Ivanov Claims Second Straight Junior Slam Title; Vandromme Ends Junior Career with US Open Girls Singles Championship; Hance and Kennedy Capture Boys Doubles Title; Anisimova Falls in Women's Final

©Colette Lewis 2025--
Flushing Meadows, NY--

Two months ago, Ivan Ivanov was frantically searching for a tuxedo to wear to the Wimbledon Champions dinner. Today, after his 7-5, 6-3 win over Alexander Vasilev in the all-Bulgarian US Open boys final, the 16-year-old from Varna was planning no celebration at all, with a 10 p.m. flight to Spain next on his agenda. 

Ivanov, seeded No. 1, was facing not only friend Vasilev on Court 12 Saturday morning, but the ghost of the junior success of 2008 Wimbledon and US Open boys champion Grigor Dimitrov. Trying to equal the accomplishments of the greatest men's player in Bulgarian history was never going to be easy, but the support of a large, flag-bearing crowd, who were also celebrating a national holiday commemorating the country's unification, played an important role.

"I knew that it's going to be people coming, but they were very loud," said Ivanov, who hasn't been home to celebrate the national holiday since moving to the Nadal Academy in Spain more than three years ago. "I'm really happy that there was a lot of people watching, Now that we played on that day, I'm very happy that this success came, especially now. I'm very happy about it."

Ivanov served for the first set at 5-4, but did not manage to get to set point. He immediately broke Vasilev again, and served out the set, although he needed to save a break point to avoid a tiebreaker.

"He start putting more pressure on me, and I really felt it," said Ivanov, who hadn't played Vasilev since the 12s, yet still experienced déjà vu in some moments of the match. "I tried to escape, and I tried to make those moments come as short as possible, which I'm very happy today, because I managed to do that."

Ivanov also failed to serve out the match at 5-2, but broke Vasilev in the final game to win his 12th consecutive junior slam singles match.

"He was doing well with the pace, but I didn't have time and my legs weren't on point, and physically I wasn't there," said Vasilev, an 18-year-old left-hander, who is Dimitrov's cousin. "He played well, I dropped the level, tiredness kicks in, soreness in legs, sweating, it was quite humid, it was tough to get through today."

As for equaling Dimitrov's accomplishment, Ivanov admitted the second leg in New York was challenging.

"I don't think I could find the same level as Wimbledon," said Ivanov, who turns 17 next month. "But I was playing at a very good level, which I'm very happy about, keep finding solutions even though sometimes I was not feeling very well or having some tough moments. But I was always finding good mentality and positive mentality."

Ivanov and Vasilev were receiving a taste of the support they will have next weekend, when they play their first Davis Cup tie against Finland, in Bulgaria. 

"I'm very excited," Ivanov said. "I think I'm going there Friday or Thursday, so I'm really looking forward to play and to compete for Bulgaria. I mean, if we win, we can go to world group, so I'm very excited."

In the post-championship ceremony, Ivanov's coach at the Nadal Academy, Jeremy Paisan, received the new award the USTA has begun distributing to the coaches of all US Open champions.

While Ivanov and Vasilev have had limited contact with Dimitrov doing their junior careers, girls champion Jeline Vandromme of Belgium has been supported all week by three-time US Open women's singles champion Kim Clijsters and has received messages from Kirsten Flipkens, the last Belgian girl to win a US Open junior title back in 2003.

But it was Vandromme who earned the spotlight on a warm and humid Saturday, with the No. 14 seed winning her 23rd consecutive match in hard-fought 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over qualifier Lea Nilsson of Sweden.

After three consecutive titles on the ITF women's World Tennis Tour, Vandromme admitted she considered skipping the last junior slam she was eligible for, having lost in the first round of the Roland Garros and Wimbledon Junior Championships. But Vandromme, who turns 18 in November, was drawn to New York.

"I was thinking about it, too, whether I should play it or not," said Vandromme, who broke into the WTA Top 500 with those three titles in August. "The junior Grand Slams are always something different, and if it would be my last one, I just wanted to try to make it a memorable one. I mean, that kind of worked. Here at the US Open especially, it's very nice and energetic to play here. I actually really wanted to come here."

Vandromme hadn't lost more than four games in any set before encountering Nilsson, who had beaten top seed Julieta Pareja of the United States in the the third round and defending champion Mika Stojsavljevic of Great Britain in the semifinals. Nilsson had 2-0, and 4-2 leads in the first set, standing up to Vandromme's power, but once she got back on serve, Vandromme began taking control of the match. Improving her first serve percentage to 75% in the second set gave Vandromme the ability to dictate points, which eventually wore Nilsson down.

"I wouldn't say I felt the best, but I tried to show my best," said Nilsson, who displayed her first emotion all week, blinking back tears. "I just tried to fight. Right now I don't feel so happy about it; overall I think it was good."

Vandromme admitted that staying in the present when up 5-1 in the second set was difficult.

"Yeah, it happens," Vandromme said of her mind jumping ahead to holding the winner's trophy. "Then I'm just, like, okay, I just need to be disciplined and keep doing that instead of focusing on results. I just try to keep my mind busy so that I don't think about those things, like the results or the title."

Despite the excitement of claiming the title, Vandromme was able to empathize with Nilsson during the handshake and the ceremony. 

"At the net when the match was finished, I told her congrats on a good week, the level that you showed this week coming from qualies, making it to the final, it's also something to be proud of," Vandromme said. "When we were doing the ceremony, I think she was crying a bit, and I wanted to hug her...I mean, I know it's probably tough to lose like this in the final if you've come this far. But she's also incredibly kind off the court, so I just wanted to make sure that she knows she could be proud."

Vandromme also expressed satisfaction in her own accomplishment.

"It's going to be, I think, my last junior tournament, and to be able to win this one makes me incredibly proud," said Vandromme, who received messages from Flipkins both before and after the final. "Also, it was 22 years ago the last Belgian won the title. It's also a huge honor for my country and that makes me proud as well."

Both Vandromme and Nilsson are expected to concentrate on the ITF women's World Tennis Tour after some time off, with Nilsson's 700 points from her run this week helpful in assuring her a spot in the junior slams next year, if she decides to play them.

"I'm not sure exactly the plan for next year," said the 17-year-old from Stockholm, who trains with Milos Sekulic at the Salk Tennis Club. "But I think I'll play more women's tennis. I don't think there's too much more to do in juniors, so I'll focus on the women's tour."

Vandromme, who has been working with Philippe Galadé since this spring, had the difficult task of playing a second final shortly after the first. With a thunderstorm approaching, Vandromme and partner Laima Vladson of Lithuania, the No. 4 seeds, were sent quickly out to Court 12 to compete in the girls doubles final against No. 3 seeds Alena and Jana Kovackova of the Czech Republic. The Kovackova sisters, who had reached the girls doubles semifinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year and the finals at Roland Garros, took that final step today, beating Vandromme and Vladson 6-2, 6-2 less than 30 minutes before the rain arrived.

"We enjoy playing doubles together," said the 17-year-old Alena, who won the Wimbledon girls doubles title with fellow Czech Laura Samson in 2023. "And we're happy to finally win this one."

Despite being "so nervous" Kovackova said they were able to play their game.

"We were serving good and we both had aggressive volleys," Alena said.

