Wild Cards Claim Boys Easter Bowl Titles; Selvan Sweeps Girls 16s, Top Seed Mendell Takes Gold in G18s on Final Day at Indian Wells Tennis Garden

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Indian Wells CA--

The desert heat continued Sunday for the 16s and 18s singles and doubles finals at the USTA Easter Bowl Level 1, with wild cards Rishvanth Krishna and Anay Kulkarni claiming the boys singles championships as the temperature again rose to the upper 90s in the Coachella Valley. Top seed Ellery Mendell broke through for her first gold ball in the 18s, while No. 4 seed Shristi Selvan added two Easter Bowl titles after winning her first Level 1 at the Winter Nationals in January.

Selvan defeated good friend and top seed Sylvana Jalbert 6-1, 7-5, overcoming her nerves more quickly at the start of the match before Jalbert found her footing in the second set.

"She's one of my best friends and I can tell when she's nervous," said the 15-year-old from Laurel Maryland, who is coached by Paula Coyos and Oliver Akli at the Junior Tennis Champions Center. "I knew she was putting more pressure on herself, No. 1 in the country, all these sponsorships--which she deserves, she's a great player; because I knew she would put so much pressure on herself, I just laid back. Just wanted to have fun, see how this went. It was just a matter of who could stay more relaxed."

After a quick exchange of breaks early in the second set, Jalbert won a nine-deuce game serving at 4-all. Despite dropping that game after having two break points, Selvan wasn't discouraged, and she held at love for 5-all.

"I was a bit disappointed because I saved so many of those ad-ins, and wasn't able to convert it," Selvan said. "But I was winning all my service games at there's no way she's not tightening up."

After that heroic game at 4-all, Jalbert played its opposite, dropping serve at love to give Selvan the opportunity to serve for the match. She made every first serve and closed it out at love, a finish she was especially proud of.

"It was a really good service game, maybe one of my best in such a clutch moment," Selvan said. "I'm happy for coach Paula and coach Oliver who had been working on my serve continuously, telling me it was going to work out, and I'm so happy it did."

Jalbert credited Selvan's variety as a major factor in her loss.

"She took a lot of time away from me, took away my offense," said the 15-year-old from Mt. Airy Maryland. "She was really crafty, sliced and came forward, a lot of different stuff, and I had a hard time finding my rhythm. I just felt I got outplayed and overall, didn't play my best."

Wild card Anay Kulkarni was not surprised by his 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 3 seed Piotr Gradzki in the first level 1 final for both of them.

"I always try and go into a tournament thinking I'm going to win it," said the 16-year-old from Gilbert Arizona, who is coached by Casey Was. "I like to be able to have that confidence, especially because I applied late and missed the regular sign-in deadline, I thought it makes me even more dangerous to play a seed the first round."

After Gradzki used his big forehand to dictate most of the points in the first set, Kulkarni didn't change much, instead vowing to continue to keep the pressure on Gradzki.

"Honestly, I think it was all mental, taking care of my serve a little more, keeping my energy up, staying positive, not thinking about the end result," Kulkarni said.

Thinking about the end result may have derailed Gradzki, who admitted the prospect of his first USTA ball entered his mind after taking the opening set.

"There was some pressure, especially when I won the first set," said Gradzki, who has now played all USTA Level 1s for the first time in the past nine months. "I was thinking about getting the gold ball already, thinking too much ahead, not in the moment, and it just runs away."

Gradzki also credited Kulkarni with taking advantage of his mental lapse and physical fatigue by staying consistent.

"I think my energy level kind of dropped and I was getting balls in the service box and I wasn't using my chances as much as in the first set," said the 15-year-old from Woodbridge New York, who trains with Ion Efrim at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. "When I dropped it short, he would rip it and make me keep moving, and I didn't know exactly what to do and sometimes I would go for too much."

Kulkarni is looking forward to playing the clay portion of the season this summer in the United States, and, of course, Kalamazoo. 

"I promise I won't forget to enter that one," Kulkarni said.

Kalamazoo was the breakout tournament for the other wild card champion, with Rishvanth Krishna reaching the semifinals unseeded in the 16s there back in 2024. Today he won his first gold ball in a battle of unseeded Southern Californians, beating Peter Jorniak 6-4, 6-2.

Krishna needed a wild card because he had been playing mostly UTR Pro Tennis Tour events, although the 17-year-old did claim the 18s title at the Southern Californina sectional championships last summer.  Today, he was nearly flawless, not dropping serve at all and taking advantage of any small mistake by Jorniak, including two errors when Jorniak was serving at 4-5 30-30 in the first set.

In the second set, a double fault by Jorniak gave Krishna a 4-2 lead and the way Krishna was serving made that a deep hole to climb out of.

"My serve helped a lot today, and I was finding my forehand," said the Irvine resident, who also credited his ability to punish Jorniak's second serve. "I like to pounce on second serves a lot."

Krishna does not have a coach, relying primarily on the strong  competition in Southern California to keep his game sharp. But his older brother Rithvik, who played at UC-Irvine, has served as his tennis mentor throughout his junior years. 

In the final game, Jorniak was down 0-40, but Krishna couldn't close it out on any of those three matches points, making a rare unforced error and missing an overhead. But he managed take avoid any drama with a return winner to claim his first gold ball.

"I got a little bit tight and nervous, but I closed it out pretty well, playing a good three points to end it," said Krishna, who has committed to Rice for 2027.

Jorniak gave credit to Krishna for finding a good serve when he needed it, especially when down break points.

"I had a couple of chances in the second set, 40-15 in two games, I just couldn't capitalize on those," said the 17-year-old from Arcadia. "It wasn't like it was a big serve, but well-placed. But I'll look back on this week as a very big accomplishment for myself, a good showing that hard work pays off."

Krishna will celebrate his first gold ball with a cool treat that wouldn't last a minute in the desert sun: chocolate ice cream.

The girls 18s final did not play out as top seed Ellery Mendell had envisioned, and she wasn't quite sure how the second set of the 6-2, 6-4 win over unseeded Yilin Chen evolved into long exchanges that featured many a moonball, including one of hers that landed on the baseline and bounced over the fence behind the Stadium Court, giving Chen no chance to get a racquet on it.

"I played how I wanted more in the first set," said the 17-year-old from Watkinsville Georgia, who coached by Marianna Taylor. "I'm happy with how I fought, but I'm not necessarily happy with how we were playing in the second set. It was pretty defensive, I compared it to 12s, just because I think we should be past that. We were reverting to our younger selves with some moonballs. I think other than that last set, I had a great tournament, and I'm happy with how I competed and the level of play I brought."

Chen, who had not lost a set until today, found herself taken out of her aggressive baseline style that had seen her defeat four seeds, including No. 2 and No. 3. 

"She did a good job of stretching the rally," said the 16-year-old from San Diego. "It wasn't really comfortable for me, and you could tell she liked that style of play a bit more than I did. I don't think I adjusted that well to the conditions today. I think I could have been a lot more confident and assertive in my shots, but she did a good job of disrupting me."

For Mendell, who has committed to Ohio State for 2027, getting out of her Level 1 rut was a big takeaway from this week.

"I've been in five 3/4 playoffs," said Mendell, who played that match at the 16s Easter Bowl in 2024. "So I was really wanting to get to the final of this one. It's so awesome, and I'm really proud of myself and to have my name with all those players (who have won it), it's really cool."

The doubles finals played into the evening, with Selvan the only player to reach both finals at this year's Easter Bowl.

Selvan and partner Ellery June Martin, the No. 5 seeds, won the title, beating Nicole Daveletshina and Alexandra Grilliot 6-2, 6-3 in the girls 16s final.

