"Even though he was seeded, I felt like I had the upper hand," said Gea, a 16-year-old. "I haven't been playing 18s for a long time. I feel like I should be one of the top contenders [in the tournament]."
Gea earned the shot to prove that he is a challenger. Up next for him will definitely be a test.
Gea faces top-seeded Julian Ruffin of Northwood on Thursday. Ruffin reached the quarters after defeating Jake Yasgoor, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the morning.
Gea's second match in the tournament started in the afternoon, later than the rest of the round of 16 matches.
The reason why he did not play in the morning was legit. Gea is in summer school and class got out past noon.
When Gea arrived at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center, finding a parking spot was not easy because of the OC Fair. His mother dropped him off, before she drove away to search for a place to park.
She made it back in time to watch her son claim the opening set. After Adamson took the first game, Gea began to dominate. He won six of the next seven games.
Adamson grew frustrated whenever Gea called one of his shots wide or long. Once, Gea told Adamson that his ball went wide and long, only to infuriate Adamson even more.
"How was it out?" Adamson questioned Gea, who stood firm on his calls, almost all correctly called.
Adamson seemed to let the calls get to him early on and it affected his game. Gea took advantage.
He was on his way to becoming the seventh player from the city of Irvine to qualify for the quarterfinals. The boys' 18s has turned into the Irvine Summer Junior Classic.
Adamson, who will be a junior at CdM, tried his best to extend the match against one Irvine player. He went ahead, 3-2, in the second set, but Gea was constantly on the offensive, hitting balls deep with power.