The boys doubles final, played at the same time as the two singles finals due to the threat of rain, featured four Americans and a hometown favorite in Long Island's Jack Kennedy. Kennedy and Keaton Hance, the No. 6 seeds, had the majority of the fan support on Court 14, due to the large contingent of Kennedy's family and friends. They needed every bit of that support in their 6-3, 1-6, 10-8 win over No. 7 seeds Benjamin Willwerth and Noah Johnston.

After Hance double faulted to put them in a 3-7 hole in the match tiebreaker, Kennedy knew it was up to him to pick up his friend and partner.

"I think in the years I've been playing with him Keaton's gotten better and better at resetting when stuff doesn't go our way, in big moments," said Kennedy, 17. "He doesn't get mad or frustrated, so I just give him that reminder to stay calm and stay present in the moment and not focus too much on that point."

Hance responded immediately with a good first serve, and won a rally on Willwerth's serve to get back to 7-5 at the change of ends. Kennedy held both his serves, but Johnston had the match on his racquet, up 8-7 with two serves coming. Hance and Kennedy hit a second consecutive overhead winner to pull even, then Johnston lost the next point as well, missing an overhead sitter at the net while suffering an apparent injury.

"On that overhead I slipped a little bit before I hit it and I felt my glute, my right glute, and then I missed," said the 17-year-old from South Carolina, who began his freshman year at Georgia this summer. "I got hurt four days ago, in a doubles match, but I didn't tell anyone, and I've been getting treatment. But I didn't miss because of that, and it should be fine."

"In that situation we just have to focus on ourselves," said Hance, a 17-year-old from California. "After he missed that overhead, I was like, okay, it doesn't matter, let's just lock in and play a good point right here, and not worry about what was going on on the other side of the net."

Now leading 9-8, Hance made a first serve, and when Willwerth's lob drifted past the baseline, the Long Island cheering section let out one last vocal celebration.

Kennedy has been coming to the US Open since he was four years old, so this title has extra significance for him.

"Being here, calling ourselves grand slam champions, in my backyard, it's really special," Kennedy said. "I'm happy to do it with Keaton, happy to do it in front of my family, the ton of support that's helped us through every match, yeah, I couldn't be happier."

Willwerth gave credit to Hance and Kennedy for their rebound in the tiebreaker.

"They definitely stepped it up, did what they needed to do," said Willwerth, who, with Johnston, had reached the Roland Garros final in June and the Kalamazoo 18s final in August. "They hit the shots that worked. But maybe a few more first serves on my end, I think, but that's tennis."

The USTA coaching awards in the boys doubles were given to Kennedy's coach Greg Lumpkin, and Hance's coaches, his parents Ken and Courtney.

"It's great for me and Greg, our relationship has gone so far together," Kennedy said. "The trophy is nice to show my appreciation, but hopefully how I contribute on the court and how we work together is also another way. I'm really glad he's done a great job with me and is getting an award for it."

"They've done a good job of raising me to be a good competitor," Hance said of his parents, who operate South Bay Tennis Club in Torrance. "I wish I had two trophies to give to each of them, but they'll have to share one."

In the women's singles final this afternoon, top seed Aryna Sabalenka defended her title, beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3). For more on the women's final, see this article from usopen.org.

In the men's doubles final prior to the women's singles final, Roland Garros champions Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina saved three match points at 4-5, 0-40 in the third set and went on to defeat Neal Skupski(LSU) and Joe Salisbury(Memphis) of Great Britain 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 in a rematch of the final in Paris. For more on the final, see this article from usopen.org.

Qualifier Nilsson Beats Defending Champion to Reach US Open Girls Final; All-Bulgarian Boys Final Set After Vasilev's Comeback; Two American Teams Reach Boys Doubles Final; Anisimova Faces Sabalenka for Women's Title

©Colette Lewis 2025--
Flushing Meadows NY--

If Lea Nilsson wins the US Open girls singles title Saturday, to become the first qualifier and the first Swedish girl ever to accomplish that feat, don't expect a animated celebration. The 17-year-old from Stockholm had displayed no more than a small fist pump when she defeated ITF World Junior No. 1 Julieta Pareja in the third round, and she seemed even less impressed with her 0-6, 6-1, 6-1 semifinal win over No. 9 seed and defending champion Mika Stojsavljevic of Great Britain at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

True, Stojsavljevic got less than half of her first serves in and made more than twice as many unforced errors as Nilsson, but Nilsson deserves the credit for making the changes required to get the match played on her terms.

"In the second set I tried to get her doing the mistakes and not me," Nilsson said of her plan to recover. "I was telling myself to play easier, more simple, not to give it away too fast. Let her play as many balls as possible, make her fight for the ball, not give her free points."

Although the first two sets were lopsided in terms of games, three games in each set went to deuce. The third set was all Nilsson, who had just one unforced error, while Stojsavljevic made 17. 

Still, Stojsavljevic had come from 4-0 down in the third set in her third round win over Jana Kovackova of the Czech Republic, so Nilsson was on her guard.

"I saw she was down 0-3, I didn't know it was 0-4, and saw she won 7-5," Nilsson said. "So I knew, it's not over until it's over,  and I didn't want to let her in."

Despite all the tennis she's played the past nine days, Nilsson said she is physically and mentally ready for one more.

"It's been a long tournament," said Nilsson, who is the first qualifier to reach the final since 2019, when recent Stanford graduate Alexandra Yepifanova lost to Camila Osorio of Colombia. "But mentally, I'm not so tired. I haven't yet looked at my phone since third round--I'm only using it for booking practice. And physically, I don't have any problems right now, so that's a blessing."

The first Swedish girl to reach a US Open junior final, Nilsson, who says she been calm her whole life, won't be changing her personality based on this run. "I've never been a girl that screams a lot," Nilsson explained. "I'm not [an] extrovert, I'm [an] introvert, but of course I'm super happy. I don't know how to show it."

Nilsson will face No. 14 seed Jeline Vandromme, who again posted a straight-sets victory, her fifth this week, in beating No. 2 seed Hannah Klugman of Great Britain 6-3, 6-2.

Vandromme fell behind 2-0 to start, but all the matches she's won since the end of July, 17 on the ITF women's World Tennis Tour and five this week, helped her stay positive.

"In the beginning of the streak I won a match when I was three matches points down," Vandromme said, referring to her 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-5 win over Han Shi of China in the final of the W35 in Roehampton. "I was 5-3 down, 40-15 on her serve and 30-40 on my serve, and since that match I've had the mindset that anything can happen, don't think result-wise, and I think that mindset has helped me every match. When you get 0-2 down, don't panic."

Vandromme again had the support of three-time US Open women's champion Kim Clijsters at her match, and on Saturday, Vandromme can do something that neither Clijsters nor Justine Henin, a  two-time US Open women's champion, did: win the US Open girls title. There has been only one Belgian girls singles champion in New York, with Kirsten Flipkens winning the title in 2003.

Nilsson and Vandromme have not played on the ITF Junior Circuit, but met in the quarterfinals of the European 16s championships two years ago. Vandromme, who went on to claim that title, defeated Nilsson 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-1. 

Grigor Dimitrov won the Wimbledon and US Open boys singles titles in 2008, the last time a Bulgarian had made a junior slam final, until Ivan Ivanov won Wimbledon this year.

Ivanov can equal Dimitrov's feat after the top seed and ITF Junior No. 1 defeated unseeded Zangar Nurlanuly of Kazakhstan 6-1, 6-4, but Bulgaria will have a second US Open boys champion regardless of the outcome of Saturday's final, after No. 5 seed Alexander Vasilev came back to defeat unseeded Luis Miguel of Brazil 2-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Vasilev knew that he had to change his strategy after Miguel rolled through the opening set, making 81% of his first serves and riding the vocal support of the crowd on Court 7.