The boys 16s doubles title went to the unseeded team of Gadin Arun and Arjun Krishnan, who beat No. 7 seeds Carson Kuchar and Karthik Thuma 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Marcel Latak, the 2025 Easter Bowl 16s champion, withdrew from singles after reaching the final of the San Diego J300, but decided to stay in the tournament in 18s doubles with Joseph Nau. Last fall, the pair arranged to play their first tournament as a team at the Easter Bowl, and this evening they emerged as the champions, beating unseeded Liam Alvarez and Matteo Huarte 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3.

Latak and Nau, the No. 2 seeds, were up a break and had three set points in the first set, but Latak said they weren't discouraged when they failed to convert any of those.

"After the first set, we thought we're going to have as many chances if we just keep playing the way we're playing, if not better," said the 17-year-old from Illinois. "There's nothing really to be upset about, losing a set like that."

Up 5-2 in the third set, Nau and Latak weren't concerned that the break would slip away again, and Latak held at love at 5-3 to win his second Easter Bowl gold ball.

Nau had good reason to expect a title given his success in collecting balls in the past.

"I have four gold, five silver and one bronze," said the 17-year-old from California. "Nine of them are in doubles."

The girls 18s champions are unseeded Chloe Zigliara and Sadira Ouyang, who came back from 3-1 down in the second set to beat unseeded Caroline Castro and Raina Kim 7-6(1), 6-4.

Zigliara and Ouyang played together at an ITF J100 last fall and continued to have success playing other top teams in Georgia, where they train.

"The past two weeks we've been training with each other and play some practice doubles," said Zigliara, 17. "We scheduled match play in Georgia with other people," said Ouyang, who was competing in her first Easter Bowl. "And we did good in those," Zigliara said. "But coming out here and getting to play people who were going to be at the tournament gave us more confidence."

The nerves struck at the end of the match when Ouyang was up 40-15, then double faulted and made a backhand error to produce a deciding point/match point. When Kim missed the return, Ouyang had gotten her wish.

"I was so glad I had three match points," Ouyang said. "Get a serve in once, and hopefully they miss it."

Although they have bronze and silver balls between them, a gold ball is a first for both.

"Finally, we got a gold," said Zigliara.

B16s Singles Finals Results:
Championship: Anay Kulkarni d. Piotr Gradski[3] 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3/4 Place: Eli Kaminski[1] d. Ivan Rybak[6] 6-4, 6-3
5/6 Place: Mikaeel Alibaig d. Alexander Totoian 6-3, ret inj.

B16s Doubles Finals Results:
Championship: Gadin Arun & Arjun Krishnan d. Carson Kuchar & Karthik Thuma 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3/4 Place: Dylan Warn & Ethan Turunen[6] d. Braylon Desquitado & Seth Christian 7-6(5), 6-2

G16s Singles Finals Results:
Championship: Shristi Selvan[4] d. Sylvana Jalbert[1] 6-1, 7-5
3/4 Place: Caroline Coan d. Tanvi Pandey 6-4, 1-0 Ret inj
5/6 Place: Avita Beitler[3] d. Natalie Frisbie[9] 6-1, 3-6, 10-8

G16s Doubles Finals Results:
Championship: Emery June Martin & Shristi Selvan d. Nicole Daveletshina & Alexandra Grilliot 6-2, 6-3
3/4 Place: Adelyn Gross & Kingsley Wolf d. Genevieve Hayden & Caroline Coan 7-5, 6-2

B18s Singles Finals Results:

Championship: Rishvanth Krishna d. Peter Jorniak 6-4, 6-2
3/4 Place: David Wu[9] d. Alexander Suhanitski[1] w/o inj
5/6 Place: William Freshwater[4] d. Yashwin Krishnakunar[5] 7-6(6), 7-6(5)

B18s Doubles Finals Results:
Championship: Joseph Nau & Marcel Latak[2] d. Liam Alvarez & Matteo Huarte 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3
3/4 Place: Justin Riley Anson & Andre Acantara d. Zen Uehling & Connor Plunkett[7] 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

G18s Singles Finals Results:
Championship: Ellery Mendell[1] d. Yilin Chen 6-2, 6-4
3/4 Place: Alyson Shannon[3] d. Isabelle DeLuccia 6-2, 6-4
5/6 Place: Calla McGill[2] d. Aarini Bhattacharya 6-4, 7-6(12)

G18s Doubles Finals Results:
Championship: Chloe Zigliara & Sadira Ouyang d. Carolina Castro & Raina Kim 7-6(1), 6-4
3/4 Place: Elena Zhao & Kylie Liu d. Kalista Papadopoulos & Abigail Haile 6-4, 6-3

At the USTA Pro Circuit M25 in Las Vegas, 18-year-old qualifier Ronit Karki lost to Blaise Bicknell(Florida, Tennessee) 6-3, 6-2.

Three Unseeded Southern Californians Reach Easter Bowl 18s Finals; Battle of Maryland in G16s Final; Wild Card Plays for B16s Title; Qualifier Karki Advances to M25 Las Vegas Final

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Indian Wells CA--

Southern Californians have always had success at the USTA Level 1 Easter Bowl, with winners this decade including Alex Michelsen, Iva Jovic, Andy Johnson and Tianmei Wang. Another champion from the SoCal section is guaranteed Sunday, with unseeded Peter Jorniak and Rishvanth Krishna meeting for the Boys 18s title after straight-sets wins today at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Jorniak defeated top seed Alexander Suhanitski of New York, 6-2, 6-3 on Stadium Court Saturday morning, using the scouting he had done yesterday to formulate a game plan.

"I noticed his forehand was a little slower than his backhand," said the 17-year-old from Arcadia California, who trains with Chuck Brymer and his son Gage, the 2013 Easter Bowl 18s champion. "So I was just targeting that. I didn't hit a single second serve to his backhand, because it was a little more solid than his forehand, and I think that gave me a little edge."

Jorniak, who describes himself as a late bloomer, won a USTA Level 3 tournament last week in Camarillo, but was not expecting that USTA winning streak to stretch to 10.

"Honestly, going into this unseeded, I didn't really think I had anything, I was just going to play my best," said Jorniak, who beat No. 5 seed Yashwin Krishnakumar in the second round in a match tiebreaker and won another match tiebreaker in the third round to boost his confidence. "Then I started winning a couple, and then it was, ok, shoot, I can do something here. But I think my level started to rise back in November, when I won a Level 3 in Louisiana."

Jorniak's opponent in Sunday's final, the second consecutive B18s Easter Bowl final between unseeded players, is wild card Rishvanth Krishna of Irvine California, who avenged his 2025 Easter Bowl third round loss to David Wu, a No. 9 seed, with a 7-6(5), 6-1 victory.

"I lost to him in the round of 16 and it was a three-setter," said Krishna, who credits his older brother Rithvik, who played at UC-Irvine, for inspiring him to improve. "My serve has gotten a lot better, so I've gotten a lot more free points this year. Last year, it was a lot of long rallies, I got tired in the third set, but this year my served bailed me out a lot."

Krishna said he's been playing well all week, but considers himself fortunate to have escaped his quarterfinal encounter with unseeded Justin Anson 4-6, 6-3, 10-8. 

"I had a tight 10-pointer, 10-8 in the third, so it could have gone either way," Krishna said. "But I'm happy to get through that, and other than that, I've been playing pretty solid, all in straight sets."

Both Jorniak and Krishna will receive their first USTA ball tomorrow.

The third unseeded Southern Californian to advance to the 18s championship match is a repeat Easter Bowl finalist, 16-year-old Yilin Chen of Poway. Unlike the boys finalists, Chen hasn't had to play a match tiebreaker, dropping just 15 games in five matches.

Despite beating four seeds, including No. 3 seed Alyson Shannon by a score of 6-1, 6-1 today, Chen said she got lucky with the draw.

"I feel like I've been working really hard and I got lucky with the draw," said Chen, who reached the Easter Bowl 12s final in 2022. "It allowed me to play my game a little bit more, which was nice."

Chen said she has been working on being aggressive and making more first serves.

