Alex Blumer
Enquirer contributor

While much of the focus at this year's Thomas E. Price Cincinnati Metropolitan Tennis Men's Doubles Championships has been on Jeff Wolf and Dan Kronauge's quest for a sixth straight title, No. 2 seed Cedric Kauffmann and Brian Nester are playing some solid tennis as well.

Kauffmann, last year's Met singles champ, and Nester topped Warren Chamakoon and Leighton Jones 6-2, 6-4 in Monday's quarterfinals at Lunken Playfield.

Their run has been especially sweet for Nester, 42, who is making his final Met appearance.

"It's a special time to be able to compete and to play with Cedric," said Nester. "(Although) the balls come a little faster every year."

FAMILY FEUD: Kauffmann and Nester should face a stiff challenge in the semifinals from Ryan and Mike McCarthy.

Coming in as the fourth seed in their first Met together, the McCarthy brothers overcame Mike and Matt Dektas, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.

Despite losing the first set for the third straight match, it looked as if the Dektas brothers might pull out another come-from-behind win, but the McCarthys recovered to win the final set with ease.

"With every match, we've been playing better," Ryan said. "We've been playing together so long, we know each other pretty well."

ON A ROLL: Another new team that continues to impress is the third-seeded duo of Brian Compton and Brett DeCurtins, who defeated Wil Lofgren and James Tyler, 6-2, 6-3.

"We are having so much fun out there," said DeCurtins of playing with Compton, his pupil at Beechmont Racquet Club, "It's a real pressure-free, fun environment."

DeCurtins and Compton now face Kronauge and Wolf in the other semifinal. The top-seeded tandem were on point once again Monday, posting a 6-1, 6-0 win over Eric Thomas and Jeff Lindstrom.

WOMEN'S DOUBLES: The women's quarterfinals were even less closely contested than the men's, with the losers failing to win more than a game in three of the four matches.

Top-seeded Angela (Farley) Wilson and Keri Preng advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 decision over Ashley Jones and Pam Martin.

"I know Angela was using this as a warmup for her singles," Preng said. "I pretty much told her she can have the singles, I just need the doubles."

The second-seeded pairing of Lyndsey Molony and Kara Molony-Hussey also debuted impressively, 6-0, 6-1 over Erin Cummings and Sarah Roebker.

It was a bittersweet match for Molony-Hussey, who was facing two of the players on her team at Notre Dame Academy.

The Molonys will face Carol Tanner and Dorianna Lofgren in Wednesday's semifinals.

Tanner and Lofgren shut out Maggie Nafzinger and Lindsay Dressman 6-0, 6-0.

The third Molony sister in the draw, Molly, advanced as well. She and Grace Kammerer ousted Emily Sharp and Megan Sturm 6-2, 6-1 to set up a meeting with Preng and Wilson.

TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: Round of 16 singles matches for both the men and the women will be tonight at Lunken beginning at 6 p.m.