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By Steve Pratt, special to USTA.com
 
CALABASAS, Calif. – Just days after graduation and with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan in hand, Jason Jung figured he’d do what every other college senior was doing at the time and get a job.
 
It took just one short month from behind a desk as a business analyst for an oil company, and Jung had had enough, quitting his job and making the decision to continue with life as a professional tennis player. That was the summer of 2011, and after taking a three-month break from tennis, Jung was back at it, grinding it out on the USTA Pro Circuit.
 
On Thursday, Jung’s journey continued, although this time with a loss in a very close match to Brazil’s Calo Zampieri, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-4, in the second round of the Men’s Pro Tennis Championships of Calabasas, a $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit event, being played this week at the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center.
 
"It was a tough cut for this tournament," said Jung, who battled through qualifying to make the main draw and won his first-round match against No. 4-seeded Daniel Kosakowski. "I think it was actually good for me to get a couple of matches in before the main draw."
 
Jung is a Torrance, Calif., native and said he was happy to renew his rivalry with Kosakowski, which dated back to their junior days in Southern California events.

"He wasn’t as big a rival as some others, but we definitely had our share of good matches in the juniors," Jung said. "He beat me the last time we played in three sets, so I was happy to get a win over him yesterday."
 
Jung is currently ranked around No. 540 in the world. He said his goal was to be inside the Top 300 by now.

"Sure, I wish I was a little higher right now," he said. "But I have until the end of the year and feel I can still get there."
 
Jung was a standout at Michigan, though he admits to considering playing for a Pac-12 school, where he could have played closer to home on a regular basis. "Yeah, I do think about that," he said. "At the time I just thought it was best for me to get out and experience something new and different. I thought about transferring to UCLA after my sophomore year, but I’m glad I was able to stay and finished what I started at Michigan."
 
The only two seeded players left in singles both won their matches on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals. No. 2 Bradley Klahn beat Yong-Kyu Lim of Korea, 7-6 (4), 6-2, and No. 6 Sanam Singh of India beat Karim Hossam of Egypt, 7-5, 6-1.
 
Admission is free to the general public until Friday. Beginning then through the finals on Sunday, tickets will be $10 for adults and kids under 14-and-under free.
 
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Check the tournament’s Twitter feed @calabasastennis. Check the tournament website for draws and scores at the official website, www.calabasasprotennis.com.