Last modified: Thursday, July 13, 2006 12:36 AM EDT Youngster Querrey impresses BY PETER GOBIS/SUN CHRONICLE STAFF NEWPORT — Remember the name Sam Querrey. He is big (6-foot-6), brash, bold and perhaps, represents the future of American tennis. A decade ago, Mark Stenning, the chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, offered a wild-card spot to an up-and-coming American player by the name of James Blake — now ranked among the top 10 professional players. Barely two months removed from Thousand Oaks, California High School and now turning professional, the 18-year old Querrey won his first-round match at the Hall of Fame Tuesday and now awaits a second-round meeting with top-seeded Andy Murray today. Rain wiped out all but three matches Wednesday. Veteran Mark Philippoussis uncorked eight aces and won 88 percent of his first-service points (23-for-26) in beating Rik DeVoest 6-3, 6-4; No. 6 seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria survived a scare from Canada’s Frank Dancevic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; and another upcoming American, Robert Kendrick, dealt Russia’s Igpor Kunitsyn a 6-4, 6-2 setback. As did the emerging Blake, Querrey has already impressed folks on the pro tennis scene, winning a Challenger series tournament in Arizona, winning another in Winnetka, Illinois, while reaching the quarterfinal round of a Challenger series in Dallas. A practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team, Querrey has groomed his game on hardcourts, being a baseline basher. Playing on the grass of Newport, developing a serve-and-volley game is part of his development. Here’s just a random sampling of what others think of Querrey: "He’s the real deal, I’m a big believer," said Eliot Telscher, the director of High Performance, the U.S. Tennis Association’s player development program. "Whether he’ll be No. 1, we don’t know yet. But, is the potential there? Absolutely." Querrey practiced with Andre Agassi at Wimbledon and the retiring great said, "Once he starts learning how to play the court a little bit better, he’s going to be a big factor down the road. He’s a real good player. The guy is a big guy who actually moves well for his size, has a real nice two-handed backhand, certainly a big serve." Patrick McEnroe, the captain of the U.S. Davis Cup Team said Querrey has "definitely got the game and the right frame of mind. There aren’t that many." Standing tall and weighing nearly 225 pounds, Querrey more resembles a tight end on the football field than a tennis player. But with the 6-foot-5 Philippoussis, 6-foot-2 No. 7 seed Mardy Fish, 6-foot-5 No. 8 seed Justin Gimelstob among others tinkering for some of the $380,000 in prize money and points on the rankings list, Querrey is not out of step. "This is still new to me," said Querrey of the pro tennis circuit, the commitment to practice, to making good use of his off-court time. "Playing in Newport, it looks and feels a lot like Wimbledon." With a 135-mph serve and a big forehand, Querrey jumped from No. 1146 in the rankings to a current standing of No. 207. "Being tall helps with my serve, it generates power," he said. "Even though I’m big, I feel quick, I’m able to get around, although grass is probably my least favorite surface." Querrey played part-time as a junior, sticking stateside instead of becoming a wandering international prospect. In his pro debut, playing at Yuba City, Arizona Challenger — one step below the pro international series, he won, USTA officials claiming it to be the first of its kind in modern history. That was just four days after graduating from high school and signing a pro contract with the SFX Sports Group. "I’m trying to work on my serve and volley game, I’m pretty much a stay back player right now," said Querrey. Having practiced with Andy Roddick and Blake, the Bryan brothers, "I kind of feel that I’m close to that level. Probably, over the past six months, I’m starting to realize what I might be able to do."