Football
Reuters 16y

UPDATE 1-Tennis-Teenager Harrison aims to extend dream debut

(Updates after Blake win)

HOUSTON, April 16 - Fifteen-year-old Ryan
Harrison has set his sights on an upset victory over fellow
American James Blake to keep his dream run alive at this week's
U.S. Clay Court Championships.

The qualifier will face the world number nine in Thursday's
second round, three days after joining Spaniard Rafael Nadal
and Frenchman Richard Gasquet as the only players since 1990 to
win ATP matches under the age of 16.

Top-seeded Blake won his opening match 6-4 6-4 against
Japanese wildcard Kei Nishikori on Wednesday.

"I feel like I have a good chance," Harrison said of his
prospects against Blake, a winner of 10 ATP career titles.

"If I play at the level that I played two days ago, then I
have a chance for a win."

Texan resident Harrison stunned Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 6-4
6-3 in Monday's first round, having lost just eight games in
qualifying wins over Phillip King and Alex Reichel.

"The pressure is on them (the top players) to win against
me I guess," added Harrison, replying to on-line questions on
ESPN Sport's Web site (www.espn.go.com).

"There isn't a whole lot of pressure on me. I just go out
there and play."

TOUR DEBUT

Harrison was delighted just to qualify in Houston on his
ATP debut.

"That was my main goal," he said. "After that, I wanted to
play as well as I can. I always feel I can beat anybody that I
play.

"I am comfortable on clay so it wasn't something that I was
bothered by," Harrison added, referring to his surprise victory
over 95th-ranked Cuevas. "I knew it was a match that I could go
out there and win so I played as hard as I could.

Aged 15 years, 11 months and seven days, Harrison broke
Cuevas three times in the opening set before sweeping to
victory in just under an hour.

"It feels really good to have the whole experience and it
also feels good to have people looking up to you," he added.

"But as much as I'm enjoying this...My upcoming goal is to
beat my next opponent."
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by
Ed Osmond)

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