Top Seed Miguel Saves Match Point to Escape Qualifier Malacek's Challenge; Wild Card Annika Penickova Takes Out No. 4 Seed Barros; Reddy Upsets Reisach; Ohio State Team Makes History by Advancing to Third Round

©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--

Flushing Meadows NY--

Top seed Guto Miguel may not have expected to need over two hours and the support of the always raucous Brazil fans in his first round match today at the US Open Junior Championships, but the 17-year-old Brazilian came to the realization early that qualifier Daniel Malacek wasn't intimidated by facing the Roland Garros champion in his junior slam debut. Malacek, the Kalamazoo 16s finalist last month, was a big serve and forehand plus-one winner away from a colossal upset on Court 7, with Miguel serving at 5-6 in the third set, ultimately dropping a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) decision.

After a rocky and error-filled first set, Miguel found his form after trailing 2-0 in the second set, but he couldn't shake Malacek, who was in every rally with the Brazilian until the tiebreaker.

Deep in the third set both players were subjected to dueling chants of “USA! USA!” and “Ole, Ole, Ole Ole, Guto!” from the crowd.

“It was a survival match, to be sure,” Miguel said. “The crowd really helped pull me through, the Brazilian fan support was amazing.”

Miguel said he expected a tough match from Malacek, who needed a wild card to get into the qualifying, because “it’s a Grand Slam, everybody’s good and everybody can beat you.”

No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie, a freshman at TCU had his hands full with wild card Matias Reyniak, the 2025 Orange Bowl 16s champion, who, despite several medical timeouts, forced a third set with a courageous tiebreaker before falling 7-6(2), 6-7(7), 6-3.

The American boys who won the Junior Davis Cup last fall are all seeded at this year's US Open Junior Championships, all three won their first round men's qualifying matches, and all three won their first round matches today.

No. 3 seed Michael Antonius had decidedly fewer fans watching his first round match Sunday than watched him during his second round qualifying match on August 26.

But Antonius, who pushed U.S. Open finalist Nishikori that day in a 6-4, 6-4 loss, didn’t mind the relative anonymity Sunday, as he easily dispatched Brazil’s Leonardo Storck Franca, 6-4, 6-1.

“It was definitely less nervous for me in terms of just like the people watching and the atmosphere,” Antonius said. " The courts are fast, so I was already prepared for the speed of how the ball would bounce. And in the second set I started to play better.”

Antonius knows that because of his success this year, other players are hunting him.

“My mindset is always to have a chip on my shoulder,” said the usually-smiling off-the-court Antonius. “Just work in the dark, and bring it when you’re out there (on the court.)”

Antonius’ former doubles partner, who he teamed with to reach Wimbledon boys finals in July, Andy Johnson, also had a successful start to his Open.

A boys quarterfinalist here last year, Johnson dispatched India’s Arnav Paparkar, 6-4, 6-1.

Much like Antonius, Johnson had the advantage of having played in the men’s qualifying here at the Open two weeks ago, and he also had a thrilling moment: coming back from 1-4 down in the third set to beat world No. 160 Taro Daniel.

“Probably the biggest win of my life, yeah,” Johnson said Sunday. “I just started calming down more, and my cramps in my calf started feeling better and the crowd got into it, and in those moments I’m not really thinking about anything. I had nothing to lose and just went for it.”

Johnson will next play Israel’s Dan Brand, who got his first U.S. Open win by beating Australian Daniel Jovanoski, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.

“I tried to be only positive in my mind, telling myself I can do it, trying to do my best,” Brand said. “He was serving well on the fast courts, so on the return I went a little (further) back, and when I opened the points I won most of the points. I tried to be aggressive. I’m very excited.”

Wimbledon champ Jordan Lee also had no trouble in his opening round Sunday, defeating Raffaele Ciurnelli of Italy, 6-2, 6-2.

Lee said that despite the sudden fame of winning at the All England Club, not much has changed for him.

“It was fun signing some autographs the other day, but I understand that’s what comes with being a little more known,” Lee said. “I’m always going to be the same and stay the same.”

Although there were the close calls for top two boys seeds, only  three were eliminated today, No. 16 seed Nicolas Baena of Peru, who lost to Dante Pagani of Argentina 6-4, 6-3, No. 15 seed Kuan-Shou Chen of Taiwan, who fell to Peter Ogunsakin of Nigeria 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 and College Park J300 finalist and No. 11 seed Vincent Reisach of Germany, who was beaten by Vihaan Reddy 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

Reddy said he hasn't been playing well lately, but was able to return Reisach's big first serve, which helped him get to neutral quickly, before turning to offense.

