Kennedy Upsets Svajda, Forbes Ousts Woestendick to Reach Kalamazoo 18s Final; NorCal Doubles Partners Grumet and Pallegar Advance to 16s Final; Razeghi and Filin Win 18s Doubles, Cozad and Alvarez Take 16s Title; Top Two Seeds Fall in G18s; US Boys Win ITF 14U Title

©Colette Lewis 2024--
Kalamazoo MI--

Not many people envisioned a Kalamazoo 18s final between No. 8 seed Jack Kennedy and No. 20 seed Matt Forbes. But after eliminating opponents with more impressive Kalamazoo resumes, they will compete for the USTA Boys 18s National Championship and a US Open main draw wild card Sunday at Kalamazoo College's Stowe Stadium.

The 16-year-old Kennedy, who lost in the quarterfinals last year in the 16s, took out 2023 finalist Trevor Svajda 6-4, 7-6(6) by showing maturity beyond his years in the final four games of the contest on show court 3.

Serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, Kennedy played a poor game, donating four unforced errors to keep the pressure off Svajda. After Svajda held for a 6-5 lead, Kennedy went down 0-40, but Svajda missed a simple volley at the net on the first set point, and Kennedy found his game, winners or forcing errors to send the second set to a tiebreaker.

"Down 0-40 I was feeling a little negative, but I was trying not to show it, especially to Trevor because you don't want to give him much hope," said the 16-year-old from New York. "But I felt the pressure was off a little bit, started to go for my shots and after getting it back to deuce played two really good points to get it back."

Svajda was down 5-1 in the tiebreaker, with one of the points a code violation for hitting a ball out of the stadium, which in USTA rules is assessed without the typical warning that comes first in ITF and ATP matches.

Yet when Svajda, an 18-year-old SMU rising sophomore, fell behind 6-3, Kennedy again fell victim to his nerves, losing four straight points to give Svajda a fourth set point.

"Obviously I was feeling really nervous in those situations, with a spot in the men's US Open on the line," said Kennedy, who is coached by Greg Lumpkin, and has been receiving additional support from 2014 Kalamazoo 18s champion Noah Rubin. "But after I double faulted at 7-all, the emotions just kind of drained out and I finished the match with three really good points. That's something we visualize in training, flushing everything bad out and just resetting."

While Kennedy had experienced notable success on US Hard Courts, making the Indian Wells ITF J300 final in Indian Wells and winning the ITF J300 in San Diego the following week, Forbes has been disappointed with his results this year on the ITF junior circuit.

"It's been a tough year," said the 18-year-old from North Carolina, who defeated No. 4 seed and 2023 16s champion Cooper Woestendick 6-2, 6-1. "I've only won like four ITF matches, I kid you not. One at Wimbledon, but gosh, I haven't won many matches this year, so to have this run, especially right before going to Michigan State, it's really nice."

While Forbes was happy with his play, and with his physical condition after a long, tough quarterfinal Friday with Nikita Filin, he acknowledged that Woestendick had an off day.

"It's unfortunate, I don't think Cooper played his best," said Forbes, who finished fifth in the 18s last year by winning the back draw. "But I'm really happy that I got it."

Forbes was able to put the stakes of today's match aside, with the winner of the semifinals guaranteed at least a qualifying wild card at the US Open.

"I felt like I was really loose," said Forbes, whose move to East Lansing is scheduled for August 20th. "Especially considering the cirumstances. I've been out here just playing to have fun, enjoy myself, because when I enjoy myself, I play my best tennis."

Regardless of the outcome in Sunday's final, Forbes is adamant that the money on the table at the US Open won't affect his decision to attend Michigan State.

"I don't play tennis for the money," said Forbes. "I want to get my education, so I'm going to college, no matter what. Now how long I stay in college, who knows? But I'm going to college and I think I'll enjoy it."

There won't be many surprises in the 16s final between top seed Gus Grumet and No. 16 seed Arin Pallegar, who were doubles partners this week and have been warming up together every day.