"He started very, very powerful and I didn't play as I should, as I had planned," said Vasilev, who lost in the Wimbledon semifinals to thwart the first all-Bulgarian junior slam final. "I didn't play how I needed to to make him make mistakes, taking him outside the court. So second set I started to concentrate more, I put that fighting spirit on and said, do the plan, do the things and work for it."

Part of that plan came to fruition in the second set. 

"I was trying to change the pace, to change the rhythm, trying to keep up and slow down a bit," said Vasilev, who is Dimitrov's cousin. "He likes to play very fast, so I tried to kill the momentum, and managed to do it."

Miguel, who won last week's ITF J300 in Canada and pulled out of doubles this week as a precaution, was not able to serve effectively with pain inhibiting that stroke.

"We saw the serve was not on point," said the 18-year-old lefthander. "I had an advantage there; he was not serving well. First set, he had everything, was playing good, but as the set went, as the points and games go by, I focused more, and found where I could push that."

The last game was a struggle, with two double faults complicating Vasilev's service game, but he saved a break point, and finally closed out the win on his third match point.

"On the third match point, I went with more confidence and said 'if not now, when?' and go for it," Vasilev said. "When it was over, I said, this is not finished, there is one more match. I'm a bit more relaxed, but the tournament hasn't ended."

Ivanov also had problems at the end, with Nurlanuly saving four match points serving at 3-5. Ivanov went down 15-40 in his attempt to serve it out, but two of his seven aces helped get to a fifth match point, which he converted with laser forehand/feathery drop shot combination.

Ivanov was playing in his third consecutive junior slam semifinal, and he admitted his comfort level has increased with every one.

"It was my third semifinal, so of course there is stress, but way less than the first two, that's for sure," Ivanov said. "But I enjoyed it way more, I enjoy the crowd, and yes this was the calmer one."

Ivanov and Vasilev, who were recently named to the Bulgarian Davis Cup team for their home tie with Finland next week, did not grow up together, with different home towns and Ivanov's move to the Nadal Academy several years ago, feel obvious pride in achieving this milestone for their country.

"It's great success for both," Ivanov said. "It's his first final, my second, so it's all about the experience, we take it, we play against each other and enjoy the match."

"We're of course good friends, it's going to be a good battle, and I'm going to enjoy every second on the court," Vasilev said.

The boys doubles final will also feature compatriots and friends, with No. 7 seeds Noah Johnston and Ben Willwerth facing No. 6 seeds Jack Kennedy and Keaton Hance, all from the United States.

Johnston and Willwerth defeated unseeded Dominick Mosejczuk and Germany's Jamie Mackenzie 7-5, 4-6, 10-6, while Kennedy and Hance beat unseeded Jack Secord and Puerto Rico's Yannick Alvarez 6-2, 6-4.

Willwerth and Johnston, the 2025 Kalamazoo 18s doubles finalists, have rounded into form during the course of a week's play. 

"I feel like we've been getting better every round," said the 17-year-old Johnston, who has begun his freshman year at the University of Georgia. "We had a tough first round, 13-11 in the tiebreak, and since then, we've just been playing better and better, getting used to the conditions, finding our game."

The winds of the past two days have required some changes in strategy.

"We were holding good, but the wind made it tougher for us," Willwerth said. "We had to be more creative with where we were serving; we couldn't just blast through the wind."

After reaching the Roland Garros boys doubles final in June, Willwerth and Johnson have a better idea what to expect in Saturday's final.

"I think it will help," Willwerth, 18, said. "Because we know we've been there and they haven't. We got the first one out of the way, so I think all the nerves we felt in the first one is just gone now, so now we're just playing."

Hance and Kennedy, like Willwerth and Johnston, are longtime doubles partners, with their partnership extending back more than three years.

"This is really awesome, thinking about all the tournaments we've played together," said the 17-year-old Kennedy, who lives and trains nearby in Long Island. "All the times we've imagined being at this stage, in this moment, and we're finally here. We're both super grateful, super happy that we have this opportunity to play together at our home slam."

"It feels great," said Hance, 17, who lives in Southern California, but trains, often with Kennedy in attendance, in Orlando. "We've been together for so long and obviously we were always hoping to have great results, but it super awesome to make it this far in this tournament, especially his home town."

In today's semifinal, Hance and Kennedy won four of the six deciding points, including in the final game, when Secord and Alvarez saved three match points but couldn't save the fourth, when Hance's good first serve went unreturned.

"I think me and Keaton do a good job of trusting each other in those big moments," Kennedy said. "We put a lot of trust in each other and I think that's what makes us such a great team." 

The girls doubles final will feature No. 3 seeds Alena and Jana Kovackova of the Czech Republic against No. 4 seeds Vandromme and Laima Vladson of Lithuania. The Kovackova sisters avenged their Roland Garros finals loss to unseeded Eva Bennemann and Sonja Zhenikhova of Germany 6-2, 6-3. Vandromme and Vladson came back to defeat unseeded Kamonwan Yodpetch of Thailand and Ruien Zhang of China 6-7(5), 6-1, 10-6.

With rain in the forecast for Saturday afternoon, both singles finals and the boys doubles final will be played at 11 a.m. The girls doubles final will be played after the girls singles final, with Vandromme competing in both.

In the women's doubles final today, No. 3 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Erin Routliffe(Alabama) of New Zealand defeated top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4 to capture their second US Open women's doubles title. For more on their championship, see this article from the WTA website.

Amanda Anisimova will play defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final Saturday, after Anisimova reached her second consecutive major final with a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Naomi Osaka in the early hours of Friday morning. 

For more on the women's final, see this article from usopen.org.

Defending Champion Stojsavljevic Returns to Semifinals at US Open Junior Championships; Ivanov's Quest For Second Straight Slam Title Survives Third-Set Tiebreaker; US Boy Guaranteed to Win Doubles Title; Cash and Tracy Fall in Men's Doubles Semifinals

©Colette Lewis 2025--

Flushing Meadows, NY--

Back on Court 12, where she won her unexpected US Open girls title as an unseeded 15-year-old last September, Mika Stojsavljevic didn't just have great memories to push her through to Friday's semifinals; she also had a loss to avenge.

Mia Pohankova, the No. 4 seed, had beaten Stojsavljevic in the first round of July's Wimbledon Junior Championships, her first step in earning the title. Today, on a windy day at the US Open Junior Championships, it was all Stojsavljevic, who reversed her straights-sets loss in London with a 6-4, 6-2 win.

"I think I just came in with a different mindset," said Stojsavljevic, seeded ninth this week. "To be honest at Wimbledon, I'd just finished my exams and I was pretty exhausted from all of that. I'd just played the seniors as well(a main draw women's singles loss to Ashlyn Krueger). I can't say I was playing my best. Today I was just mentally on it, every ball, physically moving well, intense, and it really worked."

Stojsavljevic was not entirely sure how she managed to get her chance to avenge her Wimbledon loss to Pohankova today, after trailing 15-year-old Jana Kovackova of the Czech Republic 4-0 in the third set before rebounding for a 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 win yesterday.

"I was not thinking about winning at that point, obviously," Stojsavljevic said. "But slowly and surely I kept coming back, eventually 4-all, 5-4, and suddenly, you're in it again."

Although winning a title here last year is always going to provide Stojsavljevic with a reason to think fondly of New York, she genuinely enjoys the city.

