Four US Boys, Two US Girls Reach US Open Junior Championships Quarterfinals; Last Two Boys Junior Slam Champions Face Off Thursday; Kovackova's Historic Doubles Run Ends; Gauff Advances to Semifinals; Montgomery and Krueger Storm Back to Make Women's Doubles Final
©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--
Flushing Meadows NY--
Marcel Latak had no trouble exceeding his own expectations at this U.S. Open.
That’s because he had none.The 17-year-old Chicago native who has verbally committed to Stanford for 2027, is thrilled to be in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open boys singles draw, but he didn’t expect to be here.
“It’s surreal. I can’t even find the right words right now. It’s so… wow,” Latak said, an enormous grin spreading across his face. Coming into this tournament, I had zero expectations. Maybe just like, go one round further than last year (where he lost in the first round). It was just about putting up a fight.”
Latak has played exceptionally well so far this week; the No. 41 ranked junior has won all six sets of singles he’s played and knocked off two Top 10 seeds, including No. 10 Dimitar Kisimov, whom he defeated 6-3, 6-3 in 53 minutes to reach his first junior slam quarterfinal.
He also got to play on Armstrong Stadium Wednesday, which he found less intimidating than he might have after hitting with Tommy Paul on Ashe before Paul faced Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round Sunday.
"It helped me so much, because I'd already hit in a huge stadium, so going into another stadium, I felt like that's normal," said Latak, who has now won nine straight matches after taking his first J300 title in Canada last week. And it's not even as big (as Ashe), so I felt pretty good about it."
And one of the perks of playing on Armstrong was a chance to relive several of the 19 winners he recorded today. "I would see a good point and I’d look up at the giant screens to see the replay," Latak said.
No. 5 seed Jack Kennedy also has been able to see a dream come true. Having played on Armstrong the past two days, he has twice been asked to perform the winner's task of hitting balls into the crowd after his on-court interview.
"This is something I visualized in my living room as a four-year-old kid, trying to do that," said Kennedy, who defeated unseeded Jack Secord for the second time in a month, this time by a 6-0, 6-4 score. "To be able to have that experience, to be to do that on a big stage in front of crowd, it's really, really special and a dream come true."
Kennedy had beaten Secord in the 18s semifinals of Kalamazoo last month 6-3, 6-1, so there was some deja vu despite a vastly different atmosphere.
"It did feel a little bit similar," said the 18-year-old from Long Island, who has the advantage of staying at home while he commutes to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for his three-week stretch at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. "I felt my game and my level was steadily there and I think he had a good amount more unforced errors than I did, which was part of the game plan. Just stay solid, not force the issue too much, but if you have the shot go for it. But I had to stay disciplined, play physical out of the corners and just dictate the points."
Kennedy's opponent in the final is No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie of Germany, who defeated unseeded Connor Doig of South Africa 6-3, 6-3 Wednesday.
Kennedy knows the TCU freshman won't have forgotten their last meeting, also in a quarterfinal, at the Orange Bowl in December.
"I came back from a set, 3-1 and 15-40," Kennedy recalled. "I was about to go down double break in the second. I still, to this day, don't know how I came back, to be honest. He was hitting his kick serves out of the court and was hitting his forehand like an absolute rocket. We've known each other for years, played in the Junior Orange Bowl 14s one year, and he's a really great kid and has a big game."
Latak's opponent Thursday will be No. 4 seed Keaton Hance, who has reached the Australian Open final and the Roland Garros semifinals this year. But despite both being among the top juniors in the country for years, they have never met.
"I don't know how I've never played him," said the 18-year-old from Southern California."I've seen him in a lot of terms but I've never seen him near me in a draw."
Hance's 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over unseeded Kirill Filaretov of Russia today was highlighted by a momentum changing tweener winner at a crucial stage of the second set.
"It was huge point at 4-3 (Filaretov serving) at 15-all," Hance said. "It was a tough one, because I came to the net and he was at the net. It was a really fast volley that came at me, at my feet. I didn't have any time to really get out of the way, so I kind jumped up." with the racquet between his legs, Hance guided it past Filaretov and rode that momentum to a break and hold for the set.