Grumet got his first true test from No. 6 seed Keaton Hance, but rebounded from a shaky first set for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory.

"He was playing really well and I came out a little bit tight," said the 16-year-old left-hander from San Francisco. "When I went to the bathroom I just told myself I need to come out and hit the ball. You're down a set, you've got to hit through the ball and not care, win or loss, you're already behind."

Grumet said he's gotten a lot of forehand practice this week, as his opponents stayed away from his dangerous backhand.

"He was attacking my forehand, which is most of the time my weaker side," said Grumet, who has now won 19 straight matches, including the ITF J60 in Orlando, the USTA Clay Courts 16s and now six matches in Kalamazoo. "That's what everyone's been doing this tournament and my forehand's been really good, really reliable, and when I get a shot at a backhand, just go for it."

Pallegar ended the improbable run of unseeded Rishvanth Krishna, earning a 6-2, 6-3 victory to reach his first Level 1 final. 

In a previous loss to Krishna, back in 2021, Pallegar was not happy with his approach to the match. 

"When I lost to him, I wasn't going for my shots as much, didn't have a strategy in mind, I was just kind of playing," said the 16-year-old from Sacramento, who is competing in Kalamazoo for a third time this week.  "Today I came in with a good strategy, just decided to go for my shots, just believe in my shots, be positive and that will pull me through."

Pallegar has a win over Grumet early in 2023, and he remains confident that he can avoid the pressure that playing for a US Open Junior wild card could cause.

"I think I need to just block it out," said Pallegar, who trains at JMG Academy. "I need to focus on playing the match the right way and the results will come."

The doubles finals followed the singles semifinals on the cool and breezy afternoon in Southwest Michigan, with the first of the US Open wild cards won by Nikita Filin and Alexander Razeghi in the 18s final. The No. 4 seeds, who had last played together in January of 2023, reunited for this tournament and came away with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over No. 6 seeds Kaylan Bigun and Trevor Svajda.

Bigun served for the second set at 5-3, but after saving a break point at 30-40, he and Svajda dropped the deciding point, which was the turning point of the second set. Razeghi held for 5-all, Svajda droppd serve at 15 and Filin closed out the championship, despite going down 0-30 in his service game. But four points later, with Filin making four first serves, the pair of left-handers claimed the title.

"Winning this tournament is crazy and we were really happy, because we didn't win on our first match point," Razeghi said. "So at 40-30, I wasn't expecting to lose the point, but I knew it was going to be tough, we'd have to work for the point, so when we won it, I was so excited."

"My head was like blank," said Filin. "I couldn't even think the last point, it was just see ball, hit ball. I didn't have any thoughts, just make a first serve."

After such a long hiatus as a team, Filin and Razeghi needed time to find the form that had seen them win the ITF J300 in Lexington and make the Kalamazoo 18s quarterfinals in 2022, but they didn't drop a set en route to the title.

"The first few matches were tough, getting our groove back, but our last three matches are the best doubles we've ever played, in my opinion," Razeghi said. "We weren't going to win, how we were playing, so we talked at dinner about what we needed to do differently. We switched something up and it worked."

"It all came together at the end," Filin said.

As for their trip to New York, travel plans still need to be made, but they have no preference as to who they play in the first round.

"We haven't thought about that yet, but we'll take anyone," said the 18-year-old Filin, who starts his fall semester at Ohio State next week. "Yeah," said Razeghi, and 18-year-old from Houston Texas, who will start his collegiate career at Stanford next month. "It doesn't matter."

After claiming the Wimbledon boys doubles title last month, Razeghi felt even more prepared for this final in Kalamazoo.

"There's still some butterflies, but the experience makes it a little bit easier," Razeghi said. "These tournaments are the same, both really big, so it's crazy to have the opportunity to play in both finals and win both."

While Filin and Razeghi were rekindling a previous doubles relationship, 16s doubles champions Ryan Cozad and Yannik Alvarez continued their long and successful partnership with a Kalamazoo title. The top seeds defeated second seeds Adrien Abarca and Justin Anson 6-4, 6-2 to earn their place in the tournament's 81-year history.

