and defending champion, Al Parker, in the semifinals before defeating second-seeded Jim Courier, 6-4, 6-2, in the final. Even when he was up, 5-2, in the second set, it didn’t begin to sink in that he actually was going to win.

“Not until the last point was finished,� Chang said. “It was sort of a shock.�

It’s his age--or, of course, the lack of it--that makes Chang’s achievement all the more remarkable.

He is a 5-foot 7-inch, 125-pounder who rarely, if ever, faces anyone even close to his size.

“Everyone I play is taller than me, so I’m used to it,� said Chang, who moved up to the 18s for the challenge after finishing second in the 16s last year. The only player ranked ahead of him who was still eligible also moved up.

The amazement others express has long since ceased to interest Chang, who figures he has competed in the age group above his own since the day he began to play as his most frequent opponent and practice partner is his brother Carl, 18.

The brothers have a back-and-forth rivalry that is essentially even, Michael said.

“I’ll beat him for a couple of weeks, and then he’ll beat me for a couple of weeks,� Michael said.

When Michael won the San Diego Section title in 1986, it was Carl whom he defeated in the final. But this year, Carl turned the tables, defeating Michael.

At Kalamazoo, Carl lost in an earlier singles round and teamed with Michael in doubles, in which they lost their third-round match.

Part of the fun of the rivalry is an ongoing, never-settled bet.

“It’s big money,� Michael said. “We’ll bet $50 and someone wins and then we bet double or nothing and it goes back to zero. No one ever pays.�

Playing with his brother is always an advantage, says Michael, who relies on his strong groundstrokes but must battle the power game of his older, larger brother.

“I have someone to practice with all the time, and he’s older and a lot stronger, like the players I play now.�

His serve and his volley are his weaker points right now, Michael says.

And his own candid assessment of his groundstrokes: “My backhand’s more consistent, but my forehand’s more punishing.�

He has not decided yet whether he will play tennis in whatever high school he attends. But he has begun to emphasize playing in professional and satellite circuit tournaments, testing the waters for the apparently inevitable day when he will turn pro.

“There’s no rush.� he said.

Although he has been the youngest to do many of the things he has accomplished, Chang will not be the youngest male ever to play in the U.S. Open. That distinction belongs to Vincent Richards, who was 15 years, 4 months and 26 days old when he played the Open in 1918.