"There's a lot of luck involved, for sure, but pretty much the whole court was open, so if I can just make it over I have a chance," Hance said. "But I'll take it."
Hance went up 2-0 in the third and with 14 more conventional winners in that set, didn't give Filaretov any hope of a comeback.
The fourth American boy to reach the quarterfinals is No. 8 seed Jordan Lee, who defeated unseeded Daniel Jade of France 6-3, 6-4 in the last singles match of the day.
When draws come out before a tournament, certain matchups look tantalizing but you never know if they’re going to happen.
Fortunately in the boys draw, a matchup many were anticipating is happening: A meeting of the last two Grand Slam singles winners. Roland Garros champ and No.1 seed here Guto Miguel and Wimbledon champ Jordan Lee will face off with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
The two have played once before, in Roehampton on grass in July, with the Brazilian coming out on top, 6-4, 6-4.
“It's gonna be a fun match,” Lee said Wednesday evening,. “We know each other pretty well. I think it's a match we both have been looking forward to.”
Lee, asked what he learned from playing Miguel several weeks ago, made a pretty revealing statement.
“It was the first match I’ve played where I was genuinely under pressure, pretty much ever,” Lee said, clarifying that he meant ball pressure, not expectations pressure.
The winner of the Miguel-Lee match will face the winner of Thilo Behrmann-Simone Massellani match, the other quarterfinal on that side of the draw.
The seventh-seeded Behrmann came back to defeat No. 12 seed Andy Johnson 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, who Massellani beat unseeded Tanishk Konduri 7-6(1), 6-2, his second win over the American in the past two weeks.
Two US girls have advanced, with unseeded Melije Clarke reaching her first junior slam quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-3 win over unseeded Ruien Zhang of China, who had beaten No. 3 seed and Australian Open girls champion Ksenia Efremova of France in the second round.
Clarke had struggled to close out No. 13 seed Charo Esquiva Banuls of Spain in the second round yesterday, failing to serve it out at 5-4, and 6-5 in her 6-4, 7-6(3) victory.
Today on Grandstand, Clarke had no such trouble, hitting an ace on her first match point serving at 5-3.
"I had to trust myself and just have a little more belief in my game," said the 17-year-old from Texas. "In my last match I was frantic, playing a little unsure, making a lot of unforced errors. Today I was just focused on keeping it simple and not overthinking it. Sealing it with an ace and not a double fault is nice."
Clarke, who made the round of 16 at Wimbledon, said the fast courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center suit her game.
"I like the fast courts," Clarke said. "I think it helps carry my serve and my plus-one if really effective. I've always liked playing on faster courts, I did well at Wimbledon, so yeah, I like these courts a lot.
Clarke will face No. 8 seed Nana Leme Da Silva of Brazil, who defeated No. 11 seed Felisata Dorofeeva-Rybas of Russia 6-2, 6-4.
The other American girl in the quarterfinals is No. 6 seed and Wimbledon semifinalist Janae Preston, who survived a bout of on-court sickness at a most inopportune time. Preston, a16-year-old from Nevada, was having an intense first set battle with No. 9 seed Polina Skliar of Ukraine, lasting 75 minutes. After winning a long rally at 10-all in the tiebreak, Preston suffered an upset stomach on a humid day in New York and vomited in the back of the court.
After a 10-minute medical timeout and a court cleanup, Preston won the set on her eighth set point. She then had a much easier time in the second set, winning 7-6(10), 6-3 to advance to a meeting with No. 2 seed Jana Kovackova of Czechia, who beat qualifier Arina Malygina of Russia 6-3, 6-4.
Kovackova has the consolation of a quarterfinal appearance in singles, but her unprecedented run in doubles came to an end today when she and partner Katerina Zajickova lost to Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi of India and Antonina Sushkova of Ukraine came back to post a 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 victory.
Kovackova is the only junior girl to ever win all four junior slam titles, a streak that began last September here at the Open with older sister Alena, and extended through sisters' title at the Australian Open, and Jana's Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles with Zajickova.
