CHAPEL HILL -- The tennis world stopped for six hours last weekend, even with a tournament going on at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club.

Sure the Southern Open is a national junior event. But when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal go five sets for the Wimbledon championship, everything else takes a backseat.

"This clubhouse was full on Sunday," said Southern Open Tournament Director Michael Zaluski, now in his tenth year on the job. "We had to get kids out of here to play their match because they were on the clock, but they had to see what was going on in England. It was standing-room only. Just awesome."

Richmond, Va., native Kyle Parker was playing that day, but he couldn't pull himself away from the television. Especially after Federer, his favorite player, rallied from two sets down to force a fifth frame.

Tennis may have attracted its biggest following during the early '80s behind the boisterous antics of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. But Federer's laid-back approach doesn't turn off Parker.

"I just enjoy how cool he is under pressure," said Parker, who will enter his senior season at Mills Godwin High School next month. "He has a very cerebral approach to the game."

While it wasn't as dramatic as Nadal winning 10-8 in the fifth set, Parker pulled off his own major triumph when he won the Southern Open 18-year-old division Friday at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club. Parker defeated Ryan Noble of Fayetteville after winning the first set 6-4. Noble retired shortly into the second set because of a shoulder injury.

According to the numbers, Parker's first-set dominance was quite the surprise: Going into the week-long tournament, Parker was ranked No. 460 in the country, while Noble was ranked No. 15.

In addition to the Southern Open victory, Parker also received the boys sportsmanship award for the tournament. Greensboro's Christin Newman won the girls sportsmanship award.

In the girls' title match, Kristine Norton defeated Wilmington native Kaitlin Burns in straight sets.

The win in the boys' competition marked Parker's first-ever national championship in his debut appearance in Chapel Hill.

Not bad for someone who just wanted to make the quarterfinals in order to qualify for the National Junior Hardcourt Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.

"I thought I served much better this week," said Parker, whose family runs Raintree Swim and Racquet Club in Virginia. "That gave me a lot of confidence because I could rely on that."

"He hasn't played many tournaments this year," said Zaluski, explaining one reason for Parker's ranking. "They lose points if they don't play tournaments. But it was a good win for Kyle."

Parker will hardly have time to celebrate. After making the two-hour trek back to Richmond on Friday afternoon, he started driving down to Delray Beach, Fla., for the Clay Court National Junior Championships on Saturday.

Chapel Hill's Andrew Malizia advanced to the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket, which was halted before completion because of rain. Malizia was hoping to become the second consecutive Chapel Hill High star to win the Southern Open after Chase Helpinstine claimed the championship in 2007. Malizia finished second in the 4-A state singles tournament in May, losing only to Noble in the championship match.