Michael Swank won’t be quite as wide-eyed this time.

When the Lawrence youngster played in the U.S. Tennis Assn. Super National Indoor Championships last Christmas, the experience was overwhelming.

But, hey, what 11-year-old wouldn’t be taken aback?

“At first it was like, ‘Wow,'” Swank said. “This time I want to do well. I want to go in and hopefully win a couple of matches.”

This time he is one of the nation’s top 128 players at the USTA Super National Clay Court Championships in Greensboro, N.C., a year older and the Missouri Valley’s top-ranked player –quite a confidence boost.

Swank, who turned 12 Monday, was ranked 47th two years ago when he started playing competitive tennis.

“Once I got into it, I had a coach that told me what to do, what tournaments to play in,” he said. “From there, I just kept getting better.”

His No. 1 ranking is the highest for a Lawrence resident since Caitlin Collins was rated No. 1 among 16-year-old girls in 2001. Swank has risen by winning two Super Regional Tournaments in June and placing second at the Sweet 16 Tournament two weeks ago in Overland Park.

And he has refused to lose.

Lawrence resident Michael Swank is ranked No. 1 by the U.S. Tennis Assn. among 12-year-olds in the Missouri Valley region.

His coach, Phil Baillos, said Swank’s greatest asset was his drive on and off the court.

“He’s a very competitive and enthusiastic player,” Baillos said. “He’s got a good forehand and a good serve, but mostly he’s got a great attitude.”

Baillos said that wasn’t common for players his age. Some play because they want to, some because their parents want them to, while some, like Swank, play because they never want to lose.

“Oh, I hate it,” Swank said. “If I win the first set and lose the second, I’ll be livid because I want to win everything.”

Before he lost to Jack Sock of Lincoln, Neb., in the Sweet 16 finals — a player he had defeated in the previous two tournaments — Swank had won 19 straight matches dating to May 17. His 39-6 record since January speaks for itself.

Success has given Swank high hopes for a career in tennis, like most young players his age. The exception is that Swank, who also loves basketball, could have genetics on his side. His dad, Tom, is 6-foot-4. Michael is already 5-8, which bodes well for someone with a big serve.

“I’d like to go pro,” Swank said. “That’s my goal, that’s my dream. But if I could, I’d like to go play at a big-time school like Stanford or Duke or North Carolina or someplace like that.”

But first, the national tournament awaits.

Swank and his mom, Julie, will leave Friday for Greensboro — a trip they weren’t going to make at first because of the Lawrence Aquahawks’ annual Roger Hill Swim Meet this weekend.

Michael’s older sister Katie swims for the Aquahawks and Julie Swank was scheduled to work at the meet.

“After some convincing,” Michael said, “she’s taking me to nationals. She has a hard time getting my sister to swim practices and me to tennis tournaments.”