Bernard, Damm and Montgomery Advance to Australian Open Juniors Round of 16, Kenin Reaches Semifinals; Oracle ATP Challenger and WTA 125 Underway in Newport Beach; Gauff Named to Fed Cup

Three American juniors have advanced to the round of 16 at the Australian Open, with No. 2 seeds Martin Damm and qualifier Alex Bernard, the past two Kalamazoo 16s champions, coming back from a set down, while No. 2 seed Robin Montgomery won in straight sets.  Damm defeated Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4, getting the only break of the second and third sets and holding on for the win. Bernard wasn't able to close out fellow qualifier Corban Crowther of New Zealand serving at 5-4, but he broke and made good on his second chance for a 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-5 win. Montgomery also couldn't finish at her first opportunity against Pia Lovric of Slovenia, but she broke and held to avoid a tiebreaker. For more on Montgomery, see this article from the ITF website.

Wednesday(tonight), Damm plays unseeded Lilian Marmousez of France, who beat Damm in the second round at last month's Orange Bowl. Bernard faces top seed Harold Mayot of France, while Montgomery is playing qualifier Olivia Gadecki of Australia.

Savannah Broadus and Ellie Coleman, who are unseeded, have reached the doubles quarterfinals and will play the unseeded team of Sofia Costoulas of Belgium and Antonia Ruzic of Croatia Wednesday.

Tuesday’s second round junior singles matches featuring Americans:
Harold Mayot[1](FRA) d. Aidan Mayo 6-2, 6-3
Martin Damm[2] d. Hamad Medjedovic(SRB) 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4
Alex Bernard[Q] d. Corban Crowther[Q](NZL) 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-5
Robin Montgomery[2] d. Pia Lovric(SLO) 6-3, 7-5
Weronika Baszak(POL) d. Ellie Coleman 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3

Wednesday’s second round junior singles matches featuring Americans:
Robin Montgomery[2] v Olivia Gadecki[Q](AUS)
Alex Bernard[Q] v Harold Mayot[1](FRA)
Martin Damm[2] v Lilian Marmousez(FRA)

No. 14 seed Sofia Kenin reached the semifinals in women's singles, defeating unseeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-4, 6-4. Tennys Sandgren(Tennessee) lost a heartbreaker against No. 3 Roger Federer, failing to convert seven match points in a 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-3 loss.

The big tournaments this week in the United States are in Newport Beach California, where the Oracle Challenger series features a WTA 125 event and an ATP Challenger 125. Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe both took wild cards and are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. Other men receiving wild cards are Michael Redlicki(Arkansas), UCLA sophomore Govind Nanda and Ulises Blanch. In the women's event, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Townsend are the top two seeds, with wild cards going to Allie Kiick, Kayla Day, Katie Volynets and Sophie Whittle(Gonzaga). Draws are here.

The other tournament this week in the United States is a men's $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Weston Florida. Javier Barranco Cosano of Spain is the top seed, with wild cards going to Toby Kodat, Logan Zapp, Emilio Nava and Rowland Phillips of Jamaica. Alex Rybakov(TCU) and Zane Khan were the two Americans to get through qualifying.

The USTA announced its Fed Cup team for next month's tie with Latvia, and Coco Gauff is among those chosen by Captain Kathy Rinaldi. Gauff is not likely to see action in singles, with Serena Williams, Kenin and Alison Riske also on the team, but this is a great opportunity for her to get high-level practice sessions, as this does not count against her maximum number of WTA tournaments before she resets the counter on her 16th birthday in March. For more about the US and Latvian teams and the event in Everett Washington, see USTA this article. Former Arkansas All-American Adrians Zguns(2002-2006) is the Latvian Fed Cup captain.