Thursday, July 27, 2000 | 10:23 a.m.
LOS ANGELES -- The player with arguably the toughest name to pronounce in men's tennis lost in the second round of the tournament Wednesday.
Fifth-seeded Wayne Ferreira outlasted Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan, 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-5, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center in a match that lasted two hours and 15 minutes.
Srichaphan served at 5-3 to take the first set, but couldn't close it out.
"I feel a little nervous when I'm leading because I think Wayne is going to get me," he admitted. "Last time I was up against Wayne in the tiebreak 5-0 and he won the first set, so this time I remembered that."
Ferreira also remembered the way Srichaphan played the first time they met and knew he was in for a battle.
"I guess I started off slow," Ferreira said. "He was hitting the ball really hard and fast from the start.
"It's tough to work your way into the match when the ball is coming so fast at you. He has drastically improved his forehand."
For the record, the 21-year-old's first name means brother and his full name is pronounced "Pear-a dorn Shish-ah-fan," though don't ask Ferreira how to say it.
"No thanks," Ferreira said when asked to pronounce his opponent's name. "Last night I was at a cocktail party and I thought this is the worst night because everyone is going to ask me who I play tomorrow.
"I think I changed his name five or six times by the end of the night."
This is the second consecutive year Ferreira has made it to the quarterfinals. He will play Michael Chang on Friday.
Chang, a former Henderson resident, needed just one hour and 11 minutes in a 6-1, 6-3 win over Kevin Ullyett.
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