By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

The USTA Futures tennis circuit isn’t filled just with aspiring professionals looking to move up.

The tour also provides college players the opportunity to gauge their skills.

“My coach likes how we’re all playing in the summer,” said Jonathan Wolff, one of three Wake Forest players at the Millennium Tennis and Fitness Club this week. “Pretty much half of the college players don’t really play over the summer. They just take off.

“It’s a learning experience, playing in these professional tournaments. You grow and try to bring this same level into the college season next year. It is a higher level (than college play) ... not that big of a difference but it’s still noticeable.

“It’s for sure a confidence builder. Win or lose, you know you can play at this level.”

Wolff, who was 17-17 at mostly No. 4 and No. 5 singles for the Demon Deacons last year, lost to Blake Strode of Arkansas 6-4, 6-2 Thursday afternoon in the second round of the USTA Freeman $10,000 Futures Tournament.

“He’s a tough player,” said Strode, 17-18 at No. 1 singles for the Razorbacks this spring. “He makes you hit a lot of balls, a good forehand. It was kind of a tough start, but then once I kind of relaxed and got the lead in the first set, I kind of loosened up and played some good tennis.”

The top two seeds were knocked out Thursday morning.

No. 1 Adriano Biasella, 27-year-old from Italy, lost to Jean-Yves Aubone 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). Aubone, the No. 1 player at Florida State, also beat Biasella in the second round one week ago en route to the Futures title in Peoria, Ill.

Arnau Brugues, who made the tournament by winning a wild-card tournament here earlier this month, downed No. 2 Daniel Garza from Mexico when Garza retired down one set and 4-0 in the second set.

No. 8 Austin Krajicek was another upset victim, falling to Travis Helgeson of Georgia 6-3, 6-1.

Fourth-seeded Nicolas Santos from Brazil and No. 5 Adam Thompson of New Zealand won three-set matches to advance to today’s quarterfinals. Santos, after dropping the first set 6-3, won the final 12 games over South African Thomas Liversage. Thompson beat South Korean Hyung-Kwon Kim 6-3 in the decisive set.

Tigran Martirosyan, from Armenia and seeded seventh, downed Conor Pollock 6-3, 6-3.

Weerapat Doakmaiklee-Kirati Siributwong from Thailand and Steven Forman-Cory Parr from Wake Forest advanced to today’s 5:30 p.m. doubles final. Doakmaiklee-Siributwong knocked off top-seeded Biasella-Garza 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in the first semifinal, and Forman-Parr beat Helgeson-Jamie Hunt from Georgia 6-4, 6-4.

Wolff and Strode have spent the last week playing tennis in Joplin. Both had to win three matches in a 73-man qualifying tournament to earn their main-draw spot.

“I was lucky I got a bye and only had to play three matches, but it’s still a grind,” Wolff said.

“You get a lot of tough match play,” Strode said. “And for me, going into next year after I finish at Arkansas, I’d like to have a starting point in terms of points.”

Yes, those precious points at the Futures level provide immediate as well as long-term benefits.

“With points, you don’t have to go through those grinding qualfiers all the time,” Strode said. “It’s a lot about points. You eventually want to get out of those qualifiers. ‘Qualies’ are tough.”

“As soon as you get your first point, you got it made,” Wolff said. “One point is big.”

Strode defeated sixth-seeded Doakmaiklee in Wednesday’s first-round encounter.

“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised,” Strode said. “I go into every tournament expecting a lot of myself. ... I’m certainly pleased because qualifying is so tough. This is only the second one of about eight times playing in these tournaments that’s I’ve made the main draw. Now to be in the quarterfinals is really big.”

Strode, a graduate of Pattonville High School in St. Louis, has 71 singles victories in three seasons with the Razorbacks, and he led the team with 19 doubles victories this spring. Within the last two months, he received the Central Region’s ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship, and he was named Southeastern Conference co-scholar/athlete of the year for men’s tennis.

Strode has a 3.96 grade point average as a double major in international economics and Spanish. He’s received an A in every class except one..

“Don’t make me relive it,” Strode said. “It was a class called goods and services. It got about an 89 in that class (90 would be an A). It’s for business majors. It deals with logistical-type things ... how you keep stock up, inventory, inventory turnover, different types of transportation. It was all over the place. It deals with a lot. To me it’s boring.”