Jose Mieres and Gulshan Sharma don't own the clay courts in Frick Park, but ownership doesn't get much more devoted than their efforts as co-founders of the Frick Park Clay Court Tennis Club.

		More information The wish list and more information about the club and the courts are available on the Web site www.clayfricktennis.org.

Their intentions -- to revitalize the courts, promote play on clay and add to the quality of life -- are all victories for Regent Square, a neighborhood that's enjoying a boom of popularity and investment, with low crime and four municipalities tending to it.

Frick's are among the few clay courts in the region that are open to the public, which gives the neighborhood one more distinctive destination beyond the commercial district, which has no duplications anywhere in the city and almost no vacancy.

In two months as a nonprofit, the two men, who met at a Citiparks tennis clinic four years ago, have compelled the city to move the Paul Sullivan Tennis Championship back to Frick Park after a five-year run at Schenley Park. The event is Sept. 15-23, with a kickoff party Sept. 13 at the courts sponsored by the club and Regent Square Civic Association.

"It's a great thing for the neighborhood," said Alina Keebler, a member of the board of the civic association. "They've accomplished a lot in a short time.

"Clay does make your socks orange," she said, "but it's easier on your knees."

Mr. Mieres said he and Mr. Sharma started grooming the courts to play on them. "Their use had declined significantly, and their condition, too."

Mr. Mieres, a classics instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, and Mr. Sharma, a postdoctoral student in bioengineering there, conducted a survey, online and in printed version, to which 99 people responded that they wanted to play on clay. Half said they were willing to help revitalize the courts, he said. Eighty percent of the respondents were not from Regent Square.

Mr. Mieres lives in Squirrel Hill but spends a lot of time in Regent Square drinking coffee at Katerbean and Square Cafe before or after playing or working on the courts.

"Tennis will bring more people here to drink coffee, and eat," he said.

"We already have 15 people who are getting their hands dirty" volunteering on the courts, he said. "People seem to realize clay is special."

Beyond clay, he said, tennis builds friendships across social and cultural lines.

"I have friends from countries I've never had friends from before. You can be a friend of someone just because you play tennis together. When we write the history of the club, it will have to begin with that."

The club also will promote the physical benefits of playing on clay, on which play is slower, with points taking longer, providing a more sustained aerobic workout, he said. The surface is softer than paved courts, so clay is easier on the bones and joints, and clay courts stay cooler on hot days.

The Frick Park courts had not been maintained adequately and were not open for the duration of playing weather in years past. The two men asked the city for permission to install new lines and the right to maintain the courts for league play and clinics they plan to organize. Citiparks has been supportive of the tennis club's interest, said Mr. Mieres.

The club is all volunteers, made up mostly of people in their 20s and 30s, said Mr. Mieres. It has sought support from neighborhood organizations and donations to buy equipment, including new plastic foul and service lines, rakes, benches, sprinklers, a sifter screen, brooms, a club banner and drag mats.