RAPID CITY - Chuck Tang had extra inspiration to make it to the Boys 12 finals at Thursday's Black Hills Common Cents Open tennis tournament.

He was hoping to play a good friend for the championship.

In Thursday's boys 12 semifinals, Tang downed William Trevillyan, of Valley Springs, 6-2, 6-4, while on the adjoining court, Austin Wong survived a 6-4, 7-6 (5), test at the hands of Casey Beck, of Bismarck, N.D.

"I'm happy to get into the finals. I want to play my friend Austin," Tang said after the match.

The boys 12 finals were scheduled later Thursday morning, but fell victim to a pair of rain delays that slowed the action at the Sioux Park Courts.

Tang did finally get to play his friend and won the boys 12 title with a 7-5, 6-1 win. Tang also teamed up with Taylor Schultz, of Rapid City, to win the boys 12 doubles title over Wong and Austin Noldner, of Sioux Falls.

Tang and Schultz reeled off wins in nine straight sets, rebounding from a 6-1 shortfall to win the doubles trophy 10-6.

Tang, a seventh-grader-to-be at Southwest Middle School, and Wong, of Plymouth, Minn., became friends while participating in tournaments in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn., and in North Dakota.

Tang has been playing tennis since age 5, picking up the game from his parents, Jerry and Lili Tang, of Rapid City.

"He also tried basketball and baseball, but he just loves tennis," said Jerry Tang. "He puts in a lot of time at The Tennis Center and here with (coach) Jason (Olson). Sometimes five hours a day."

Chuck said the individual nature of the game appeals to him.

"It's not a team sport. You play it by yourself," he said. "In doubles you can communicate with your friends, but I like playing singles better than doubles."

Tang said his forehand and serve have developed well through instruction from Daryl Paluch at The Tennis Center and through Olson's city recreation tennis program.

Another key aspect of Tang's game is his ability to control his temperament when things aren't going so well. When others at times yell at themselves or drop a racket in anger, Tang's only display of temper came in the form of a pair of balls sharply hit in Trevillyan's general direction after a semifinal set loss.

"I try to let it out and then calm myself down. Sometimes that works. I play better when I'm calmed down," he said.

Tang is ranked ninth in the USTA Northern Section, but hopes to move up in the standings. He plans to play high school tennis at Rapid City Stevens, and also wants to play college tennis at Notre Dame.

In the meantime, tennis is his only sport.

"It's just fun," he said.

In other junior tournament action, Sydney Moyle of Rapid City rebounded from a 0-3 deficit in the second set to win the girls 16 singles final over Meredith Lawrence, of Prior Lake, Minn.

Jack Hamburg, of Rapid City, admittedly struggled but came away with the boys 18 championship with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Bradley Entwistle ,of Sioux Falls.

"I really didn't play that well. I played good enough to win. I fought hard to trying to get any point any way I could because not much stuff was working," Hamburg said after the match.

Other singles division winners included W.K. Skallerud, of Edina, Minn. (boys 16), Tommy Entwistle, of Sioux Falls (boys 14), Sarah Whitaker, of Dellwood, Minn. (girls 18), Bri Smith, of Chanhassen, Minn. (girls 14) and Lindsey Tibbles, of Rapid City (girls 12).

Doubles championships decided Thursday were won by Jack Hamburg and Billy Paluch, of Rapid City (boys 18), David Alper, of Minneapolis, and Andrew Engel, of Hopkins, Minn. (boys 16), Charlie Adams, of Wayzata, Minn., and Tommy Entwistle, of Sioux Falls (boys 14), Emily Alper, of Minneapolis, and Whitaker (Girls 18), Kelly Feehan and Cassie Malik, of Rapid City (Girls 16) and Lawrence and Smith (Girls 14).

Play in the adult portion of the 40th Black Hills Common Cents Open starts today at the Sioux Park and Memorial Park courts.