"I just love the energy, I think there's an absolutely incredible vibe," said Stojsavljevic, who is staying in Manhattan this week. "I love the architecture, I think it's so cool. I don't think there's anywhere like it in the world. It makes me even more excited to play here. I love it."

Stojsavljevic will face Swedish qualifier Lea Nilsson, who is having a run similar to the one Stojsavljevic had last year. Nilsson defeated No. 8 seed Charo Esquiva Banuls of Spain 6-4, 6-1 to post her sixth win of the tournament.

"I've never played her," Stojsavljevic said. "I've practiced with her in the past, but it will be a new challenge. Congrats to her for getting this far, and we'll see how it goes tomorrow."

The possibility for an all-British girls final, which was also in play last year before Wakana Sonobe of Japan defeated Mimi Xu in the semifinals, still exists, with No. 2 seed Hannah Klugman defeating No. 5 seed Julia Stusek of Germany 6-3, 6-2 in her second consecutive appearance on Louis Armstrong Stadium. 

Klugman will have to be the one to end No. 14 seed Jeline Vandromme's winning streak to uphold her end of that all-British final, with Vandromme defeating unseeded Ksenia Efremova of France 6-1, 6-3 for her 21st consecutive victory.

Vandromme is not willing to proclaim this as the best tennis she's ever played, although she concedes the 17 wins on the ITF women's Pro Circuit and the four wins this week are indications of her improvement in the past few months.

"I just feel like I'm confident in what I'm doing, and the way I'm playing is what I want," the 17-year-old Belgian said. "But I don't know if this is my highest level, let's see. I feel good."

Vandromme has had a high-profile fan at her matches this week, with Kim Clijsters, a two-time US Open women's champion, on hand to provide support.

"I've known her since I was little, because we went to her academy," Vondromme said. "But I was so young, I didn't really know her personally or talk to her. But now, at the grand slams, we talk a lot, and I had a chance to practice with her here, and at Wimbledon last year. It's nice that she comes to my matches and supports, we talk a bit. She's not my coach, but it's nice she can give advice to younger Belgian players."

An all-Bulgarian boys final is also a possibility, after both No. 1 seed Ivan Ivanov and No. 5 seed Alexander Vasilev advanced to the semifinals for the second straight junior slam.

Vasilev ended the run of 16-year-old wild card Andrew Johnson, the last American competing in singles, 6-3, 7-5.

Vasilev, an 18-year-old left-hander, had such an obvious physical advantage that the crowd surrounding Court 12 was even more pro-Johnson than they might have been, but in the end, Vasilev was able to figure out a winning strategy.

"He's an uncomfortable player," Vasilev said. "Definitely he's maybe not as strong or the tallest, but he has the game. I found it pretty tough to make a good shot selection, because he was quite fast, taking the ball pretty early, so I had to manage myself to put so much quality in my shots and was so happy that I managed that."

Vasilev did post 130 mph on the serve radar, but he was not going for the huge first serves as often he did in his 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) win in the third round over Jan Kumstat of the Czech Republic, with the winds, with gusts over 30 mph, making the ball toss an adventure. 

"I didn't focus that much on the speed of the serve today, but on the positioning and the placement," said Vasilev, who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. "The wind was blowing pretty hard, weather conditions were tough, the ball position was changing so fast, so the flat serve was not as effective as usual."

Vasilev will face unseeded Luis Guto Miguel of Brazil, who defeated No. 14 seed Oliver Bonding of Great Britain 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-1 in the second junior match on Louis Armstrong Stadium. 

They have met recently, at the ITF J300 warmup to Wimbledon in Roehampton, with Vasilev taking a 7-5, 6-3 decision in the semifinals.

"I have to structure my game different from today and try to adapt faster," Vasilev said. "It's going to be a good match tomorrow, a big stage. It is going to be pressure, but I have to stay present and feel the confidence."

While Vasilev got through in straight sets, Wimbledon champion Ivanov had to deal with the pressure of a third set tiebreaker, which he conquered admirably in his 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(3) decision over No. 8 seed Max Schoenhaus of Germany.

Ivanov lost to Schoenhaus in straight sets in the semifinals of Roland Garros, then beat him in two tiebreakers in the semifinals of Wimbledon, so his description of Schoenhaus as the "toughest opponent for me in juniors, for sure, by far," was understandable.

"He knows how to play against me and I know how to play against him, so it's a very good test too," Ivanov said. 

Ivanov was outstanding in today's tiebreaker, making no unforced errors and blasting forehand winners whenever he had an opportunity, locking in as he had done in their two tiebreakers on Wimbledon's show court 18.

Ivanov will return to Court 7 for tomorrow's match against surprise semifinalist Zangar Nurlanuly of Kazakhstan, who beat No. 13 seed Timofei Derepasko of Russia 6-2, 6-4.

While there are no American girls left in singles or doubles after Thea Frodin and her Brazilian partner Victoria Barros lost to Kamonwan Yodpetch of Thailand and Ruien Zhang of China 6-3, 3-6, 10-7, an American champion is already guaranteed in boys doubles, with six American boys in Friday's semifinals.

No. 7 seeds Noah Johnston and Benjamin Willwerth and No. 6 seeds Keaton Hance and Jack Kennedy each play against teams with one American.

Hance and Kennedy, 6-2, 6-4 winners over wild cards Michael Antonius and Matisse Farzam, will play unseeded Jack Secord and Puerto Rico's Yannik Alvarez, who beat No. 2 seeds Schoenhaus and Niels McDonald of Germany 6-4, 6-3.

Johnston and Willwerth, who defeated the unseeded Italian team of Gabriele Crivellaro and Michele Mecarelli 6-1, 7-6(5), will play unseeded Jamie Mackenzie of Germany and Dominick Mosejczuk. Mackenzie and Mosejczuk defeated unseeded Ronit Karki and Jack Satterfield 7-6(5), 6-3.

A rematch of the Roland Garros final is set for the girls doubles semifinal between No. 3 seeds Alena and Jana Kovackova of the Czech Republic and unseeded Eva Bennemann and Sonja Zhenikhova of Germany. The Kovackova sisters led 6-4, 4-0 in that final in Paris, but Bennemann and Zhenikhova fought back to win the title in a match tiebreaker. The Czechs defeated No. 5 seeds Esquiva Banuls and Sweden's Nellie Taraba Wallberg 7-6(6), 6-2, while Bennemann and Zhenikhova defeated unseeded Yihan Qu of China and Kanon Sawashiro of Japan 6-2, 6-4. 

Vandromme, the only player who remains in both singles and doubles, and partner Laima Vladson of Lithuania will play College Park doubles champions Yodpetch and Zhang in the semifinals. The No. 3 seeds beat No. 7 seeds Stusek and Pastikova 6-3, 6-2.

The run of JJ Tracy and Robert Cash, Ohio State's 2024 NCAA spring doubles champions, came to an end tonight in Louis Armstrong Stadium, with No. 5 seeds and reigning Roland Garros men's doubles champion Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina beating the unseeded pair from Ohio 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Granollers and Zeballos will face No. 6 seeds Neal Skupski(LSU) and Joe Salisbury(Memphis) in Saturday's final, with the British pair defeating No. 14 seeds Michael Venus(LSU) of New Zealand and Yuki Bhambri of India 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-4 in just under three hours.

No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula lost Thursday evening to top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a rematch of last year's final. 