"It was definitely part of the strategy," the 16-year-old said when asked about his regular forays to the net today, which were occasionally reminiscent of Pat Rafter. "But I think that's kind of where my game has been heading. Hopefully not completely like Pat Rafter but my coach would definitely be happy with that comparison."

The big upset of the day in the girls draw was courtesy of wild card Annika Penickova, who won a W35 and made the final of another prior to reaching the quarterfinals of the USTA 18s National Championships in San Diego last month. Penickova was too powerful for No. 4 seed Victoria Barros of Brazil in her 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Penickova has been battling injuries the last few years, so when she was asked how she was feeling after being out earlier this year, she laughed and said “well, which injury do you want to know about?”

The 16-year-old twin sister of Kristina Penickova seems to be healthy now and played a terrific match Sunday on Court 5, beating No. 4 seed Brazilian Victoria Luiza Barros, 6-3, 6-4. It was her third win in three meetings against Barros.

Penickova attacked the net frequently, winning eight of nine net points, including knocking off a pretty backhand volley winner as she held for 5-4 in the second set.

The Floridian, coached by USTA’s Jermaine Jenkins, then played a terrific final game, drilling a forehand down-the-line winner to set up two match points, then winning when Barros double faulted.

“I think I brought a little bit of the confidence from the pros and everything that I've been playing into that match and I think that helped me a lot,” said Penickova, who lost in the first round of women’s qualifying here.”

Penickova said coming to net more is something her coaches have emphasized.

“I think especially for me, having a complete game style, being comfortable coming to the net, is super important, especially transitioning to the pros.”

Barros was the only girls seed to lose today.

The last eight first round singles matches and eight second round singles matches in each draw are on Monday's schedule, along with the bottom half of draw playing their first round of doubles.

Defending champions Keaton Hance and Jack Kennedy are the No. 2 seeds, with Miguel and Ziga Sesko of Slovenia the No. 1 seeds.

Mariia Makarova of Russia and Xinran Sun of China are the top seeds in the girls doubles, with Barros and Nauhany Leme Da Silva of Brazil the No. 2 seeds. Jana Kovackova and Katerina Zajickova of Czechia, who have won the last two girls doubles title at junior slams, are the No. 5 seeds.

There are no seeded teams from the United States in the girls doubles draw, although the Penickova twins are dangerous floaters who could play the Brazilians in the second round.

Sunday's US Open Juniors matches featuring Americans

Thilo Behrmann[7](AUT) d. Ryan Cozad 7-6(5), 6-1

Connor Doig(RSA) d. Teodor Davidov[WC] 7-6(4), 6-3

Guto Miguel[1](BRA) d. Daniel Malacek[[Q] 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) 

Lanta Watanabe(JPN) d. Jerrid Gaines Jr.[WC] 6-3, 6-3

Kai Thompson{HKG) d. Navneet Raghuram[WC] 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-4

Matei Victor Cheleman[Q](ROU) d. Kayden Colombo[WC] 6-4, 6-3

Andy Johnson[12] d. Arnav Paparkar(IND) 6-4, 6-1

Jack Kennedy[5] d. Ryo Tabata(JPN) 6-3, 6-3

Michael Antonius[3] d. Leonardo Storck Franca(BRA) 6-4, 6-1

Jordan Lee[8] d. Raffaele Ciurnelli(ITA) 6-2, 6-2

Tanishk Konduri d. Jakub Kusy(CZE) 6-4, 6-3

Vihaan Reddy d. Vincent Reisach[11](GER) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3

Jamie Mackenzie[2](GER) d. Matias Reyniak[WC] 7-6(2), 6-7(7), 6-3

Daniel Jade(FRA) d. Mason Vaughan[WC] 2-6, 6-3, 2-0 ret. 

Jack Secord d. Damir Zhalgasbay(KAZ) 6-3, 6-4

Thara Gowda[WC] d. Emily Eigelsbach(GER) 6-2, 6-4

Kristina Penickova[WC][14] d. Renee Alame(AUS) 6-1, 6-1

Annika Penickova[WC] d. Victoria Barros[4](BRA) 6-3, 6-4

Hannah Ayrault[WC] d. Ui Su Jeong(KOR) 6-3, 6-3

Jordyn Hazelitt[16] d. Lujza Beviz(HUN) 7-6(4), 7-5

Mariia Makarova[7](RUS) d. Allison Wang[WC] 6-1, 7-5

Maya Rajeshwaran Revathi[15](IND) d. Emery Combs[WC] 6-2, 6-2

Sol Ailin Larraya Guidi[12](ARG) d. Natalie Kha[Q] 5-7, 6-3, 6-4

Yael Saffar[Q] d. Maia Burcescu(ROU) 6-1, 6-2

Ksenia Efremova[3](FRA) d. Scarlett Fagan[Q] 6-4, 6-1

Clemence Mercier[Q](CAN) d. Anita Tu 2-6, 6-1, 6-2

Melije Clarke d. Polina Berezina(RUS) 6-4, 6-0

Lani Chang(withdrew) v Jana Kovackova[2](CZE)

