Zimmerman reaggravated an old hamstring injury in September and has not competed for much of this season.

The combination of fatigue and lack of communication doomed the valiant Crimson effort.

"Everything that could go wrong for us did go wrong," Shyjan said.

The losses were unfortunate for the Crimson squad, which was projected to fare much better.

Chang is ranked 10th in the country, while the doubles tandem of Shyjan and Zimmerman is ranked second overall.

Invitations

Only 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams were invited to play at the championships.

"It's a tremendous honor [to be selected]," Russell said. "Next to the NCAA [tournament], no tournament is bigger.

To qualify for the tournament, a player or team must first reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament the previous spring.

Furthermore, the player or team must achieve All-America status following that tournament. Chang garnered All-America honors in singles, and Shyjan and Zimmerman accomplished the same feat in doubles.

This was Chang's first trip to the Volvo Championships, while Shyjan was competing for the second time. Last year, the doubles team of Shyjan and Zimmerman was defeated in the second round.

First-Class Accomodations

Despite the losses, Chang and Shyjan insist they are enjoying themselves.

"There's no pressure, and I'm relaxed," Shyjan said.

"It's a lot of fun," Chang said of his luxury hotel accomodations. "We're really well taken care of."

With their first-round eliminations, Chang and Shyjan are relegated to the consolation bracket.

But the missed connection and lack of sleep loom large in their minds after the first day of play.

"It feels like we're still in the airport," Shyjan said.