"I feel it's important to raise your first serve percentage and do some damage with your first serve," said Chen, who works with Josh Milton and David Rice at LaValle Club in Rancho Santa Fe. "It's been working for me also to take a lot of time away from my opponents, rush them a bit when I get the chance. I used to play really defensive, so when I add a bit of offense to my game it helps."

Chen has not played top seed Ellery Mendell, who defeated unseeded Isabelle DeLuccia 7-6(4), 6-2.

Mendell got through a long and competitive first set before taking control at 2-all in the second.

"I was down 3-4 (in the tiebreak), and I was really trying to dictate the points, not playing passive," said the 16-year-old from Watkinsville Georgia, who will play for Ohio State in 2027. "I wanted to go for it, be brave at the end of the set, finish on a good note, and it worked well for me."

The 18s singles finals are scheduled for 10:30 a.m., after the completion of the 16s singles finals, which begin at 8 a.m.

The girls 16s final is an all-Maryland battle, with top seed Sylvana Jalbert facing No. 4 seed Shristi Selvan.

Jalbert had the much less dramatic semifinal, with the 15-year-old from Mt. Airy posting her fifth consecutive straight-sets win in defeating unseeded Caroline Coan of Elmhurst Illinois 6-3, 6-3.

Selvan was down a set and 4-3, with wild card Tanvi Pandey serving in the second, before reeling off the next three games. The 10-minute break between sets didn't halt her momentum, and she reached her second straight USTA Level 1 final with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.

For Selvan, who saved match points in her run to the 16s title at the Winter Nationals, took confidence from that escape in this one.

"It definitely helped," said the 15-year-old from Laurel Maryland, who trains at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park. "Winter Nationals, quarterfinals, I was down like ten match points. I think that helped me, knowing that it wasn't over yet and I could get myself back up. I've done it before, why can't I do it again? At 3-4, I was just like, I'm going to stop (going for it), I'm just going to grind the point, every point I can get."

Selvan is looking forward to the final against Jalbert.

"Sylvana is such a good friend to me, we've been friends since we were 12," said Selvan, whose most recent loss to Jalbert was in the quarterfinals of the 16s Clay Courts 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 last July. "We've played many times before, so I'm excited. Hopefully I can get my payback. I love her so much and I hope we can have a lot of fun tomorrow."

The boys 16s final will feature two players in their first L1 final: wild card Anay Kulkarni, who defeated No. 6 seed Ivan Rybak of Palm Coast Florida 7-5, 6-4, and No. 3 seed Piotr Gradzki, who took out top seed Eli Kaminski 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Kulkarni, who has won three ITF Junior Circuit singles titles, said he appreciated the opportunity to play the Easter Bowl.

"I didn't get in off (USTA) ranking, so I applied for a wild card, said the 16-year-old from Gilbert Arizona. "And luckily I was able to get in to this amazing tournament. I'm just grateful for the people who got me in."

Kulkarni, who won two third set match tiebreakers during the first four rounds, was able to apply the pressure to Rybak at the end of each set, breaking him at 5-6 and at 4-5 to earn his spot in Sunday's final.

"There's a lot of tight situations in moments in matches, and everyone is so good here," said Kulkarni, who trains with Casey Was. "Personally I just try to get one ball in at a time, not what it could mean later. I think I was just able to win a couple of important points when I needed to, and thankfully I got it done."

Gradzki is playing in his first Easter Bowl, with the Clay Courts last year his first appearance at a Level 1.

"I started playing tournaments pretty late, I was 12 or 13," said the 15-year-old from Ridgewood New York. "This my first time playing every L1."

Against Kaminski, Gradzki found his form in the second set, and when he broke and held for a 4-2 lead in the third set, he managed to keep from looking too far ahead. With Kaminski serving at 3-5, Gradzki had four match points, but was unable to convert any of them. So when some good serving at 5-4 gave him a fifth, he decided to use what he had learned in the previous game.

"I was really tight to close it out, it was the first time I was so tight," said Gradzki, who did not play a third set match tiebreaker in his first four matches. "On my second match point, up 30-40, I decided just to go for it and I missed a backhand line by a couple of inches. So I'm like, I need to play more safe, wait for the perfect ball."

Gradzki stayed patient in a long rally at 40-15 and eventually found that perfect ball, blasting a forehand winner to put him in the final.

Gradzki, who trains at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy with Ion Efrim, is ready for his Level 1 debut.

"It feels amazing," Gradzki said. "It feels like with all my hard work, I've finally achieved something. This really means a lot to me."

The unrelenting sunshine took an occasional break Saturday, with high clouds providing welcome relief with the temperatures still reaching the upper 90s by the time the doubles semifinals were played in the afternoon. Below are the results from today's action, with the doubles finals to follow the singles finals Sunday.

B16s Singles Semifinals Results:

Piotr Gradski[3] d. Eli Kaminski[1] 2-6, 6-1, 6-4

Anay Kulkarni d. Ivan Rybak[6] 7-5, 6-4

Consolation: Mikaeel Alibaig d. Advay Singh 6-4, 6-4

Consolation: Alexander Totoian d. Tristan Ascenzo w/o

B16s Doubles Semifinals Results:

Gadin Arun & Arjun Krishnan d. Dylan Warn & Ethan Turunen[6] 6-1, 4-6, 6-4

Carson Kuchar & Karthik Thuma[7] d. Braylon Desquitado & Seth Christian 6-3, 7-6[4]

G16s Singles Semifinals Results:

Sylvana Jalbert[1] d. Caroline Coan 6-3, 6-3

Shristi Selvan[4] d. Tanvi Pandey 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

Consolation: Avita Beitler[3] d. Adelyn Gross 6-2, 3-6, 10-4

Consolation: Natalie Frisbie[9] d. Enya Hamilton[9] 6-1, 6-3

G16s Doubles Finals Results:

Nikol Daveletshina & Alexandra Grilliot d Genevieve Hayden & Caroline Coan 6-4, 6-4

Emery June Martin & Shristi Selvan[5] d. Adelyn Gross & Kingsley Wolf[2] 6-3, 1-6, 7-5

B18s Singles Semifinals Results:

Peter Jorniak d. Alexander Suhanitski[1] 6-2, 6-3

Rishvanth Krishna d. David Wu[9] 7-6(5), 6-1

Consolation: William Freshwater[4] d. Michael Lorenzetti[8] 6-4, 2-0 ret, inj.

Consolation: Yashwin Krishnakumar[5] d. Jesse Yang[3] w/o pc

B18s Doubles Finals Results:

Liam Alvarez & Matteo Huarte d. Zen Uehling & Connor Plunkett[7] 6-3, 6-3

Joseph Nau & Marcel Latak[2] d. Justin Riley Anson & Andre Alcantara 7-6(9), 7-5

G18s Singles Semifinals Results:

Ellery Mendell[1] d. Isabelle DeLuccia 7-6(4), 6-2 

Yilin Chen d. Alyson Shannon[3] 6-1, 6-1

Consolation: Aarini Bhattacharya d. Zimora McKnight 6-3, 1-0 Ret inj

Consolation: Calla McGill[2] d. Chloe Zigliara 6-2, 6-1

G18s Doubles Finals Results:

Carolina Castro & Raina Miae Kim d. Kalista Papadopoulos & Abigail Haile 6-3, 6-1

Chloe Zigliara & Sadira Ouyang d. Elena Zhao & Kylie Liu 7-6(0), 6-3 

At the USTA Pro Circuit M25 in Las Vegas, qualifier Ronit Karki is through to the final, where he will play No. 3 seed Blaise Bicknell(Florida, Tennessee) of Jamaica. The 18-year-old Karki, the 2025 Wimbledon boys finalist, defeated 17-year-old wild card Tanishk Konduri 6-2, 6-4 for his sixth win of the week. Bicknell defeated Arizona State junior Bor Artnak of Slovenia 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

In the doubles final, No. 3 seeds Oliver Okonkwo(Iowa, Illinois) of Great Britain and Billy Suarez(Tulane) defeated unseeded Daniel Milavsky(Harvard) and Jack Vance 6-4, 6-3.

