March Aces; Ngounoue Claims J60 in Malta; USTA Confirms Orange Bowl Move to Fort Lauderdale; Today's NCAA House Settlement Hearing; Top 10 ITF Junior Jones Signs with Illinois

March was full of accomplishments by juniors, current collegians and former collegians. I'm sorry there isn't room for the 15K titles, with 18-year-old American Christasha McNeil, who won a singles title and a doubles title at that level last month, the only one to make my monthly Aces column for Tennis Recruiting Network. March was a big month for American juniors, while a precocious 14-year-old also made the list.

The ITF Junior Circuit returned to a more normal schedule after few tournaments in the last full week of March. The only singles title for an American was at the J60 in Malta, with 16-year-old Carel Ngounoue, the younger brother of Clervie, taking the title. Ngounoue, playing in just his third tournament since last April due to injury, did not drop a set in earning the title. Unseeded, the 2022 Les Petits As finalist defeated No. 3 seed Mattia Baroni of Italy 6-2, 6-1 in the final. 

The only doubles title for an American on the ITF Junior Circuit also came at the J60 level, in the Dominican Republic.  Brooke Wallman partnered with San Jose California's Aishi Bisht, who represents India, to earn their first title as a team, with the top seeds defeating No. 4 seeds Audrey Dussault and Spain's Vega Aguilar Fernandez 6-0, 6-4 in the championship match.

The USTA provided the following confirmation that the 2025 Orange Bowl (for 16s and 18s) will be moving to the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center in Fort Lauderdale Florida after 14 years at the Veltri Tennis Center in Plantation Florida. 

The USTA can confirm that the 2025 Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships will be held at the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale. The move is part of a new long-term agreement with the Orange Bowl Committee and the City of Fort Lauderdale, which will ensure that the prestigious junior tennis event will remain in South Florida for years to come. As part of the agreement, the Orange Bowl Committee and the City have committed to make significant improvements to the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center that will not only enhance the event, but will also provide an ongoing benefit to the South Florida tennis community.

This has been public knowledge for many months now, but should remove any doubts about the location for 2025, as long as the renovations proceed as scheduled.

The hearing regarding the NCAA House Settlement took place today, with judge Claudia Wilken entertaining objections to what has been proposed. Although several student-athletes voiced their displeasure with the settlement, particularly the roster limits proposed, the judge appeared unmoved by those and other arguments on the details of the settlement she has preliminarily approved. For more on today's hearing, see this article from the Associated Press.

The University of Illinois announced today the signing of Hayden Jones of Australia for the fall of 2025.  Jones, the older brother of ITF Junior No. 1 Emerson Jones, was a top junior in his own right, reaching No. 8 last May in his final year of ITF Junior Circuit eligibility. He has been using junior reserved spots for entry into ITF men's World Tennis Tour M15s, reaching the quarterfinals in Thailand last month, and has also used a couple of his ATP Challenger qualifying entries, which he received for finishing the year ranked between 11-20 on the ITF junior circuit.