Boisclair Shows Up Her Elders : Tennis: Unseeded 15-year-old beats No. 7 Augustus to gain Easter Bowl 18-and-under semifinals.

Several months ago Erin Boisclair moved away from her family in Agoura Hills to join a tennis academy in Florida.

Boisclair thought it was time to improve her game. Or, in her words, “take it to the next level.”

She has come back to Southern California and thus far proved her parents made a good investment.

Competing in the girls’ 18-and-under division, Boisclair, who turned 15 three months ago, defeated seventh-seeded Amanda Augustus, 6-1, 6-4, in Thursday’s quarterfinal round of the Easter Bowl tournament at Riviera Resort and Racquet Club.

Boisclair, unseeded, will face fourth-seeded Amanda Basica of Lomita in the semifinals today at 12:30 p.m. Basica defeated Tu Dong of Long Beach, 6-0, 6-3.

The Easter Bowl is a prestigious national tournament, second only to the U.S. Tennis Assn. Junior National hard-court championships.

About 200 people watched as Boisclair bullied Augustus, 17, of Palos Verdes Estates, a longtime top achiever on the juniors circuit, with a powerful baseline attack. Boisclair also returned nearly every Augustus offering and displayed a soft touch at the net.

Both players said they were challenged by a strong desert wind that kicked up midway through the first set.

Augustus didn’t challenge Boisclair until it was too late. After she was trounced in the first set, Augustus trailed, 5-1, before winning three games and coming within a point of breaking Boisclair’s service to tie the second set at 5-5.

Boisclair led, 40-0, in that 10th game but appeared to suffer a mental lapse at match point. She missed wide with a drop volley, botched an overhead smash and put a forehand into the net.

But Boisclair hit a service winner to bring it back to deuce, then watched a soft backhand by Augustus land inches behind the baseline to get the advantage. Finally, on match point, Boisclair pounded a forehand winner down the line.

“I’m up, 6-1, 5-1, and there comes the wind gusting around,” Boisclair said. “I think the wind was to her advantage because I was afraid to hit my shots.”

Augustus played a clean match. In 102 points she committed only 24 unforced errors. She can get away with that many in most matches but not on this day against Boisclair, who made fewer errors (20). Boisclair made Augustus play mostly defensively with ground strokes that were fast and deep.

“(Boisclair) played real tough today. But you got to expect that when you come to this tournament,” Augustus said. “You’re going to play the best people in the country.”

Boisclair won the 16 singles title in last year’s Easter Bowl in Miami, and was ranked No. 1 in the country in that division before she lost in the quarterfinals of the USTA nationals in July.

She enrolled at Palmer Academy in Florida last fall hoping to toughen up physically and mentally, and she has been pleasantly surprised with her progress.

“Right now I’m in the semis,” she said. “Oh, my God.”