Big week for Boca Prep at Wimbledon _ Andy Roddick, 2 other alums advance to 3rd round

Big week for Roddick, Boca Prep at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England — When it comes to hopes for U.S. men at Grand Slam events, Andy Roddick is used to going solo.

So he was glad to be joined in the third round at Wimbledon by two alumni from his high school.

The biggest surprise was Jesse Levine, the lone remaining qualifier in the men’s draw. He upset former No. 1 Marat Safin in the opening round, then beat lucky loser Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 Thursday. It’s Levine’s best showing in a Grand Slam tournament.

Another American, No. 28-seeded Mardy Fish, was to play No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic on Friday. Fish, Levine and Roddick all attended Boca Prep International School in Florida.

Three U.S. males in the round of 32 doesn’t necessarily signal a bright future for American fortunes that have been in decline for years. At 27, Fish is a year older than Roddick, while Levine, 21, is ranked only 133rd.

“I’d love nothing more than for some young 17-, 18-year-old to pop out and get in there in the top 15 or the top 10,” Roddick said. “But, you know, you can’t really deal in hypotheticals. … We can’t really make fantasy worlds up. You just kind of deal with it and move on.”

Still, by recent standards it has been a decent week for U.S. tennis — and a very good one for Boca Prep.

“There’s something special over there,” Levine said.

It helps that the school is adjacent to the Evert Tennis Academy.

Levine attended as a freshman and sophomore. He played one year for the Florida Gators before turning pro in 2007. He arrived in London last week with an 0-2 record in 2009, and he’s now into the third round at a major event for the first time.

The United States has a qualifier in the women’s third round, too — 17-year-old Melanie Oudin of Marietta, Ga. She became the final player to reach the round of 32 when she beat Yaroslava Shvedova in the twilight Thursday, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Oudin is ranked 124th and playing Wimbledon for the first time.

“I’m still, like, trying to comprehend everything,” she said.

Other women’s winners included five-time champion Venus Williams, top-ranked Dinara Safina and three former No. 1 players — Jelena Jankovic, French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2006 Wimbledon winner Amelie Mauresmo.

While they’re all familiar to tennis fans, Levine is just starting to draw attention. The 150-pound left-hander can be seen around Wimbledon village with his new trainer, Keith Williams, a former U.S. Marine.

“We were running in the streets here in London, just one morning jogging, and he’s singing Marine songs while we’re running and everybody is staring at us,” Levine said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, man, what is he doing?’ But it was fun, and people were smiling.”

It may not be a coincidence that Levine’s latest victory was his first five-set win.

The No. 6-seeded Roddick had a slightly easier time Thursday. The two-time Wimbledon runner-up to Roger Federer lost serve only once and defeated Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Roddick next plays good friend Jurgen Melzer, the Wimbledon boys champion in 1999. Roddick has won their eight previous meetings.

“We’ve known each other probably 10 years now, going back to juniors,” Roddick said. “We kind of grew up together. We enjoy each other’s company a little bit.”

Levine’s opponent Saturday will be Federer’s Olympic doubles partner, No. 19-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka. The stage will likely be larger than for Levine’s second-round win on remote Court 7, where the crowd grew as the match — among the last of the day — progressed.

“At the beginning of the match, it wasn’t that full,” Levine said. “I had my friends and family, and I could hear them easily. But toward the end of the match it was getting louder and louder, and it was kind of hard to hear them.”

Levine has worked with the U.S. Davis Cup team as a practice partner, and Roddick praised his work ethic and professionalism. But Roddick seemed puzzled that other young America players don’t seek him out for guidance.

“Not as much as I’d like,” Roddick said. “I certainly feel with the majority of them, I’ve kind of made myself available. I’m not going to force myself on anybody.”

He’s just happy to be part of the Boca Prep team at Wimbledon.