Coco Gauff lost in the women's singles final of the Miami Open today, dropping a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 decision to WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

All Four No. 1 Seeds Advance to Easter Bowl 16s and 18s Semifinals; Shannon Saves Three Match Points, Wu Ousts No. 2 Seed; Konduri and Karki Meet in Las Vegas M25 Semifinals

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Indian Wells, CA--

The heat continued to be the story of the 2026 USTA Level 1 Easter Bowl, with temperatures climbing to over 100 degrees Friday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

In the hottest part of the afternoon, No. 3 seed Alyson Shannon was facing three match points after double faulting at 6-8 in the match tiebreaker with 2025 16s champion Armira Kockinis. But five points and one very long rally later, Shannon was through to the semifinals, snatching a 1-6, 6-4, 11-9 victory.

In the first set, Shannon was overwhelmed by the pace Kockinis was throwing at her.

"I'd never played her before, and I came out and like, wow, she hits a big ball," said the 17-year-old from Plano Texas, who will join the Tennessee Volunteers this summer. "It was kind of like it was being shot out. But I think I could have figured it out a little earlier. I went down (4-2) in the second, and thought, this year is my last Easter Bowl, you only have one match today, give it everything you can."

Kockinis, who was playing her fourth consecutive week after three ITF Junior events in Las Vegas, Tucson and San Diego, wasn't hitting as aggressively at the end of the match, instead content to trade groundstrokes with Shannon. 

Up 7-6 in the match tiebreaker, a long rally of over 35 shots ended with an error by Shannon, who then double faulted, giving Kockinis three match points. She lost both of her serves with forehands wide, and Shannon had to get a second serve in to continue the match at 9-8. She did, and a rally of over 40 shots ensued, with Kockinis the one missing this time.

"She wasn't going for as big of a shot as she was in the beginning, and she was playing the game that I like, so I had to take advantage of that," said Shannon, who is coached by Mario Toledo, a former Tennessee Volunteer, now living in the Dallas area. "I took what I did wrong in that point, didn't use my legs, just my upper body, so I next time I knew exactly what not to do, what to fix. Literally every forehand that was coming my way, I saw exactly what I needed to do. You have to learn from what you did wrong and use those corrections."

Shannon won her fourth consecutive point with a passing shot winner on the line, and Kockinis netted a backhand on Shannon's first match point.

Shannon said the heat did present difficulties, with her opponent in the third round Thursday forced to retire with a heat-related illness. But she was willing to play a full third set, which is the format that will be used for Saturday's semifinals and Sunday's finals.

"We work a lot on fitness, so I definitely think I could be out there for a full third," Shannon said. "I think they are just taking precautions. But if they had a full third, the more fit, better player wins. I think [a match tiebreaker format] evens out the field a little bit, but if you're a good competitor, you'll figure out a way to win."

Shannon will face unseeded 16-year-old Yilin Chen, who beat No. 2 seed Calla McGill 6-0, 6-3 on Thursday and No. 9 seed Skye Madatali 6-1, 6-1 today.

Top seed Ellery Mendell defeated unseeded Amy Lee 6-3, 6-0 for her fourth straight-sets victory and will face unseeded Isabelle DeLuccia, the 2024 Easter Bowl 16s finalist.

Boys 18s No. 1 seed Alexander Suhanitski overcame the big serving of unseeded Pavel Bushev to post a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory. Suhanitski will play another unseeded opponent in the semifinals, Peter Jorniak. Wild card Rishvanth Krishna will play No. 9 seed David Wu, who defeated No. 2 seed Omar Rhazali 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.

San Diego's Wu is not accustomed to the heat he's encountered this week.

"The first day was the toughest, but honestly it gets better every day," said the 18-year-old left-hander. "Today, I had to use my ice towel; I got a bag of ice, put it on my face and neck to cool off, take extra time between points. There's really no other solution, you've got to use everything"

Wu was happy he did not have to play a full third set against Rhazali. 

"I am very relieved, because I have a singles and a doubles match, so there's a lot on my plate," said Wu, who lost in the doubles quarterfinals Friday evening. 

Wu had beaten Rhazali in the third round of the Orange Bowl 16s in 2024, and he noted upgrades Rhazali had made to his game since then.

"His serve wasn't as good, and he has better hands," Wu said. "His shot quality has gone up so much and he's gotten much stronger. It was a completely different match today."

Wu is joining the Harvard team this fall, and he was able to spend time with his future coaches and teammates this month in San Diego, when the team played at San Diego and San Diego State.

"I met with the team a week ago in San Diego and they were all so welcoming," Wu said. "They are so much more tight-knit than other schools I visited, and the coaches, they were great players before, so they have so much experience."

This is Wu's first trip to a level 1 semifinal, after reaching the quarterfinals here last year, but having to retire with an injury.

"I think my best [L1] finish was Winter Nationals, where I won back draw."

The top seeds in the 16s advanced with Sylvana Jalbert unable to post a 6-0 set for the first time, beating No. 9 seed Kasia Chen 6-4, 6-2.

"I think what made it so tough was that she made one more ball," said the 15-year-old Jalbert, who was down a break in the opening set. "She was pretty consistent, made me work for points, she made me rip, come to the net, she made me earn the point. In the second set, she started being less consistent, and I tried to take advantage of it."

Jalvert will face unseeded Caroline Coan, who beat No. 8 seed Molly Widlansky 5-7, 6-4, 10-7 in a three-hour 10-minute marathon.

Boys 16s top seed Eli Kaminski just managed to avoid a match tiebreaker, beating No. 9 seed Simon Hayal 6-4, 7-6(5).

The 16s singles semifinals are scheduled for 8 a.m., with the 18s semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday.  The doubles semifinals will be played in the afternoon.

Easter Bowl Quarterfinal Singles Results 16s and 18s

B18s:

Alexander Suhanitski[1] d. Pavel Bushuev 6-4, 7-6(5)

Peter Jorniak d. Liam Alvarez 6-0, 6-2

Rishvanth Krishna[WC] d. Justin Riley Anson 4-6, 6-3, 10-8

David Wu[9] d. Omar Rhazali[1] 6-4, 3-6, 10-7

G18s:

Ellery Mendell[1] d. Amy Lee 6-3, 6-0

Isabelle DeLuccia d. Yui Watanabe[9] 6-3, 6-0

Alyson Shannon[3] d. Armira Kockinis[9] 1-6, 6-4, 11-9

Yilin Chen d. Skye Madatali[9] 6-1, 6-1

B16s: 

Eli Kaminski[1] d. Simon Hayal[9] 6-4, 7-6(5)

Piotr Gradzki[3] d. Daniil Berezin 6-4, 3-0 ret.

Ivan Rybak[6] d. Cayden Laughton[9] 7-6(4), 6-2

Anay Kulkarni[WC] d. Alexander Totoian 6-4, 6-4

G16s:

Sylvana Jalbert[1] d. Kasia Chen[9] 6-4, 6-2

Caroline Coan d. Molly Widlansky[8] 5-7, 6-4, 10-7

Shristi Selvan[4] d. Enya Hamilton[9] 6-3, 6-2

Tanvi Pandey[WC] d. Mingyue Deng 7-6(3), 6-0

At the USTA Pro Circuit M25 in Las Vegas, 17-year-old wild card Tanishk Konduri is through to the semifinals after beating Kaylan Bigun 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Konduri will play 18-year-old qualifier Ronit Karki, who avenged his US Open junior championships third round loss to Andy Johnson 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.  Karki beat Konduri 6-2, 7-5 in the third round of the San Diego J300 last year.