Friday's schedule, which includes the women's doubles final and the men's semifinal is here. Top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic will play No. 3 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Erin Routliffe(Alabama) of New Zealand at noon.

Qualifier Nilsson Shocks World No. 1 Pareja to Reach Quarterfinals, Wild Card Johnson Sole American Remaining in US Open Junior Singles; Cash and Tracy Advance to Men's Doubles Semifinals; Anisimova Avenges Wimbledon Loss

©Colette Lewis 2025--
Flushing Meadows, NY--

A week ago, Lea Nilsson was in Canada, scrambling to find a flight to New York for the US Open Junior Championships qualifying after a second round loss at the ITF J300 in Repentigny. The 17-year-old left-hander from Sweden got on a plane Thursday morning, with her first round qualifying match scheduled for not before 3 p.m. the same day, and had to get her credential before traveling to the Cary Leeds Tennis Center in the Bronx. 

It's little wonder that she dropped her first set to American Ireland O'Brien, but she came back to win the match 10-7 in the match tiebreaker, and qualified for the main draw on Friday.

Today, on Louis Armstrong Stadium, the 78th-ranked Nilsson shocked ITF World Junior No. 1 Julia Pareja 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, a result she attributed to her focus and even temperament. 

"The court was very big, but I just focused on my things, not around, just on me," said Nilsson, who trains at the Salk Tennis Club in Stockholm. "Obviously I knew she was a good player, very solid, and I just focused on keeping my level up and keeping my tempo high, just challenge her in the rallies." 

Varying her serve placement helped Nilsson keep Pareja from attacking, and Nilsson was able to come up with effective serves when she needed them to hold off a comeback from Pareja. Nilsson said she was determined to stay on offense as she looked to close out the match serving for it at 5-3 in the third.

"Just keep being aggressive, keep doing what I was doing, not relax or be passive," Nilsson said of her mindset when stepping to the line to complete the upset.

After Nilsson served out the match at 40-15, forcing an error from Pareja after a lengthy forehand to backhand rally, she barely allowed herself a reaction, with a brief fist pump in celebration.

"Usually I'm not so emotional, if I win or if I lose, it's kind of the same," Nilsson said. "There were a lot of emotions, no, not emotions, but thoughts. Excited of course, but maybe I seemed less happy on the outside."

Nilsson will play No. 8 seed Charo Esquiva Banuls of Spain, who defeated unseeded Kanon Sawashiro of Japan 6-0, 3-6, 6-4. The two played previously in the 2022 European 14s championships, with Esquiva Banuls winning in a third set tiebreaker.

No. 2 seed Hannah Klugman of Great Britain again dropped her first set, but rebounded to beat unseeded Julie Pastikova of the Czech Republic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. She will play No. 5 seed Julia Stusek of Germany, who ended the run of 15-year-old wild card Welles Newman 6-4, 6-3.

No. 3 seed Kristina Penickova ran up against the red-hot No. 14 seed Jeline Vandromme of Belgium, who now has a 20-match winning streak since the end of July with her 6-2, 6-3 win today. Vandromme will play unseeded Ksenia Efremova of France, last week's champion in Canada, who beat Xinran Sun of China 6-2, 6-0, avenging her loss to Sun in the second round of the College Park J300 two weeks ago. 

The other girls quarterfinal will be a rematch of an opening round match at Wimbledon this year, with 2025 Wimbledon girls champion Mia Pohankova of Slovakia facing 2024 US Open girls champion Mika Stojsavljevic of Great Britain. The unseeded Pohankova, who defeated No. 7 seed Stojsavljevic 7-6(4), 6-1 to start her run to the Wimbledon title, had the much easier win today. Pohankova, seeded fourth, defeated Yushan Shao of China 6-3, 6-4, while No. 9 seed Stojsavljevic came from 4-0 down in the third set to beat 15-year-old Czech Jana Kovackova, the No. 6 seed, 5-7, 6-1, 7-5.

In the biggest upset of the day in the boys draw, No. 14 seed Oliver Bonding of Great Britain defeated No. 2 seed Andres Santamarta Roig of Spain 6-3, 6-4, capitalizing on the fast courts to make his final junior slam by far his most successful one.

Bonding was 0-10 in junior slams prior to this week, so his 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(0) win over Jack Secord in the first round was, as he described it, a relief.

"It's been tough," said the 18-year-old, who received entry to Roland Garros based on his ranking in 2023 and has played every junior slam since. "I've haven't performed the way I've wanted to in the slams. I got myself into the slams early, had a couple of tough draws at the start, but I really didn't perform to my level. I think coming in here I just wanted to enjoy it, I knew it would be my last slam and here I was just trying to be more relaxed, framing it a little differently, just go out there and have fun.  I was close to going out here in the first too, down 4-2 in the third, so everything now is just a bonus for me."

Bonding had beaten Santamarta on clay last year, and the faster surface here in New York tilted the match even more in his favor.

"I was more aggressive and also more stable from the back," said the 6-foot-4 right-hander. "The speed of the court kind of showed and he was uncomfortable with the ball in play."

Bonding was cruising to the finish line on the Grandstand court, up 5-4, 40-15, but he botch a forehand sitter at the net, sending it well wide. He missed his first serve on the second match point, but got an error from Santamarta to convert it.

"I had that easy forehand, I was definitely tight going into the second one, missed the first serve," Bonding said. "But it was kind of the story of the match, that last match point. I was a little more stable in the rally and he kind of wanted to pull the trigger and missed."

Bonding will face unseeded Luis Guto Miguel of Brazil, who defeated No. 9 seed Jack Kennedy 6-4, 6-4 to extend his winning streak to eight matches after claiming the title at the ITF J300 in Canada last week.

Miguel, who is competing in his sixth junior slam while still just 16 years old, let his mind skip ahead a bit in the second set.

"It was 6-4, 4-0 for me and I started to think, oh, I'm in the quarterfinals," Miguel said. "It's one thing I talk to about my mental coach about, and he says don't think about it. So when I stopped thinking, that's when I won the match."

A successful young Brazilian like Miguel has an obvious hero, with Joao Fonseca, now in the ATP Top 50, just two years removed from this 2023 US Open boys title.

"He inspires me, and not just me, but all the kids that are playing now, the young guys," Miguel said. "We practiced two weeks (in March) in Rio de Janeiro; he's a great guy, powerful. Two weeks, real intensity. He's an amazing guy."

The odds that 16-year-old wild card Andrew Johnson would be the last American standing in the US Open junior singles were slim coming into the event, but his debut has gone even better than he expected after his 7-5, 6-3 win over No. 15 seed Ronit Karki today.

"This is my first grand slam, so who would have thought this, really?," Johnson said. "I'm super excited. I'll look back on this five, 10, 15 years from now, forever. It's really cool."

Down 3-0 to start, Johnson withstood the barrage of winners Karki was hitting and began to find his level.

"I started off kind of slow and he started off really good," Johnson said. "He didn't miss a ball in the first three games. It kind of evened out. I played pretty good, I stayed focused throughout the whole match and was having fun toward the end of the match. Towards the end of the match, some guy came and sat in the top of in the stands and said 'Let's go Socal' and I pointed at him, funny things like that."

Johnson made 85% of his first serves in the second set and had 17 winners and just 11 unforced errors. Karki never had a look at a break point, while his unforced errors, which totaled 53, piled up.

