LEWISTON – The ice packs on his knees were bigger than the knees themselves, though not by much. The match had been over for a good ten minutes, but sweat still poured from Justin Chaffee’s pores.

Chaffee, from Fryeburg Academy, had just finished playing the match of his life against No. 3 seed Bryan Brown of Bangor, a match he won in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

“I had played him a couple of years ago in a junior event and had beaten him,” said Chaffee. “It was close then and I knew we had both practiced and that we are both better now. It was a battle.”

After dropping the first set, Chaffee bore down and started to minimize his mistakes.

“He was on early, and I had to figure out how to wear him down,” said Chaffee.

“He started to miss his serves and I got a bit more control, and that’s where it turned.”

Brown actually had the lead, 5-3, in the third set before Chaffee won a war of attrition, out-distancing his opponent over the next four games.

“We were both cramping up pretty badly,” said Chaffee as he adjusted the ice pack on his knees and thighs. “I saw that and knew that whoever could last longer under stress and in pain would win.”

Chaffee’s twin brother, Chris, was in a marathon match of his own earlier in the day when he had to retire due to severe cramping. After the match, both Chaffee and Brown required medical attention to ease the pain in their legs.

For Chaffee, the pain was well worth it, as he advances to the final four this Thursday.

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