In the bottom half semifinal, Arizona State junior Bor Artnak of Slovenia, the No. 5 seed, will play No. 3 seed Blaise Bicknell(Florida, Tennessee).  Artnak beat No. 2 seed Danile Milavsky 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and Bicknell defeated No. 7 seed Aidan Mayo 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

Easter Bowl 14s Champions Chervenkov and Poznick Shrug Off Desert Heat; Flyam Wins Second Straight USTA National Title in B12s; Anthony Earns First Gold Ball in G12s; No. 1 Seeds Move on in 16s and 18s; Johnson Beats Top Seed Zink at M25 Las Vegas

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Indian Wells CA--

The temperature hit the century mark at the USTA Level 1 Easter Bowl Thursday, as three of the four top seeds claimed gold balls at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. 

No. 1 seed Chloe Anthony completed her straight-sets stroll to the title by defeating No. 4 seed Lindy Zhou 6-3, 6-3 to earn her first gold ball. Down 3-1 in the second set, Anthony took advantage of Zhou's second serve, blasting return winners, while improving her own first serve percentage.

"I just tried to go for bigger targets, not go for lines," said the 12-year-old from Lakeville, Massachuetts, who is coached by her mother Elena. "I still had to stay confident in how I play and stay calm. I was a little nervous in the beginning and I couldn't get my serve where I wanted it. Then I decided to make it, even if it's not a great serve, just to put pressure on her."

"It feels very good," Anthony said. "I'm very happy and very proud of myself."

Zhou has already played two Easter Bowls at the age of 11, but the diminutive left-hander has already made huge strides since her debut in 2025.

"I played last year and I lost in the second round," said Zhou, from Glendale California. "I feel like I'm playing more consistent now. Last year I was, like, ripping balls to the fence."

Zhou, who had also not lost a set all week, could feel the increaased conviction Anthony put into her shots as the second set continued.

"She was really confident, and she was hitting the ball very hard," said Zhou, who collected her first USTA ball as the finalist.

The boys 12s final, which began at the same time as the girls, lasted more than an hour longer with top seed Dmitriy Flyam holding off No. 9 seed Milan Nair 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. 

Neither boy seemed able to decide whether offense or defense was the best strategy, and all three sets saw each of them step up, then pull back, never quite settling on a approach.

Nair found some success at the net, but neither could hold serve, with the third set featuring seven consecutive breaks. The seventh was the most painful for Nair, who had four game points serving a 3-all, with the six-deuce game finally going to Flyam on his fifth break point.

"I was playing really well in the second set and it was a very competitive third set until 3-all," said Nair, a 12-year-old from Alpharetta Georgia, who, like Zhou, earned his first USTA ball today. "I had a lot of game points, a long game that he ended up taking. It the third set, he didn't miss at all; well, he barely missed and he was also aggressive at the right times, so congrats to Dmitriy for another gold ball."

Flyam, who won the Winter Nationals in January, called on his mental training in that crucial seventh game of the third set.

 

"That game, I just tried to stay mentally in it, and I guess that helped a lot," said Flyam, a Hallandale Beach resident, who turns 13 in May.  "I try refreshing myself, putting my racquet from my right hand to my left hand, like a flush technique, flushing away the point. I have a sports psychologist (Jared Bones) and he teaches me that. I was a bit tight before the match, but as the match went on I threw away the nerves."

Flyam, who is coached by Cedo Zivkovic and Bruno Stretti, got the only service hold of the match in the next game and celebrated his title by falling to the court at the baseline after breaking Nair for the fifth time in the set.

Like Flyam, girls 14s champion Nadia Poznick is no stranger to success at USTA Level 1 events. With her 7-6(2) 6-0 win over No. 9 seed Violetta Mamina, the top-seeded Poznick collected her third gold ball, after she swept the clay court and national 12s titles in 2024.

The first set was 80 minutes of long rallies, as Mamina employed the same strategy she had used against Isabelle Nguyen in the semifinals: high looping moonballs that kept Poznick on defense, deep in the court.

But she took control in the tiebreaker and was able to find ways to end points more quickly, while still staying patient.

"I think I did a good job fighting in the first set," said the 13-year-old from Ann Arbor Michigan, who trains there with Emily Kelley at Blue Chip Player Development. "In the second set, I took more control, attacked with my forehand well. I did a good job of putting on pressure and coming to the net, because I had a lot of success."

Poznick expected Mamina to use her moonballs, as she had played her in that 12s final at the Clay Courts, which Poznick won 6-1, 6-2.

"I think in that match I did a better job of attacking early," said Poznick, who reached the quarterfinals of Les Petits As this year. "I think today I took a little bit to ease into the match, but as I got used to it, I felt like I was able to hit better balls."

Poznick, who faced Mamina's older sister Evelina in the first round, had to make a quick transition from the Michigan winter, where outdoor tennis is rare before April.

"That match was really hot," Poznick said of last Saturday, when the temperature was well over 100 degrees. "But I feel I got used to it. Obviously it's snowing then in Michigan, but I got used to it as the tournament went on, and I today I felt pretty good."

Mamina took the loss hard, and was disappointed by her performance.

"I didn't really play as well as she did," said the 13-year-old from Henderson Nevada. "I just didn't play very well and my mental wasn't very good."

Poznick, who didn't lose a set all week, was understandably more positive about her performance during the tournament.

"I've had a lot of good friends here and played pretty well throughout out the tournament," said Poznick, who will be starting to compete on ITF Junior Circuit soon. "I sustained a good level throughout all my matches."

No. 2 seed Michael Chervenkov kept the No. 1 seeds from sweeping the titles with his 7-6(2), 6-3 win over top seed Ishaan Marla.

Marla had won a 90-minute first set in the semifinals against No. 3 seed Nathan Lee, but today he was on the other side of that, with Chervenkov failing to serve out the first set at 5-4 and 6-5, but finally converting his eighth set point in his opportunity in the tiebreaker.

"I was very frustrated inside, but just trying not to show it," said the 14-year-old from Canton Georgia, who maintained a stoic demeanor throughout his first appearance in a Level 1 final. "Whenever I'm playing, I don't want to show my opponents that I'm tired, because I feel like I'm giving them that and I'll keep on grinding."

Chervenkov said his nerves kept him from playing how he wanted initially, but he began to feel at ease, especially after taking that grueling first set.

"I was pretty nervous, my first final and I really wanted to win this one," said Chervenkov, who did not drop a set all week. "I may have been playing a little too passive, but once I got in a rhythm, I felt more comfortable on the court."

Chervenkov once again showed his composure in the final game, when he went down 0-40, but saved four break points to hold for the championship.

"At that point I was preparing to receive," Chervenkov admitted. "But a couple plus-one winners, then deuce, and then I thought, 'Ok, I'm going to try to close this out here.' I think I lost two match points before I won, but it felt super good not to extend the match."

Marla, who had split his previous two meetings with Chervenkov, was at a loss after dropping that first set.

"Honestly, I didn't really know what to do, I thought I threw everything," said the 14-year-old from Mason Ohio. "In the second set I started attacking, coming to the net, and he hit some unbelievable shots. He did attack more than I thought he would, and it did surprise me, some of the balls that he got."

Both Chervenkov and Marla are looking to compete in the 16s this year in Kalamazoo, and Marla is already looking forward to their next meeting.

"I'll try to get better, find more ways to win, and I'll beat him next time," Marla said.

Chervenkov, who trains at the Harp Tennis in Cumming Georgia, is going to celebrate his first USTA ball with a dinner out.

"I'm going to dinner, my choice," Cervenkov said. "I like a nice steakhouse."