Anna Pushkareva[5](RUS) d. Shristi Selvan[WC] 6-2, 6-4

Monday's first round junior matches featuring Americans:

Keaton Hance[4] v Pedro Chabalgoity(BRA)

Gavin Goode v Tito Chavez(ESP)

Marcel Latak v Ziga Sesko[6]

Safir Azam v Dimitar Kisimov[10](BUL)

Kamil Stolarczyk[WC] v Kirill Filaretov(RUS)

Janae Preston[6] v Fleur De Bresser(NED)

Thea Frodin v Katerina Zajickova(CZE)

Olivia Traynor v Nauhany Leme Da Silva[8]

Isha Manchala[WC] v Alexandra Malova(RUS)

Monday's second round junior matches featuring Americans:

Jordan Lee[8] v Valentin Gonzalez-Galino(ESP)

Michael Antonius[3] v Simone Massellani(ITA)

Andy Johnson[12] v Dan Brand(ISR)

Vihaan Reddy v Daniel Jade(FRA)

Tanishk Konduri v Mathys Domenc[14](FRA)

Jordyn Hazelitt[16] v Ekaterina Dotsenko(RUS)

Thara Gowda[WC] v Xinran Sun[1](CHN)

Yael Safar[Q] v Paola Pinera Celorio[10(ESP)

Kristina Penickova[WC][14] v Antonina Sushkova(UKR)

Annika Penickova[WC] Yu Jun Lin(CHN)

USTA Collegiate Playoff champions Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico of Ohio State won their second round men's doubles match today, with a bit of deja vu, beating John Peers(Middle Tennessee, Baylor) of Australia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4. Filin and Carpico had won their first round match Friday over No. 8 seeds Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos of Brazil 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, so the confidence they have in their own ability to find their way through a match has grown with each set won.

"I think we both don't see it ending here," said Carpico. "I think we both know we're capable of making a really deep run in this tournament, and while we've played well in these two matches, we've got another gear we can still get to. I think the confidence is really high. It's two hard fought wins, but both of us know we can still play a little better, clean things up, so if we do that, what's to say we couldn't keep going."

"It's exciting, we're beating these great teams, but like Brandon said, we know we have a better gear," Filin said. "And once it clicks, we could take off. We're enjoying the moment, but we have to put a little pressure on ourselves, knowing we're good enough, better than these guys, and we're just here to prove it."

Filin and Carpico, who are the only NCAA wild card team to win two rounds since the ATP began tracking wild cards in the 1990s, will play three-time US Open men's doubles champions Rajeev Ram(Illinois) and Joe Salisbury(Memphis) in the third round.

After several disappointing results yesterday, Americans rebounded with five wins at the US Open Sunday, with three US men and two US women advancing to the quarterfinals today. 

Sunday's fourth round results of Americans:

Carlos Alcaraz[2](ESP) d. Tommy Paul[20] 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Frances Tiafoe[11] d. Daniil Medvedev[7] 7-6(1), 6-4, 7-6(6)

Alex Michelsen d. Tomas Martin Etcheverry[27](ARG) 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4

Ben Shelton[8] d. Stefanos Tsitsipas(GRE) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

Aryna Sabelenka[1](BLR) d. Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3

Emma Navarro[26] d. Anna Kalinskaya[21](RUS) 6-4, 6-2

Jessica Pegula[3] d. Sorana Cirstea[16](ROU) 6-3, 6-4

Mondays fourth round matches featuring Americans:
Iva Jovic[14] v Coco Gauff[4]
Learner Tien[14] v Karen Khachanov(RUS)

Eight Intriguing Questions for US Open Junior Championships Beginning Sunday with 29 Americans in Action; Xinran Sun and Guto Miguel No. 1 Seeds; Kalamazoo Doubles Champions Alvarez and Johnston Drop Close Match in Debut

You may have noticed that Michael Lewis(no relation) has been contributing interviews to Zootennis during the US Open and, I'm happy to say he will continue to provide articles here throughout the Junior Championships. Michael has been writing about the juniors for the US Open for the World Tennis(ITF) website for several years, but they are not posting daily articles this year, so we hope to pick up the slack here at Zootennis.