Johnson will face No. 5 seed Alexander Vasilev Thursday, after the 18-year-old left-hander from Bulgaria won a high-quality match with 2024 Australian Open boys finalist Jan Kumstat of the Czech Republic 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7). Kumstat, trailing throughout the 10-point tiebreaker, got back on serve at 6-7, but he didn't make his first serve and was broken giving Vasilev some breathing room. Up 8-7, Vasilev hit a 128 mph serve and a plus-one forehand winner to get to match point. A nearly carbon copy of that point finished off Kumstat, with a 130 mph serve and a plus-one forehand winner an emphatic end to an entertaining contest.

A third unseeded boy reached the quarterfinals, with Zangar Nurlanuly of Kazakhstan beating No. 6 seed Osaki Paldanius of Finland 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Nurlanuly will face No. 13 seed Timofei Derepasko, who beat Hidde Schoenmakers of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour.

Top seed Ivan Ivanov defeated unseeded Maximus Dussault 7-6(3), 6-4 to set up yet another junior slam contest against No. 8 seed Max Schoenhaus of Germany. Schoenhaus, who defeated qualifier Tito Chavez of Spain 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, beat Ivanov in the semifinals in Roland Garros, with Ivanov returning the favor in the semifinals at Wimbledon.

The doubles quarterfinals are set for Thursday, with two major upsets today in the girls doubles. Top seeds Klugman and Pohankova lost to ITF J300 College Park champions Kamonwan Yodpetch of Thailand and Ruien Zhang of China 7-6(2), 6-4. No. 2 seeds Kristina Penickova, a two-time junior slam doubles champion in 2025, and Stojsavljevic lost to Yihan Qu of China and Kanon Sawashiro of Japan 6-4, 6-4.

Thea Frodin, playing with Victoria Barros of Brazil, is the only American girl in either draw.

The boys doubles quarterfinals feature ten Americans, including wild cards Michael Antonius and Matisse Farzam, who will play No. 6 seeds Keaton Hance and Jack Kennedy, guaranteeing an American team in the semifinals.

The boys doubles draw is here.

Wednesday's third round junior singles results of Americans:

Luis Guto Miguel(BRA) d. Jack Kennedy[9] 6-4, 6-4

Andrew Johnson[WC] d. Ronit Karki[15] 7-5, 6-3

Ivan Ivanov[1](BUL) d. Maximus Dussault 7-6(3), 6-4 

Lea Nilsson[Q](SWE) d. Julieta Pareja[1] 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 

Jeline Vandromme[14](BEL) d. Kristina Penickova[3] 6-2, 6-3

Julia Stusek[5](GER) Welles Newman[WC] 6-4, 6-3

Robert Cash and JJ Tracy continued their run in men's doubles, advancing to the semifinals with a 6-1, 7-6(7) win over No. 15 seeds Sadio Doumbia(Georgia) and Fabien Reboul of France.

The unseeded Cash and Tracy, the 2024 NCAA spring doubles champions while seniors at Ohio State, will face No. 5 seeds Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina Thursday for a place in the final.

No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova avenged her 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, beating the No. 2 seed 6-4, 6-3.

For more on her win this afternoon, see this usopen.org article.

Anisimova will face Naomi Osaka of Japan in the semifinals

tomorrow night. 

Admission to the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center is free Thursday, with junior and wheelchair competition, as well as the men's doubles semifinals, on the schedule, beginning at noon.

Wild Cards Johnson and Newman Reach Round of 16 at US Open Junior Championships; Kennedy and Klugman Earn Three-Set Wins in Armstrong; Alternates Spurling and McCollum End Junior Slam Run of Wazny and Paldanius; Cash and Tracy Advance to Men's Doubles Quarterfinals

©Colette Lewis 2025--
Flushing Meadows, NY--

Seven Americans are through to the round of 16 at their home slam at the US Open Junior Championships, with half of Tuesday's quartet of winners wild cards making their junior slam debuts.

Fifteen-year-old Welles Newman saved a match point with Tahlia Kokkinis of Australia serving at 6-5 in the second set before rebounding to earn a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory. Newman, who had lost to Kokkinis in three sets in the ITF J500 in Milan this spring, played the US Open junior qualifying last year, but did not make it to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center until this year. On Monday, she also came from a set down, beating Kali Supova of Slovakia 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Andrew Johnson, who turned 16 ten days ago, beat No. 3 seed Yannick Alexandrescou on Sunday from a set down; today, he was facing fellow wild card Matisse Farzam on Grandstand, and although the DJ may have intruded on his concentration, he managed to post a 6-4, 7-5 win.

Up 4-1 serving in the first set, Johnson was unaccustomed to all the distractions that come with competing on a big court at the US Open.

"I maybe lost a little bit of focus," Johnson said. "At 4-1 on the bench, the music was going and I was jamming, trying to have fun, stay loose. I'm not sure if that had something to do with it, but maybe I got too loose. I'm going to discuss it with my coaches later, but I definitely don't want to do that again."

After Johnson dropped his serve at 4-all in the second set, Farzam served for the set, and had a set point, but Johnson saved it, converted his third break point, held and broke again for the win.

Johnson took a tough loss in the Kalamazoo 16s final, falling to Marcel Latak after leading 5-1 in the third set, but he has made progress in coping with that disappointment.

"It will always be back there, it was heart-breaking, 5-1 in the third," Johnson said. "It's something you've got to move past and I'll have many more opportunities in the future. Maybe it lit a little fire in me, I think it did. Just keep going forward, don't play anything loose, keep the foot on the pedal."

Johnson's opponent in the third round is another American, No. 15 seed Ronit Karki, who beat Ludvig Hede of Sweden 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. They have never played, with Karki nearly two years older, but Johnson will need to earn another unexpected victory to reach his goal.

"It's pretty much a dream, you know?" Johnson said. "One of my goals for this tournament is to get to the quarters. It's a personal goal, and anything can happen, but it's definitely the goal I want to get to."

While Johnson was playing on Grandstand, No. 9 seed Jack Kennedy was competing on Louis Armstrong Stadium, a special experience for the 17-year-old from Long Island. He was challenged by unseeded Flynn Thomas of Switzerland, but took control in the third set for a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory.

"It was unbelievable," said Kennedy, who lost in the first round in his US Open debut last year. "Walking out on the court this morning for warmups, the stadium's huge, a top five stadium in our sport. But walking out on the court, I felt like I belonged there. I think hitting on Ashe last year helped me. I felt like I was playing well and was happy with how I handled the moment. A lot of people, when they play on a bigger court, they tend to drop back and not play their game, so I'm happy I continued to keep playing my game."

Kennedy will face unseeded 16-year-old Luis Guto Miguel of Brazil, last week's ITF J300 champion in Canada, who ended the run of qualifier Simon Caldwell 6-4, 6-2. That too will be a first time meeting, with Kennedy, who reached the junior slam level last year at 16, now at the stage of facing players younger than he is.

While Kennedy was playing on a big stage in his home country's slam for the first time, Great Britain's Hannah Klugman, who followed him on Armstrong, is a veteran of that particular  circumstance. 

Last year, at age 15, Klugman reached the final round of Wimbledon's women's qualifying, losing to Alycia Parks. This year she received a main draw wild card, with Leylah Fernandez beating her in the first round.

The No. 2 seed this tournament, Klugman knows she's the hunted not the hunter in junior events, but she managed to deal with the pressure of that, and loss of the first set, to defeat fellow 16-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi of India 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-3.

One of the major improvements Klugman sees in her game now compared to a year ago, is an ability to win ugly, as she did today, although the third set was at a much higher level than the first two.

