Notes From All Over Before Start of US Open

The next two weeks will be devoted primarily to coverage of the US Open, with onsite coverage of the Junior championships beginning Saturday, so in today's post I'll be doing some quick updates on other tournaments, articles and resources, with just a few related to the US Open.

Congratulations to Denise Starr, who won the ITF Grade 4 US International Hard Courts in New Jersey, beating Chalena Scholl, also of the US, 6-2, 6-3 in the final. Top seed Marco Aurei Nunez of Mexico won the boys title, beating unseeded Ognjen Samardzic of the US 6-2 6-3. Scholl and Katrine Steffensen won the girls doubles, with Jordan Daigle and Daniel Kahnin taking the boys doubles.

The Grade 1 Canadian Open is underway in Repentigny, with Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic and Ashleigh Barty of Australia as the top seeds. Only two US boys are in the draw--qualifier Richard del Nunzio and Mitchell Krueger--but there are 9 US girls in the 48-player draw: qualifiers Blair Shankle, Sachia Vickery and Alexandra Morozova, as well as Kelsey Laurente, Allie Kiick, Grace Min, Tristen Dewar, Julia Elbaba and Christina Makarova.

As I tweeted just a few hours ago, Brett Clark has earned one of the two US Open boys wild cards still available by winning a tournament at Boca Raton, according to this brief story in the the Naples News.

Hayley Carter was given a wild card into the juniors earlier, along with seven other American girls. Carter is the subject of this feature in the Columbia, South Carolina The State. Having never once seen Carter play, she is near the top of my must-see list, along with Wimbledon girls champion Barty.

This Shreveport Times feature on Ryan Harrison, who plays his first round match against No. 27 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia first thing Monday on Louis Armstrong Stadium, provides an interesting glimpse into the mindset of the confident 19-year-old.

Doug Robson of USA Today looks at the global reach of tennis and how that has, or should have, changed the expectations for American success in the sport. I don't really agree with Billie Jean King's final quote, because I don't think it's even possible to identify future champions at a young age, but getting more youngsters playing and competing can't hurt.

New Yorker Lena Litvak, who played at Harvard for a year before turning pro, is the subject of this article in the Riverdale Press.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl has opened a tennis academy on Hilton Head Island with New Zealand's David Lewis the director of coaching.

Larry Lauer, the Director of Coaching Education and Development
The Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University and a co-author of the USTA Mental Skills and Drills Handbook, has started a new blog entitled Tennis Mental Edge. His first posts explore the attitudes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nada, and on the reasons Mardy Fish is a true US Open contender.

And finally, there is a new website, a part of Find The Best, that provides information on tennis clubs to assist those looking for a play to play, whether on vacation, after moving to a new community, or as an alternative to their current club.