Boisclair, Out of Focus, Finishes 4th : Junior tennis: Agoura Hills teen-ager, lacking mental stamina, loses Easter Bowl match in straight sets.

In less than 24 hours, Erin Boisclair’s focus in the 1995 Easter Bowl tennis tournament switched from championship pursuit to learning experience.

That’s OK, said Boisclair, 15, of Agoura Hills, who settled for fourth place in this prestigious national invitational event Saturday at the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club.

After losing to eventual champion Amanda Basica in straight sets Friday afternoon, Boisclair lost an early match to Samantha Reeves of Monona, Wis., 6-2, 6-1, for third place.

Answering the call to play at 9:30 a.m., Boisclair said she was ready, but her mental stamina left something to be desired.

“I was there and I was trying real hard,” said Boisclair, whose game has improved since she joined Palmer Tennis Academy in Tampa, Fla., last fall. “I think it’s just staying focused.

“It’s tough doing the same things day after day for eight days: warm up, eat, go to bed at the same time. Stuff like that.”

Boisclair got a pat on the back from Palmer Coach Alan Ma, who also told her she must adjust to the grind of tournament play that can last as much as eight days--like this one. Her mettle will be tested again at a tournament in El Salvador later this month and more events in Europe this summer.

“That’s a key thing, and it takes maturity,” Ma said. “I think that’s something Erin needs to work on. She has to get better as a tournament progresses.”

Reeves, 16, who two weeks ago joined Palmer Academy and started practicing against Boisclair, was sharper and quicker. Reeves chased down difficult shots, kept points alive, and ultimately coaxed her opponent into unforced errors.

Reeves broke Boisclair’s serve six times in the match, three times in each set. The breaking point in the first set came when Boisclair double-faulted twice and lost her second serve to fall behind, 4-0.

“She got on top, but I had so many chances on a lot of key points,” Boisclair said. “I just couldn’t convert them. I was missing shots by inches.”

Boisclair broke Reeves to go up, 1-0, in the second set but quickly gave the advantage back when she double-faulted on game point to make it 1-1. After Reeves held serve, Boisclair couldn’t hold a 40-30 advantage, was broken again and fell behind, 3-1. Reeves seized the match in the fifth game by holding off two break-point chances by Boisclair to make it 4-1.

Ma said Boisclair, an aggressive baseline player, hurt herself by playing tentatively.

“Erin’s got to attack,” Ma said. “She started off pretty slow. The only two things I expect from her is to give 100% and focus on the game plan. What concerns me is sometimes she wants to win so badly she will abandon her game plan and play scared. I want her to play to win, not play not to lose.

“I think she did that pretty well the whole week.”