Photos of the doubles champions, with results of all the day's matches are below:

B12s Singles Finals Result:

Championship: Dmitriy Flyam[1] d. Milan Nair[9] 7-5, 2-6, 6-3

3/4 Place: Jesse Goldman[9] d. Thomas Gamble[3] 5-2 ret-inj

5/6 Place: William Zhou[7] d. Jaden Joyner[9] 3-6, 6-1, 10-4

B12s Doubles Finals Results:

Championship: Miguel Valencia & Milan Nair d. Yifan Nie & Thomas Gamble[2] 6-1, 6-3

3/4 Place: Benedict Zhong & Pavel Abadzhev[7] d. Devansh Patra & Isaac Milner[8] 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

G12 Singles Finals Results:

Championship: Chloe Anthony[1] d. Lindy Zhou[4] 6-3, 6-3

3/4 Place: Cordelia Skye[9] d. Valentina Singh Carvajal[3] d. 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

5/6 Place: Alara Buyunkuncu[6] d. Ayenxavia Calugay[9] 7-6(5), 2-6, 10-3

G12s Doubles Finals Results:

Championship: Ayenxavia Calugay & Grace Malholtra[3] d. Alara Buyukuncu & Catherine Chan 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

3/4 Place: Lindy Zhao & Valetina Singh-Carvajal[2] d. Summer Yang & Lucy Jiang[1] 7-5, 6-0

B14s Singles Finals Results:

Championship: Michael Chervenkov[2] d. Ishaan Marla[1] 7-6(2), 6-3

3/4 Place: Pranav Vignesh[9] d. Nathan Lee[3] 7-6(4), 6-3

5/6 Place: Rex Kulman[9] d. Jason Ye 5-3 ret inj

B14s Doubles Finals Results:

Championship: Wyatt Markham & Max D Smith[6] d. Evaan Mohan & Nathan Lee[8] 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(2)

3/4 Place: Jacques Chen & Tony Xu[2] d. James Borchard & Evan Fan[5] 6-1, 6-0

G14s Singles Finals Results:

Championship: Nadia Poznick[1] d. Violetta Mamina[9] 7-6(2), 6-0

3/4 Place: Isabelle Nguyen d. Nicole Alexandrovich[9] 6-4, 6-1

5/6 Place: Gabrielle Alexa Villegas d. Rachel Immordino 6-4, 3-6, 10-5

G14s Doubles Finals Results:

Championship: Natalia Martinez & Reese Ellington[2] d. Ava Chua & Gwyneth Britton[3] 6-4, 6-2

3/4 Place: Victoria Park & Isabelle Nguyen d. Anna Victoria Sandru & Emma Li[7] 6-3, 7-6(4)

The 12s and 14s finals overshadowed the third round of the 16s and 18s, but all four No. 1 seeds advanced in straight sets. Eli Kaminiski, the top seed in the B16s, beating Smyan Thuta 7-6(6), 6-4 and G16s top seed Sylvana Jalbert continued to post at least one bagel per match, beating Mehar Kaur 6-2, 6-0. B18s top seed Alexander Suhanitski defeated unseeded Elijah Mireles 7-5, 6-3 and No. 1 seed in G18s, Ellery Mendell, beat No. 9 seed Emerson Jones 6-2, 6-1.

Unseeded Yilin Chen defeated girls 18s No. 2 seed Calla McGill 6-0, 6-3.

The quarterfinals in both singles and doubles in the 16s and 18s  are scheduled for Friday.

At the M25 in Las Vegas, 16-year-ol Andy Johnson defeated top seed and ATP 331 Tyler Zink 7-6(5), 7-6(2) to advance to the quarterfinals, where he'll face 2025 Wimbledon boys finalist Ronit Karki, who beat Ron Hohmann(LSU, Michigan State) 6-1, 6-4. Johnson beat Karki 7-5, 6-3 in the third round of the US Open Junior Championships last September.

In the other top half quarter, two more teens will face off, with 17-year-old wild card Tanishk Konduri playing 19-year-old Kaylan Bigun. Konduri defeated Guillaume Dalmasso of France 6-1, 6-4, while Bigun beat qualifier Daniil Kakhniuk(New Mexico) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

My San Diego J300 Recap; All Four Top Seeds in 12s and 14s Reach Thursday's Easter Bowl Finals; No. 2 Seeds Fall in Boys and Girls 16s; Antonius, Johnson, Konduri and Karki Post Wins at Las Vegas M25

©Colette Lewis 2026--

Indian Wells CA--

Before I get to the action today, as the 12s and 14s Easter Bowl draws to a close and the 16s and 18s began to ramp up, here's my Tennis Recruiting Network recap of the ITF J300 North American Regional Championships last week in San Diego. Andy Johnson won his second straight J300 and Jordyn Hazelitt claimed her first singles at that level, while adding her third J300 doubles title, all coming this year. If you weren't able to follow my daily coverage, this article is a great way to get up to speed on one of the five ITF J300 tournaments held in the United States every year.

The finals are set in singles and doubles for the 12s and 14s divisions of the USTA National L1 Easter Bowl presented by adidas after semifinal action today at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. All four of the No. 1 seeds will play for a title Thursday morning, with only one of them needing three sets to get the final, with the format reverting to best of three full sets in the semifinals after heat had led to match tiebreakers in lieu of a third set.

Boys 12s top seed Dmitriy Flyam had been cruising through the draw, dropping only seven games in his four previous wins, but No. 3 seed Thomas Gamble won six in the first set, only to see Flyam, the reigning USTA Winter Nationals champion relocate his form, taking next two full sets 6-0, 6-2. Flyam's opponent in the final will be Milan Nair, who beat fellow No. 9 seed Jesse Goldman 7-6(5), 0-6, 6-2.

Girls 12s top seed Chloe Anthony quickly dispatched No. 3 seed Valentina Singh-Caravajal 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the final against No. 4 seed Lindy Zhou. Zhou defeated Cordelia Skye, a No. 9 seed, 6-0, 6-1 in an all-Socal semifinal.

Girls 14s top seed Nadia Poznick has yet to drop a set in advancing to the final, but she had to come from 4-1 down in the second set against Nicole Alexandrovich, a No. 9 seed, to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory.  Poznick, who reached the girls 12s semifinals two years ago, will play another No. 9 seed, Violetta Mamina, in for the title after Mamina frustrated unseeded Isabelle Nguyen 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a three-hour battle.  Mamina, who reached the girls 12s semifinals last year, had beaten Nguyen in a match tiebreaker at an L2 last month in Long Beach so she came armed with a strategy when facing her again today.

"When I played her a few weeks ago we had a four-hour match," said the 13-year-old from Henderson Nevada. "I knew she played really aggressive, so I knew if I played more on the defensive side that she'll start missing more. She really likes an aggressive game, so my strategy was to play high heavy until I get a short ball and then I attack."

Nguyen's frustration began to grow, as Mamina refused to give her any rhythm or pace. Although Nguyen hit many more winners, she also went for too much at key moments. Occasionally Nguyen, a 12s semifinalist two years ago, would respond in kind with a moon ball, but Mamina was much more committed to her strategy and she closed out the match with a love hold to reach the final.

Poznick and Mamina met in the final of the 2024 USTA 12s Clay Court Nationals, with Poznick winning 6-1, 6-2.

"I think I was very nervous to play her that year, because it was my first final, first time going very far and she was a much higher person than me," Mamina said. "And now, there's not that big of a difference, and now I think I'm more ready. I'll see what my strategy will be during the match. If something's working I'll do it, if something's not working, I'll stop it."

The boys 14s final will feature the top two seeds, with No. 1 Ishaan Marla facing No. 2 Michael Chervenkov. Both advanced in straight sets, with Chervenkov defeating No. 9 seed Prana Vignesh 6-1, 6-4 and Marla beating No. 3 seed Nathan Lee 7-6(4), 6-1, but Marla needed 90 minutes to win that first set, saving a set point serving at 4-5. 

Marla held then broke, but could not serve out the set, with Lee, the 2024 boys 12s Easter Bowl finalist, saving a set point with an approach and volley. A double fault by Marla sent the match to a tiebreaker, and Lee had a 4-2 lead at the first changeover, but Marla won the last four points, with Lee's ground strokes landing wide on the final three.

Marla said once he took that grueling set, he was in control.

