Loeb, Montgomery Sweep ITF Grade 2 International Hard Courts; Grade 1 Canadian Open Underway; Carleton Wins Winnipeg Futures; Battistone and Melichar Win USO Mixed WC

Before I continue on the path of devoting this website and most of my waking hours to the US Open it would probably be a good idea to look around at what's happened this week away from Flushing Meadows.

At the ITF Grade 2 tournament in College Park, Maryland, Jamie Loeb prepared for her main draw debut at the US Open juniors by sweeping both titles, just as she had done at the Grass Courts back in June. In fact, her ITF junior winning streak in singles is now at 17, and in those 17 wins she has yet to drop a set. Her doubles streak is at 13, with 8 of those pairing with Alexandra Morozova and this week's five wins with Mia King.  Loeb, who was unseeded, beat five seeds this week, including No. 1 seed Ching-Wen Hsu of Taiwan in the final by a 6-4, 6-4 score.  Loeb and King, also unseeded in doubles, beat No. 5 seeds Morozova of the US and Hsu 7-5, 6-3 in the final.

Top seed Wayne Montgomery of South Africa also won both titles, beating No. 9 seed Martin Redlicki of the US in the final 6-4, 6-4. Redlicki had beaten No. 2 seed Thai Kwiatkowski 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the semifinals.  Montgomery and his partner Matthew Rossouw, also of South Africa, the top seeds, beat Luca Corinteli and Kwiatkowski, the No. 2 seeds, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

For complete results, see the ITF junior website.  And thanks again to Tennis East Coast for providing the Jamie Loeb photo. You can read his account of the drama in one match he witnessed at the tournament here.

By reaching the final, Martin Redlicki saved himself from having to qualify at the ITF Grade 1 Canadian Open, which began today.  Redlicki received one of the special exemptions into the main draw, as did Caroline Doyle and Peggy Porter, who were in the doubles semifinals, with Doyle also in the singles semifinals. Doyle won her first round match today, while Porter lost hers.

The qualifying draws were not full, and several juniors from the US that I'm not familiar with made it through qualifying. Most did not survive today's first round matches, however.

Qualifiers from the US who lost today in the first round include Daniel Shebshayevich, Dylan Nunez, Nicolas Jarry and lucky loser Drew Halbauer on the boys side. Among the girls, Stephanie Nemtsova and lucky loser Julia Goldberg also lost their opening match in the main draw. Qualifier Ellie Halbauer picked up a good win however, beating 16s Orange Bowl champion Erin Routliffe of Canada, who just missed being seeded with her ITF junior ranking of 42.  Halbauer, 15, beat Routliffe 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-4. 

Others Americans competing in the main draw include, qualifier June Lee, No. 7 seed Christina Makarova, Katrine Steffensen and No. 10 seed Kyle McPhillips and on the boys side, Connor Farren. The seeds begin play on Monday, with Wimbledon boys champion Filip Peliwo of Canada and Antonia Lottner of Germany the top seeds.

The tournament website posts results throughout the day, and the printable ITF draws can also be found there.

Peliwo had to head east from Winnipeg in a hurry after reaching the semifinals of the $15,000 Futures tournament there this week (and the finals of doubles where he and his partner lost 20-18 in the Super tiebreaker). The No. 5 seed, Peliwo lost Saturday to No. 2 seed Ante Pavic of Croatia, who today fell to former Duke All-American Reid Carleton, the No. 7 seed 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. It is Carleton's first ITF Men's Circuit victory since graduating from Duke in 2011.

At the Maureen Connolly Trophy competition in New Haven, the Great Britain girls junior team defeated the United States 8-4. The teams had been tied 3-3 going into the second and final day. Judy Murray has more on the competition at the LTA website.

Finally, the US Open mixed doubles wild card was decided yesterday with No. 2 seeds Nicole Melichar and Brian Battistone defeating top seeds Hilary Barte and Nick Meister 6-4, 6-3.  A detailed account of the final match can be found at usopen.org.