TENNIS: QUERREY CONFIDENT DESPITE LOSS IN QUARTERS.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

OJAI - As Sam Querrey made his way through a long receiving line of handshakes and encouragement at the Ojai Valley Inn, a tournament volunteer told him that he shouldn't feel bad for losing, seeing as how he is the future of tennis.

Querrey didn't argue.

The 17-year-old from Thousand Oaks forced a three-set match but ATP pro Cecil Mamiit prevailed 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 Friday in the men's open quarterfinals of the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament.

Querrey was the undeniable fan favorite and played to a standing-room only crowd of about 300. He took a chemistry test at Thousand Oaks High on Friday morning, then warmed up on the tennis court in his back yard. He arrived in Ojai about 20 minutes before the match was scheduled to start.

Querrey lost, but that did not bother him.

``I know I can compete (with pros),'' Querrey said. ``I thought I played really well and hit my forehand as hard as I could.''

Top seed Mamiit, who won the NCAA title as a USC freshman in 1996, will play Irvine's David Lingman at 9 a.m. today at Libbey Park.

Querrey was down 3-0 in the first set but had little trouble in the second set, which he won on a service ace. He was up 40-0 in the third game of that set, but Mamiit, who had trouble with a blister on his right hand, came back and forced a marathon point that Querrey eventually won to take a 2-1 lead.

In the third set, Mamiit had a 5-2 lead but Querrey broke serve in the eighth game and held to pull within 5-4. Mamiit had control while serving for the match. Up 30-0, Querrey hit a ball that sailed high over the crowd. But he had countless slicing, one-handed backhanders, crushing forehands and winners in the corners.

``He's young and wants to prove himself,'' Mamiit said. ``He took it to me. He had no fear. He wanted to show people what he's been doing. ... I think he's so used to bullying guys around.''

Mamiit, 28, was once ranked as high as 72nd in the world. He is trying to get his game back in shape and beating the world's 15th-best junior, according to the ITF rankings, certainly didn't hurt. Querrey isn't done, though. He also plays with Grant Doyle in open doubles.

``I'm not really (disappointed),'' said Querrey, who won the CIF division last year. ``I'm pretty satisfied.''

Second-seed Lester Cook of Sherman Oaks advanced to today's semifinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Vladislav Molenda on Friday. Cook plays Irvine's Aaron Yowan at 9:30 a.m. today at Libbey Park.

Stefan McKinney, of Rio Mesa of Oxnard, beat Bernardo's Joseph Terrill in a third-set tiebreaker in the third round of the CIF Friday morning. McKinney won the first set 7-5, struggled in a 6-1 loss in the second and survived in the third set.

``The first set I came out good, but I lost my serve in the second set,'' McKinney said. ``I got up early and let him come back but I got back up again.''

McKinney drew Santa Barbara's Blake Muller, who is going to Stanford, for the quarterfinals Friday afternoon and lost 6-2, 6-2.

Harvard Westlake's doubles teams of Ryan Thacher and Sam Wagner lost to Mater Dei's Chris Kearney and Wesley Burrows 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in Friday's quarterfinals. In boys' 16 singles, Malibu's Daniel Moss rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Ojai's Khunpol Issara to advance to today's semifinals. Thousand Oaks' John Sundling advanced to today's semifinals in the boys' 14s, as did Oxnard's Sasha Hedberg, who is on the other side of the bracket. In girls' 18 doubles, Valencia sisters Cassie and Alexa Strange advanced to today's final.

In Pacific-10 Conference play, USC's Anca Anastasiu lost to Stanford's Anne Yelsey 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, as did USC's Lindsey Nelson. Stanford's Alice Barnes beat Nelson 6-2, 6-3. USC's Nicole Leimbach advanced to the semifinals after Stanford's Whitney Deason withdrew with an injury.

Mykala Hedberg of Oxnard beat Olivia Colman of L.A. 6-2, 6-3 to advance to today's semifinals of the girls' 18 division.

Jill Painter, [phone]

jill.painter(at)dailynews.com