"I was struggling to get through matches not playing well," said Klugman, the Roland Garros girls finalist this year. "Like today, I wasn't playing well, but I found a way to win, and to have that attribute is massive. I couldn't accept playing badly, and if I played badly, I'd lose. I couldn't find a way to win, but now I'm finding ways."

Klugman will play unseeded Julie Pastikova of the Czech Republic, who beat No. 16 seed Thea Frodin 6-2, 6-1 today on Grandstand.

Tuesday's second round junior singles results of Americans:

Jack Kennedy[9] d. Flynn Thomas(SUI) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3

Andrew Johnson[WC] d. Matisse Farzam[WC] 6-4, 7-5 

Jan Kumstat(CZE) d. Gavin Goode[SE] 6-2, 6-4

Alexander Vasilev[5](BUL) d. Dominick Mosejczuk 6-3, 6-2

Ronit Karki[15] d. Ludvig Hede(SWE) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4

Luis Guto Miguel(BRA) d. Simon Caldwell[Q] 6-4, 6-2 

Ivan Ivanov[1](BUL) d. Maxwell Exsted 6-2, 6-3

Julie Pastikova(CZE) d. Thea Frodin[16] 6-2, 6-1

Ksenia Efremova(FRA) d. Janae Preston[WC] 6-3, 6-1 

Welles Newman[WC] d. Tahlia Kokkinis(AUS) 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4

Jana Kovackova[6](CZE) d. Nancy Lee[WC] 6-2, 6-2

Wednesday's third round junior singles matches featuring Americans:

Jack Kennedy[9] v Luis Guto Miguel(BRA)

Ronit Karki[15] v Andrew Johnson[WC]

Maximus Dussault v Ivan Ivanov[1](BUL)

Julieta Pareja[1] v Lea Nilsson[Q](SWE)

Kristina Penickova[3] v Jeline Vandromme[14](BEL)

Welles Newman[WC] v Julia Stusek[5](GER)

The first round of junior doubles was completed today with two big upsets. The biggest was undoubtedly the loss of Roland Garros and Wimbledon champions and No. 4 seeds Oskari Paldanius of Finland and Alan Wazny of Poland, who lost to American alternates Nischal Spurling and Ford McCollum 7-6(11), 6-4.

Thilo Behrmann of Austria, who retired from his first round singles match Sunday, playing with Flynn Thomas, pulled out of doubles, and with Spurling and McCollum the only team to sign in as alternates, they got their opportunity. (Jack Satterfield and Ronit Karki won by walkover from Luis Miguel and Andres Santamarta Roig, the No. 5 seeds, with no other alternates available). A late break in the second set gave Spurling the opportunity to end Wazny and Paldanius' ten match junior slam winning streak and he hit four first serves to assist in closing out the upset with a love hold.

Top seeds Yannick Alexandrescou of Romania and Ryo Tabata of Japan lost to Karim Bennani of Morocco and William Rejchtman Vinciguerra of Sweden 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 10-8.

While the boys Roland Garros champions are out, the girls doubles winners in Paris are through to the second round, with unseeded Eva Bennemann and Sonja Zhenikhova of Germany beating No. 8 seeds Ksenia Efremova of France and Elizara Yaneva of Bulgari 6-2, 6-2.

2024 NCAA spring doubles champions Robert Cash and JJ Tracy advanced to their first major men's doubles quarterfinal tonight, on a bigger court and with much less drama than their 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 7-6(8) second round Labor Day win over No. 7 seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy on the Grandstand.

In Louis Armstrong Stadium, the former Ohio State stars defeating No. 10 seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andrea Molteni of Argentina 6-3, 6-3. They will face No. 15 seeds Sadio Doumbia(Georgia) and Fabien Reboul of France in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula advanced to the US Open women's singles semifinals with 6-3, 6-3 win over Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. 

No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova will face No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland in a rematch of the Wimbledon final on Ashe Wednesday afternoon.

August Aces; Qualifier Caldwell's First and Last Junior Slam Continues; Wimbledon Champion Pohankova Returns to Competition at US Open; Cash and Tracy Win Three-Tiebreak Thriller to Advance in Men's Doubles

©Colette Lewis 2025--
Flushing Meadows NY--

Before I get into the details of all the action at the US Open today, please check out the 18 players who are featured for their August accomplishments in my monthly Tennis Recruiting Network column.

The past week has been a whirlwind of firsts for Simon Caldwell, with today's 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 opening round win over Savva Rybkin of Russia in the US Open Junior Championships his latest accomplishment.

"It's my first time here and my first slam ever," said the 18-year-old from Grand Rapids. "I've never been here, not to watch the juniors or play juniors, or watch the pros. It's super busy, but so fun."

Caldwell had to win two matches in qualifying at the Cary Leeds Tennis Center in the Bronx last Thursday and Friday, with both matches decided in the the tiebreakers used in lieu of a full third set, with the first 10-7 and the second 10-8.

"There were obviously nerves, but you almost have to be happy with how far you've come," Caldwell said. "Yes, all these tournaments have built for this moment, but I was accepting that I had done well, and win or lose, I was going to walk off the court with a smile on my face. That took some pressure off for sure and I was able to play some good tennis."

Caldwell described the feeling when he had earned his spot in the main draw at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as "Surreal. There were so many emotions I can't even explain, so happy for my parents as well," Caldwell said. "They've sacrificed so much for me to be here, and having my mom coaching me, it was so amazing having her there. Lots of emotions and an amazing feeling."

Not only did Caldwell play and win his first match today, but he also had his first exposure to Electronic Line Calling, which has been available at several junior slams since 2021, but not at any tournament Caldwell has competed in, including last week's qualifying.

"You don't get that basically anywhere, and it's the first time for me," said Caldwell, who will join Arizona State next fall. "I've played with a chair umpire, but not this. And the ballkids, you don't get that basically anywhere. And I signed a few autographs, which was really cool. I haven't done that too much before."

On Tuesday, Caldwell will play unseeded Luis Guto Miguel of Brazil, who won the ITF J300 in Canada Saturday and defeated Roland Garros boys Niels McDonald of Germany, the No. 7 seed, 6-1, 6-4 today.

In addition to McDonald, three other seeds lost today, with No. 4 seed Benjamin Willwerth losing to Georgia Tech freshman Hidde Schoenmakers of the Netherlands 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 and No. 10 seed Ryo Tabata of Japan falling to qualifier Tito Chavez of Spain 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 in second round action. No. 11 seed Nicolas Arseneault of Canada, a freshman at Kentucky, lost to 2024 Australian Open boys finalist Jan Kumstat of the Czech Republic 6-2, 7-6(3) in a first round match.

Maximus Dussault is the sole American boy into the third round, with eight other playing second round matches Tuesday. The TCU freshman defeated unseeded Dante Pagani of Argentina 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4.

US Open 2024 girls champion Mika Stojsavljevic of Great Britain, the No. 9 seed, got her title defense off to a good start, defeating Sol Allin Larraya Guidi of Argentina 6-2, 6-1 in a first round match. Another reigning junior slam champion, Mia Pohankova of the Slovakia, is through to the third round, beating wild card Bella Payne 6-1, 6-4 on Court 15, a far cry from the pomp and circumstance of her victory on Court One at Wimbledon six weeks ago.

Pohankova said she took more than a month off after winning the title at Wimbledon, where she was, as Stojsavljevic was last year in New York, unseeded. Seeded No. 4 this week, Pohankova said that seeding, and a renewed motivation, were the only differences in her life since her title in London.