We came up with eight questions we're eager to see answered at the US Open Junior Championships this year, with Michael's four first:

1. Can Xinran Sun finally break through? 

It's been a sensational 2026 for the 16-year-old from China. She reached the Roland Garros final before losing to Alisa Oktiabreva of Russia, then competed in the longest Wimbledon girls final ever (2 hours, 23 minutes) before falling to Anna Pushkareva, also of Russia, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Will the third time be the charm for Sun, who is ranked No. 1 in the World Tennis Juniors rankings? She certainly has the game for hardcourts, as she reached the quarters at the other major on this surface, in Australia in January.

2. Can a U.S. male break a decade-long drought? 

It's been since 2015 and Taylor Fritz that an American boy has won his home Slam; two have come close since then, as Emilo Nava (2019) and Learner Tien (in 2023) both reached the finals before losing. This year seems like a great chance to do it, with players like Keaton Hance, Jack Kennedy, Michael Antonius, Jordan Lee and Andrew Johnson all having terrific shots. It's a deep field of international players so it certainly won't be easy. Last year we had two Bulgarian boys in the final, could this year bring an all-USA final like in 2015, when Fritz beat Tommy Paul?

3. Can Guto get his mojo back? 

Brazil's Guto Miguel enters as the world No. 1 junior and seemed destined for immediate stardom after winning Roland Garros with flair and a ton of his home country's fans supporting him. But he lost in the quarterfinals at Roehampton and was stunned in the second round of Wimbledon by American Jack Secord. He reached the semis at a men's Challenger event in Brazil in May, on clay. Can he show that he's dangerous on hard courts as well? His compatriot on the women's side, Victoria Luiza Barros, is ranked No. 4 and also will be a player to watch.

4. Will a college tennis signee grab the title again? 

The path to pro tennis stardom has led more and more through college in recent U.S. Open champions. Joao Fonseca had signed with Virginia before winning the 2023 U.S. Open, and Rafael Jodar went to UVA for a semester after winning the '24 Slam. Katherine Hui was bound for Stanford when she won the 2023 crown. This year there are no shortage of college-bound players, will one of them lift the trophy before lugging textbooks across the quad?

My four questions:

5. Could the unlikely 2024 run of Raphael Jodar be duplicated?

It's rare for all three of the previous slam champions to enter the year's last junior major, but we have that this year in the boys draw, with Ziga Sesko(Australian Open), Guto Miguel(Roland Garros) and Jordan Lee(Wimbledon) all competing in New York. So the remarkable feat of 2024 champion Rafael Jodar, beating all three of the previous junior slam champions to claim the title, is theoretically possible, although obviously not likely for that scenario to play out again.

6.  Can anyone stop Jana Kovackova's doubles reign?

The 16-year-old from Czechia has already made junior history by winning all four girls doubles titles, and has won them in succession since last year's first with sister Alena. Alena was her partner for the second in Australia, before Katerina Zajickova took over for Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Certainly the Penickova twins, Kristina and Annika, who beat the Kovackova sisters en route to their 2025 Australian Open girls title, are a threat to end Jana's streak, with two W35 pro doubles titles this summer.

7. Do warm-up tournaments matter?

Whether is was due to starting college, or US Open qualifying, or lower-level pro events, none of the boys Top 10 seeds played even one of the two J300s in North America to warmup for the US Open Junior Championships.  Although Australian Open champion Ksenia Efremova played both College Park and Repentigny, and Wimbledon champion Anna Pushkareva played College Park, the top two girls seeds, Xinran Sun and Jana Kovackova did not play a warmup event. Sun reached the Wimbledon final without playing a warmup on grass, a much less common surface, so perhaps a warmup tournament is no longer considered as necessary as it once was.

8. Will the USTA ever give the juniors more visibility?

The junior finals are treated as much bigger occasions at the other slams, with the Australian Open using Rod Laver Arena for back-to-back finals, Wimbledon Court One, on consecutive days for the girls and boys finals, and Roland Garros also featuring each final as a separate event on a big court. The US Open has insisted on simultaneous finals for many years now, never on a featured court, which is just baffling to me. Moving to back-to-back finals on Court 17 would be my suggestion; with a little promotion, the junior finals could be events, as they are in Melbourne, Paris and London.

The seeds for the juniors are listed below, as well as the 28 matches featuring Americans scheduled for Sunday.

