Aptos' wildcards announced:: (Bob Larson's Tennis News)

Bob Larson's Tennis News | Aptos' wildcards announced--

And you thought Donald Young would be the 16-year-old (his birthday is July 23) to get a challenger wild card. No, it's Ben Lankenau, whose name I had never heard nor seen until I read this story. His juniortennis.com profile is here and to call it undistinguished is an understatement. He has never played in Kalamazoo. There must be a very interesting reason why he was given a wild card to a $75,000 challenger, when Phillip King and Sam Querrey, both Kalamazoo champions, were relegated to the qualifier. (One of the qualifiers will meet Lankenau in the first round Monday). Does his father own Seascape Sports club?

But before I launch into a full-fledged rant, two athletes' stories give me pause. First, Michelle Wie, who I steadfastly maintain is entitled to any and all sponsors exemptions she wants on the PGA tour. There are reasons, not all of them high-minded, for sponsors exemptions in golf, and they are probably pretty close to the same reasons that wild cards exist in tennis. Secondly, I had never heard of nor seen Jerry Makowski of Texas A & M until I saw him at the NCAAs, as the top-ranked freshman in country. He didn't play junior tennis, despite years at Bollettieri's, so I was completely unaware of his existence. It is certainly an unusual path, but it doesn't preclude tennis skill. I think the Williams sisters have made that abundantly clear.


So I'm hoping that Ben Lankenau is the Southern California version of Jerry Makowski, who is pursuing tennis excellence unconventionally, and needs a main draw challenger match to see where he stands. But wouldn't a qualifier wild card have been enough?

And one correction to this story, for you birthday sticklers out there (I'm president of THAT club)--Scoville Jenkins will not turn 19 until September. He is still, in fact, eligible to compete in Kalamazoo this year, should he choose to do so.