With no match play since that title, Pohankova made sure that she got to New York early.

"We got in Tuesday, and I was doing everything in practice," said the 16-year-old, who noted how fast the courts are playing this year. "We were training at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, it's a nice place and I'm ready to fight."

Pohankova will play unseeded Yushan Shao of China in the third round Wednesday.

No. 15 seed Ronit Karki, who reached the Wimbledon final as a qualifier, defeated Ziga Sesko of Slovenia 6-3, 7-6(4) on Court 5, one of the featured courts for juniors, but still much smaller than Court One at Wimbledon, his previous match at a junior slam. 

Like Pohankova, Karki mentioned the speed of the courts and how comfortable he is on fast courts in general and at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in particular.

"It's pretty fast here and I did a good job of keeping the pace up," said Karki, who had lost to Sesko on 6-0, 6-3 on clay prior to Roland Garros this year. "I had a hitting partner job here two years ago, and I've had a lot of experience on these courts, and did a good job of adjusting to conditions."

Karki, who saved one set point serving at 4-5 and forced a tiebreaker after going down 0-40 serving at 5-6, was in New York last year for several days, unsuccessful in getting in as a lucky loser after losing in the final round of qualifying. But looking back on that now, the 17-year-old Stanford recruit can see how far his game has come since then.

"I think my game has gotten tougher mentally," Karki said. "Just going through the experience, some of the tough losses, a lot of tough practices, seeing the game every day. But something definitely clicked, I started staying calmer on court, and maybe just growing up."

Karki will play Ludvig Hede of Sweden, but didn't know that, as he is trying not to look ahead in the draw, seeing that knowledge as something he doesn't need during the match he is playing.

"It doesn't effect me on court, but I definitely start thinking about who I'm playing next if I go up in the score," Karki said. "Thinking about the guy I'm going to play next is a bad habit. So I just try to silence that thought."

Monday's first round junior singles results of Americans:

Ronit Karki[15] d. Ziga Sesko(SLO) 6-3, 7-6(4)

Gavin Goode[SE] d. Kuan-Shou Chen(TPE) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1,

Alan Wazny[12](POL) d. Ryan Cozad 6-3, 7-6(4)

Zangar Nurlanuly(KAZ) d. Roshan Santhosh[WC] 6-3, 6-3

Simon Caldwell[Q] d. Savva Rybkin(RUS) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0

Max Exsted d. Karim Bennani(MAR) 6-4, 6-4

Welles Newman[WC] d. Kali Supova(SVK) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

Julia Stusek[5](GER) d. Tianmei Wang[WC] 6-1, 6-1

Nancy Lee[WC] d. Sonja Zhenikhova(GER) 6-2, 6-1

Janae Preston[WC] d. Nauhany Leme Da Silva(BRA) 7-6(5), 6-1

Monday's second round junior singles results of Americans:

Julieta Pareja[1] d. Nadia Lagaev(CAN) 6-2, 6-2

Lea Nilsson[Q](SWE) d. Anita Tu[SE] 6-2, 6-2

Kristina Penickova[3] d. Maia Burcescu(ROU) 6-1, 7-5

Mia Pohankova[4](SVK) d. Bella Payne[WC] 6-1, 6-4

Maximus Dussault d.  Dante Pagani(ARG) 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4

Hidde Schoenmakers(NED) d. Benjamin Willwerth[4] 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

Max Schoenhaus[8](GER) d. Noah Johnston 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)

Tuesday's second round junior singles matches featuring Americans:

Jack Kennedy[9] v Flynn Thomas(SUI)

Matisse Farzam[WC] v Andrew Johnson[WC]

Gavin Goode[SE] v Jan Kumstat(CZE)

Dominick Mosejczuk v Alexander Vasilev[5](BUL)

Ronit Karki[15] v Ludvig Hede(SWE)

Simon Caldwell[Q] v Luis Guto Miguel(BRA)

Maxwell Exsted v Ivan Ivanov[1](BUL)

Thea Frodin[16] v Julie Pastikova(CZE)

Janae Preston[WC] v Ksenia Efremova(FRA)

Welles Newman[WC] v Tahlia Kokkinis(AUS)

Nancy Lee[WC] v Jana Kovackova[6](CZE)

One of the most exciting matches of the day, with seven of the eight singles matches decided in straight sets, was the second round men's doubles match between 2024 NCAA spring champions Robert Cash and JJ Tracy and No. 7 seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy, which the former Ohio State Buckeyes won 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 7-6(8) in front of near-capacity crowd on the Grandstand.

"It was probably the best atmosphere we've ever played in front of," Cash said. "There's nothing like playing in front of the USA fans. We've never gotten to experience a late-night match, and it wasn't too late, but the sun went down and the fans started packing in and they were behind us the entire way. The energy was through the roof, it was awesome."

"Definitely the biggest stage, biggest court, we've every played on," said Tracy. "And when the USA chants started raining down, it was an unbelievable feeling."

There were no breaks of serve until Cash and Tracy went up 4-2 in the third set, but Tracy was unable to serve it out at 5-4 after leading 30-15 in the game.

They didn't show any frustration, however, and continued to rely on the energy and support from the pro-USA fans.

"If you would have told us we were on serve at 5-6 in the third set before the match started, I know JJ and I would have taken that in a heartbeat," Cash said. "We knew we were in a good spot even if we didn't hold and win it 6-4, we were still one serve, still in the match, still had the momentum, with the crowd behind us, and we were playing well."

Up a mini-break from the first point of the 10-point third set tiebreaker, Cash and Tracy held that slim lead until they broke Bolelli to go up 8-5. But Cash dropped both points on his serve to send it back on serve, but Vavassori lost the fourth consecutive point by the server to give Cash and Tracy two match points at 9-7. Vavassori held his service point for 9-8 to save the first, but Tracy's first serve was too good on the second with the return sailing well long, giving Cash and Tracy revenge for their loss to Vavassori and Bolelli two weeks ago in Cincinnati.

In their first few months as pros in 2024, Cash and Tracy had an immediate impact in ATP doubles competition, and have played all slams except for Australia. Now around 50 in the ATP live doubles rankings, they are planning on traveling to Asia, in hopes of getting their rankings high enough to play all the ATP Masters tournaments.

"You really have to be Top 30 to make your own schedule and get into all these Masters," Tracy said. "One hundred percent we want to make our own schedule, so that's something we definitely have our eyes set on," Cash said. "We don't want to look too far ahead, but Top 30, Top 20, Top 10, we want it all."

Cash and Tracy face No. 10 seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni of Argentina in the round of 16 Tuesday in Armstrong Stadium.

USTA Collegiate Playoff winners Cooper Williams and Theo Winegar of Duke came very close to another upset, falling to No. 4 seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz(Auburn) of Germany 7-6(7), 7-6(3). Williams and Winegar had two set points in the first set, leading 6-4 in the tiebreaker.

Monday's US Open fourth round singles matches featuring Americans:

Naomi Osaka[23](JPN) d. Coco Gauff[3] 6-3, 6-2

Amanda Anisimova[8] d. Beatriz Haddad Maia[18](BRA) 6-0, 6-3

Tuesday's US Open quarterfinal matches featuring Americans:

Jessica Pegula[4] d. Barbora Krejcikova(CZE) 6-3, 6-3

Novak Djokovic[7](SRB) d. Taylor Fritz[4] 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4