"I knew if I kept intensity in the second set, I could bring him away," said the 14-year-old from Mason Ohio. "I tried to be more aggressive, was serving bigger and I felt like after the real high intensity first set, he sort of lost a lot of confidence, so I took that advantage and started pounding the ball corner to corner and make him hit shots he does not want to hit."

Marla has split two matches with Chervenkov, although he has the advantage of having already won two gold balls, at the 2024 12s Nationals and the 2025 14s National Indoors.

Marla credits his coach Sam Shrivastava for those results, and they have been hitting at 5 each morning due to the three-hour time change.

"I wake up at 4 and hit with my coach at 5 because we both can't sleep," Marla said. "He's been coaching me for two years and it's been a life-changer for me. When I met him, we trained for six months, and then I won the 12s. Without him, I would never be in this position."

The 12s boys and girls singles finals are set for 8 a.m., with the 14s singles finals scheduled for 11 a.m.  The two matches on Stadium Court can be live streamed at the Easter Bowl YouTube channel.

The 12s and 14s doubles semifinal results are below, with the finals set for Thursday afternoon.

B12s Doubles Semifinal Results:

Miguel Valencia & Milan Nair d. Benedict Zhong & Pavel Abadzhev[7] 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(4)

Yifan Nie & Thomas Gamble[2] d. Devansh Patra & Isaac Milner[8] 6-3, 6-2

G12 Doubles Semifinal Results:

Ayenxavia Calugay & Grace Malholtra[3] d. Summer Yang & Lucy Jiang[1] 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-2

Alara Buyukuncu & Catherine Chan d. Lindy Zhao & Valetina Singh-Carvajal[2] 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

B14s Doubles Semifinal Results:

Evaan Mohan & Nathan Lee[8] d. James Borchard & Evan Fan[5] 6-4, 6-0

Wyatt Markham & Max D Smith[6] d. Jacques Chen & Tony Xu[2] 6-1, 6-1

G14s Doubles Semifinal Results:

Ava Chua & Gwyneth Britton[3] d. Victoria Park & Isabelle Nguyen 6-2, 6-0

Natalia Martinez & Ellington Reese[2] d. Anna Victoria Sandru & Emma Li[7] 6-4, 6-1

Several top 4 seeds in the 18s escaped upsets in Wednesday's second round, with No. 2 seed Omar Rhazali beating Connor Plunkett 6-3, 2-6, 10-4 and No. 3 seed Alyson Shannon getting by Reagan Levine 7-6(5), 5-7, 10-7 in a match that took more than three hours to complete. 

Not all seeds struggled, with 18s No. 1s Ellery Mendell and Alexander Suhanitski winning in straight sets, as did 16s No. 1 seeds Sylvana Jalbert and Eli Kaminski.

But the No. 2 seeds in the 16s were both knocked out, with Heidi Polasek beating Vanessa Kruse 7-6(6), 6-3 and Mikaeel Alibaig defeating Lennart Hammargren 6-2, 6-1.

Hammargren took a medical timeout for an ankle problem at the end of the first set, and although he had it taped and resumed play, his mobility was obviously reduced, a circumstance Alibaig had to ignore.

"When someone takes a medical timeout it's difficult to regroup," said the 16-year-old, who has been training at IMG for the past six months. "I really had to stay super focused and not let that distract me and I think I did that really well, won the next four games in a row, so I played really solid mentally."

Alibaig was born in Wisconsin, but has dual citizenship and competes for Pakistan in international events.

He has written a book about the two cultures and his life as a junior athlete, which can be found at his website: https://www.mikatensity.com/.

"For me, my life has been really challenging," Alibaig said. "A dual citizen, being Pakistani and an American, it's sometimes difficult dealing with other people when you're from two ethnicities. And three years ago, I got attacked really badly by a German Shepherd and for five months I couldn't walk, but getting through those challenges really inspired me to write the book about my whole life journey. Athletes have a difficult time--it looks like they're in the spotlight, it's very difficult--it's not just me, I'm sure a lot of other junior athletes too. So it's an inspiration book, an emotional book and a happy book at the same time."

In Thursday's third round, Alibaig will face unseeded Alexander Totoian, who beat No. 9 seed Antanas Daugis 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.

The second round of doubles tonight saw both the top two seeds in the girls 18s lose, with No. 1 seeds Alyson Shannon and Francie Pate falling to Kalista Papadopoulos and Abigail Haile 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 and No. 2 seeds Isabelle DeLuccia and Amy Lee losing to Chloe Zigliara and Sadira Ouyang 6-3, 6-4.

Wednesday's Top 8 seed report for 16s and 18s:

B16s:

1. Eli Kaminski

2. Lennart Hammargren (out rd 2)

3. Piotr Gradzki

4. Ethan Turunen (out rd 2)

5. Gadin Arun (out rd 2)

6. Ivan Rybak

7. Akshay Mirmira (out rd 1)

8. Rafael Pawar (out rd 1)

G16s:

1. Sylvana Jalbert

2. Vanessa Kruse (out rd 2)

3. Avita Beitler (out rd 2)

4. Shristi Selvan

5. Olivia Lin

6. Nikol Davletshina (out rd 1)

7. Anastasiya Muravia (out rd 1)

8. Molly Widlansky

B18s:

1. Alexander Suhanitski

2. Omar Rhazali

3. Jesse Yang

4. William Freshwater

5. Yashwin Krishnakumar (out rd 2)

6. Soren Swenson (out rd 1)

7. Noble Renfrow (out rd 1)

8. Michael Lorenzetti (out rd 2)

G18s:

1. Ellery Mendell

2. Calla McGill

3. Alyson Shannon

4. Alanna Ingalsbe

5. Lauren Nolan

6. Ava Beltran

7. Reiley Rhodes

8. Kylie Liu (out rd 2)

Third round matches will again feature match tiebreakers in lieu of a full third set, with temperatures again expected to approach 100 degrees Thursday.

At the USTA Pro Circuit M25 in Las Vegas, Michael Antonius continued his winning streak on the USTA Pro Circuit, with the Bakersfield M25 champion defeating Ilia Snitari, a sophomore at UNLV, 7-5, 6-3. Andy Johnson, the Tucson and San Diego J300 champion, defeated qualifier Aaron Bailey 6-2, 6-0 and will play top seed Tyler Zink(Georgia, Oklahoma State) in Thursday's second round. Tankishk Konduri earned his first ATP point, beating fellow wild card Gus Grumet 5-7, 6-2, 6-3; Ronit Karki defeated qualifier Yousseff Kadiri Hassni of Morocco 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2) and Kaylan Bigun defeated qualifier Zach Stephens of Great Britain 7-5, 6-1.

Boys 16s Top Seed Kaminski Saves Match Point in First Round Match Tiebreaker Victory; Girls 12s No. 1 Anthony Survives Lengthy Second Set Tiebreaker to Advance to Semifinals

©Colette Lewis 2026--

Indian Wells CA--

Cramping in the 95-degree heat that forced the Easter Bowl to shorten matches was not the only problem boys 16s top seed Eli Kaminiski was facing Tuesday afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The physical stress was secondary to the mental battle he was having with himself, as he faced match point against 15-year-old Tristan Ascenzo in a match tiebreaker in first round action Tuesday.

"I won National Indoors (in November) and with those points I was No. 2 seed at Winter Nationals and I lost in the first round," said the 16-year-old from Fairfax Station Virginia. "I was so nervous, because I can't go from winning an L1 to losing two times in the first round."

Ascenzo, the 2025 Junior Orange Bowl champion, was no stranger to Kaminski, who was a teammate of his at the Brewer Cup earlier this month in Mobile, with Kaminski playing 18s and Ascenzo 16s. He said his attempt to downplay the dangerous draw was insincere.

"When I saw the draw I was kind of playing it off, talking to them," Kaminski said, gesturing to his mother and coach Momin Khan of Aplus Tennis. "It's fine, it's fine, it's a good draw, but in my mind I was panicking."