As friends and training partners in Atlanta, Cozad and Alvarez are comfortable in every situation doubles play can offer, with frequent practice the key to their success.

"We have a connection and it's very good for our doubles," said Cozad, who defeated Alvarez in the feed-in semifinals Saturday morning. "We work on our formations, our chemistry."

"I think most juniors just practice singles and from the baseline," Alvarez said. "And practicing doubles helps with your singles game too, your volley and coming in, the touch. It's very important to practice doubles a lot."

Cozad and Alvarez, who, like Razeghi and Filin, didn't lose a set throughout the tournament, are excited to see their names on the board of champions displayed at Stowe Stadium. Naming ATP stars Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka, who won the 18s doubles in 2015, (Fritz also won the 16s doubles in 2013) and Ben Shelton, who won the 18s doubles in 2021, as players they are proud to join on the champions list, Cozad and Alvarez have modest plans for a celebration.

"Probably a Chidk-fil-A milk shake," said Cozad, who chose that as his celebration after the pair won the Orange Bowl 16s last December. "I'll probably just a get a Moe's burrito," Alvarez said.

The singles finals are scheduled for Sunday at 11:30 a.m. for the 16s, with the 18s, which is best-of-five sets, to follow.

The third place singles matches begin at 9:30 a.m., with feed-in finals at 10:30 a.m.

Links to live streaming and live scoring can be found at ustaboys.com.

The top two seeds lost in the semifinals of the USTA National 18s in San Diego, with No. 3 seed Iva Jovic defeating defending champion and No. 1 seed Clervie Ngounoue 6-1, 6-2 and No. 5 seed Valerie Glozman defeating No. 2 seed Akasha Urhobo 6-2, 6-4.

Coverage of Ishika Ashar's win over Nicole Weng in the 16s final today in San Diego can be found here, with comments from Ashar.

The champions were crowned in the 12s and 14s and are listed below:

G12s:

Singles:

Nadia Poznick[1] d. Isha Manchala[2] 6-3, 6-4

Doubles:

Ava Chua and Nadia Poznick d. Capri Butera and Alexandra Hu 2-6, 6-3, 6-3

B12s:

Ishaan Marla[15] d. Rex Kulman 6-0, 6-4

James Borchard and Nathan Lee[2] d. Daniel Gardality and David Bender 6-3, 6-4

B14s:

Singles:

Daniil Berezin[33] d. Tabb Tuck[7] 6-3, 6-1

Doubles:

Gadin Arun and Akshay Mirmira[1] d. Santiago Bisogno and Maddox Iliescu 7-5, 6-0

G14s:

Singles:

Armira Kockinis[17] d. Vibha Gogineni[17] 6-2, 6-2

Doubles:

Elle Groslimond and Vanessa Kruse[10] d. Enya Hamilton and Zoe Young[2] 5-7, 6-3, 6-3

G16s:

Ishika Ashar[17] d. Nicole Weng[9] 7-5, 6-2

Lyla Middleton and Jordyn Hazelitt d. Bella Payne and Sara Shumate[5] 0-6, 7-5, 6-2

The United States boys team won the ITF World Junior Tennis 14U team championship today in Prostejov Czech Republic. The top seeds defeated No. 4 seed Brazil 2-0 to claim the USA's first WJT boys title since 2019 and the seventh overall.

Jordan Lee defeated Henrique Pissetti Vialle 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles, and Michael Antonius clinched the title in a nearly three-hour battle with Lives Eduardo De Carvalho Damazio 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-2.

The US girls, seeded No. 2, lost to No. 1 Czech Republic 2-1. Maggie Sohns put the US in front 1-0 with a 7-6(7), 6-2 win over Laura Chlumska at No. 2 singles, but Jana Kovackova defeated Welles Newman 6-0, 6-4 to tie it. In the deciding doubles, Kovackova and Katerina Zajickova defeated Sohns and Newman 6-4, 6-4 to take the title.