Sushkova and Rajeshwaran Revathi had played only one tournament as a team before this one, losing their first match at last month's J300 in College Park. But they have already seen, in their two matches in New York, how they complement one another.
"She's brings a great energy on court and that is something I haven't seen with a lot of players I've played with," said Rajeshwaran Revathi. "Same for me, same for me," Sushkova said. "Sometimes I just need to breathe and Maaya's coming to me saying 'take some time, ok we have to get this one right now.' When she says it, we win the point, so there is magic."
Sushkova and Rajeshwaran Revathi said they were not intimidated by all the history Kovackova has made.
"We were not afraid, not afraid at all," Rajeshwaran Revathi said. "We just wanted to play our best and see how it goes." "Just because they are grand slam champions, there is nothing to be afraid about," Sushkova said. "All girls here play the same level. We just had the right energy and the right time and got the win."
It was a rough day in singles Wednesday for the Penickova twins, who turn 17 years old on Friday.
First, Kristina Penickova had top seed Xinran Sun of China battling into a third set on Court 5, before Sun, the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist in singles, steadied herself and pulled away for a 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory. Sun will face doubles partner and No. 7 seed Mariia Makarova of Russia, a 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4 winner over No. 12 seed Larraya Guidi of Argentina.
Then Annika Penickova also was locked in a tight battle with 14-year-old Russian Ekaterina Dotsenko, and was just two games away from clinching a quarterfinal spot.
But Dotsenko, who reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, showed poise beyond her years in taking the second set in a tiebreaker, before getting an early break in the third en route to a 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 win.
“It was such a difficult match,” said Dotsenko, who will play Wimbledon champion and No. 5 seed Anna Pushkareva of Russia, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over No. 10 seed Paola Pinera Celorio, next. “It was not my best tennis, and she’s a really good opponent, but I think I won because of my character, and never giving up on any point. I didn’t want to fall down on this opportunity, because I’m so excited to be here in New York at the U.S. Open, it’s been my dream.”
The Penickovas are still alive in doubles, advancing to the quarterfinals with a resounding 6-0, 6-0 win over No. 2 seeds and Wimbledon finalists Nana Leme Da Silva and Victoria Luiza Barros of Brazil. The Penickovas lost only 21 points in the match.
In addition to the Penickovas, there are two other American girls in the doubles quarterfinals, with Natalie Kha and Japanese partner Kokona Ishii playing top seeds Makarova and Sun. Thea Frodin and her Australian partner Renee Alame will play unseeded Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva of Russia Thursday.
There will be at least two US boys in every doubles quarterfinal Thursday, with Latak and Konduri facing top seeds Miguel and Slovenia's Ziga Sesko; Safir Azam and his partner Damir Zhalgasbay of Kazakhstan playing Ryan Cozad and Puerto Rico's Yannik Alvarez; wild cards and Kalamazoo 16s champions Daniel Malacek and Kamil Stolarczyk face Aaron Gabet of France and Valentin Gonzalez-Galino of Spain, and Vihaan Reddy and Mason Vaughan taking on the British team of Mark Ceban and Rhys Lawlor.
Miguel and Sesko are the only seeds boys doubles team remaining.
Five years after they won the US Open girls doubles title, Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger are through to the women's doubles final, beating No. 2 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Luisa Stefani of Brazil 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(8). After getting a break with Dabrowski and Stefani serving at 6-5 in the third, Montgomery and Krueger fell behind 8-2 in the tiebreaker, but won the last eight points to advance to the final against top seeds Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and American Taylor Townsend.
Coco Gauff saved two match points in her 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 win over Mirra Andreeva of Russia and will face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the second semifinal tomorrow night. Jessica Pegula will play Aryna Sabalenka in the evening's first match.
From a USTA press release today:
Nearly 50 US Open matches will be played throughout the day that are free to attend, including:
Men's Doubles Semifinals
Junior Singles and Doubles Quarterfinals
Wheelchair Singles Quarterfinals and Doubles Semifinals
Quad Wheelchair Singles Quarterfinals and Doubles Semifinals
Junior Wheelchair Singles and Doubles Semifinals
Para-Standing Invitational
*Entry is granted on a rolling basis subject to real-time capacity.
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