After taking the first set, the toll of little outdoor tennis began to cause problems for Kaminski, and although he is much bigger and stronger than Ascenzo, that advantage didn't show in the second set.

"The thing about him, he might not be the biggest player, but he believes," Kaminski said. "If you put him on the court with Jannik Sinner, he's going to think he's going to double bagel him. I have to give him credit, he played a terrific match. He has a really good balance of being aggressive with his forehand, but not overplaying it, going for stupid shots."

Ascenzo led throughout the match tiebreaker, up 6-2 and 7-5, but Kaminski fought back to level it at 8.  Serving at 8-all Kaminski hit a big first serve and hit a plus-one backhand that went just wide, giving Ascenzo a match point on serve.

"Normally my backhand is one of the shots I prefer, especially under pressure, but I don't know I haven't been feeling it as well recently so I still tried to go for it," Kaminski said. "I'm already cramping in my abs and my left calf, so I can't get in a long rally or I'm going to die. I have to take my cuts, but if I miss, I miss, at least I won't die on court."

Ascenzo had a chance to put away a shanked ball by Kaminski in the service box, but he netted it, and Kaminski took advantage.

"To be honest, when I hit the forehand and I shanked it, I didn't think it was going over the net," Kaminski said. "I was like, second L1 in a row, top 2 seed but I'm out in the first round. But it went over and he missed it. And then I celebrated, I had so much adrenaline that I forgot that I'd had a lucky shank; I was just happy I won the point. But when I replayed it in my head, I got so lucky, so I told him I was sorry."

Ascenzo made another unforced forehand error to lose serve again, and Kaminski hit an ace to survive.

"That's one of my favorite serves," Kaminski said. "Even if I don't hit as hard, as long as I place it well, it opens up the court so much. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I knew he was going to fall for it. When I'm under pressure, I try to think, not of my weaknesses, but I think of my opponent's weaknesses. We're playing on a high bouncing court, my kick serve is probably my best shot, they see me tossing up a kick down match point, they're like, I've got to race as hard as I can to get this, so it opens the court."

Kaminski plays Zhiyu Yuan, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Brody Barbeau, in the second round Wednesday.

"I hope it's not as dramatic," Kaminski said. "I don't think I could stand it."

The top seed in the girls 16, Sylvana Jalbert, breezed into the second round with 6-0, 6-1 win over Taisiya Sorokina, while both 18s No. 1 seeds also won in straight sets. Alexander Suhanitski, who reached the semifinals of the 16s here last year, beat Wesley Cotton 6-1, 6-4, while Ellery Mendell defeated Autumn Xu 6-2, 6-2.

While the 16s and 18s divisions are just getting started, the 12s and 14s divisions are close to finishing, with all eight semifinals set for 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The No. 1 seeds are still in contention for their first Easter Bowl titles, with the boys 12s top seed Dmitriy Flyam and boys 14s top seed Ishaan Marla cruising in their quarterfinals, while the girls top seeds had much more challenging matches.

At the Palm Valley Country Club, girls 14s No. 1 Nadia Poznick defeated unseeded Gabrielle Villegas 6-4, 7-5; on Stadium Court at Indian Wells, girls 12s No. 1 seed Chloe Anthony fought off two set points to defeat No. 6 seed Alara Buyukuncu 6-1, 7-6(9) in over two hours and 20 minutes.

Anthony said she was unable to play the style she was most comfortable with in the second set, struggling to find the balance between aggression and consistency when attacking the Buyukuncu moon balls.

"I feel like I made more mistakes, made more unforced errors in the longer rallies, so I had to change it up a little bit, hit a little harder, a little flatter," said Anthony, who trains with her mother Elena and coaches at both the Lakeville Athletic Club and Weymouth Club. "I thought it worked pretty well (hitting with more pace). Sometimes, though if she would hit a couple of those I went for too much off of those. But if I could, I would definitely hit harder, keep it lower."

Anthony served for the match twice, at 5-4 and 6-5, but didn't get to match point in either game. She attempted to target the Buyukuncu one-handed backhand, but Buyukuncu defended that side well, often with high balls that would send Anthony six or eight feet behind the baseline.

One of those moon balls kept Anthony from converting her first match point at 6-5, and she went down a set point serving at 6-7, but hit a forehand winner to save it. A double fault, which gave Anthony another occasion to loudly slap her left thigh in frustration, gave Buyukuncu a second set point, but she sent a forehand wide, and lost another point on serve with Anthony's powerful return forcing an error. Anthony couldn't convert her second match point at 9-8, making an unforced error on the forehand, but she rebound to earn a third match point with a forehand winner. When Buyukuncu's forehand went just long, as it was called by Anthony and confirmed by the umpire, she had avoided the dreaded match tiebreaker.

"I was trying really hard not to get there," Anthony said.

Anthony will not have to worry about that in the semifinals Wednesday, with all 12 and 14s singles matches returning to best of three tiebreak sets. The 12s and 14s doubles semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

The 16s and 18s will continue to play a match tiebreaker in lieu of a full third set in round two Wednesday.

Girls 12s quarterfinal results Tuesday:

Chloe Anthony[1] d. Alara Buyukuncu[6] 6-1, 7-6(9)

Valentina Singh-Carvajal[3] d. Lucy Jiang[5] 7-5, 0-6, 10-6

Ayenxavia Calugay[9] d. Lindy Zhou[4] 6-3, 7-5

Cordelia Skye[9] d. Reya Mahadoo[8] 4-6, 6-3, 10-8

Boys 12s quarterfinal results Tuesday:

Dmitriy Flyam[1] d. Keanu Agbulos[8] 6-0, 6-2

Thomas Gamble[3] d. William Zhou[7] 6-2, 6-2

Jesse Goldman[9] d. Benedict Zhong 6-2, 6-4 

Milan Nair[9] d. Jaden Joyner[9] 6-4, 6-4

Girls 14s quarterfinal results Tuesday:

Nadia Poznick[1] d. Gabrielle Alexa Villegas 6-4, 7-5

Nicole Alexandrovich[9] d. Eleanor Armistead[4] 7-5, 6-7(5), 10-4

Isabelle Nguyen d. Andrea Jakovljevic[9] 6-3, 6-0

Violetta Mamina[9] d. Rachel Immordino 7-6(3), 6-3

Boys 14s quarterfinal results Tuesday:

Ishaan Marla[1] d. Jason Zhao[9] 6-1, 6-2

Nathan Lee[3] d. Matthew Finn[8] 6-4, 6-2

Pranav Vignesh[9] d. Tanmay Konduri[6] 6-3, 6-4

Michael Chervenkov[2] d. Jacques Chen[5] 6-0, 6-3 

How the top 8 seeds in 16s and 18s fared Tuesday:

B16s:

1. Eli Kaminski

2. Lennart Hammargren

3. Piotr Gradzki

4. Ethan Turunen

5. Gadin Arun

6. Ivan Rybak

7. Akshay Mirmira (out rd 1)

8. Rafael Pawar (out rd 1)

G16s:

1. Sylvana Jalbert

2. Vanessa Kruse

3. Avita Beitler

4. Shristi Selvan

5. Olivia Lin

6. Nikol Davletshina (out rd 1)

7. Anastasiya Muravia (out rd 1)

8. Molly Widlansky

B18s:

1. Alexander Suhanitski

2. Omar Rhazali

3. Jesse Yang

4. William Freshwater

5. Yashwin Krishnakumar

6. Soren Swenson (out rd 1)

7. Noble Renfrow (out rd 1)

8. Michael Lorenzetti

G18s:

1. Ellery Mendell

2. Calla McGill

3. Alyson Shannon

4. Alanna Ingalsbe

5. Lauren Nolan

6. Ava Beltran

7. Reiley Rhodes

8. Kylie Liu

First round doubles action is still underway tonight for 16s and 18s. Draws can be found here.