Boys

1. Guto Miguel(BRA)

2. Jamie Mackenzie(GBR)

3. Michael Antonius(USA)

4. Keaton Hance(USA)

5. Jack Kennedy(USA)

6. Ziga Sesko(SLO)

7. Thilo Behrmann(AUT)

8. Jordan Lee(USA)

9. Yannick Alexandrescou(ROU)

10. Dimitar Kisimov(BUL)

11. Vincent Reisach(GER)

12. Andrew Johnson(USA)

13. Yannik Alvarez(PUR)

14. Mathys Domenc(FRA)

15. Kuan-Shou Chen(TPE)

16. Nicolas Baena(PER)

Girls

1. Xinran Sun(CHN)

2. Jana Kovackova(CZE)

3. Ksenia Efremova(FRA)

4. Victoria Barros(BRA)

5. Anna Pushkareva(RUS)

6. Janae Preston(USA)

7. Mariia Makarova(RUS)

8. Nauhany Leme Da Silva(BRA)

9. Polina Skliar(UKR)

10. Paola Pinera Celorio(ESP)

11. Felitsata Dorofeeva-Rybas(RUS)

12. Sol Ailin Larraya Guida(ARG)

13. Charo Esquiva Banuls(ESP)

14. Kristina Penickova(USA)

15. Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi(IND)

16. Jordyn Hazelitt(USA)

Sunday's US Open Juniors matches featuring Americans

Ryan Cozad v Thilo Behrmann[7](AUT)

Teodor Davidov[WC] v Connor Doig(RSA)

Daniel Malacek[[Q] v Guto Miguel[1](BRA)

Jerrid Gaines Jr.[WC] v Lanta Watanabe(JPN)

Navneet Raghuram[WC] v Kai Thompson{HKG)

Kayden Colombo[WC] v Matei Victor Cheleman[Q](ROU)

Andy Johnson[12] v Arnav Paparkar(IND)

Jack Kennedy[5] v Ryo Tabata(JPN)

Michael Antonius[3] v Leonardo Storck Franca(BRA)

Jordan Lee[8] v Raffaele Ciurnelli(ITA)

Tanishk Konduri v Jakub Kusy(CZE)

Vihaan Reddy v Vincent Reisach[11](GER)

Matias Reyniak[WC] v Jamie Mackenzie[2](GER)

Mason Vaughan[WC] v Daniel Jade(FRA)

Jack Secord v Damir Zhalgasbay(KAZ)

Thara Gowda[WC] v Emily Eigelsbach(GER)

Kristina Penickova[WC][14] v Renee Alame(AUS)

Annika Penickova[WC] v Victoria Barros[4](BRA)

Hannah Ayrault[WC] v Ui Su Jeong(KOR)

Jordyn Hazelitt[16] v LujzaBeviz(HUN)

Allison Wang[WC] v Mariia Makarova[7](RUS)

Emery Combs[WC] v Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi[15](IND)

Natalie Kha[Q] v Sol Ailin Larraya Guidi[12](ARG)

Yael Saffar[Q] v Maia Burcescu(ROU)

Scarlett Fagan[Q] v Ksenia Efremova[3](FRA)

Anita Tu v Clemence Mercier[Q](CAN)

Melije Clarke v Polina Berezina(RUS)

Lani Chang v Jana Kovackova[2](CZE)

Shristi Selvan[WC} v Anna Pushkareva[5](RUS)

It's been a rough day at the US Open for Americans in singles, with only Iva Jovic and Coco Gauff advancing to the fourth round.

Saturday's third round matches featuring Americans:

Francisco Cerundolo[24](ARG) d. Taylor Fritz[9] 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Learner Tien[14] d. Jakub Mensik[17](CZE) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4

Arthur Gea[LL](FRA) d. Michael Zheng[WC] 7-6(7), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Anastasia Potapova[24](AUT) d. Amanda Anisimova[10] 6-2, 7-5 

Coco Gauff[4] d. Cristina Bucsa(ESP) 6-3, 6-4

Iva Jovic[14] d.  Alexandra Eala[17](PHI) 7-5, 3-6, 7-5

Qinwen Zheng[Q](CHN) d. Madison Keys[22] 6-1, 6-7(3), 7-5

Sunday's fourth round matches featuring Americans:

Tommy Paul[20] v Carlos Alcaraz[2](ESP)

Frances Tiafoe[11] v Daniil Medvedev[7]

Alex Michelsen v Tomas Martin Etcheverry[27](ARG)

Ben Shelton[8] v Stefanos Tsitsipas(GRE)

Taylor Townsend v Aryna Sabelenka[1](BLR)

Emma Navarro[26] v Anna Kalinskaya[21](RUS)

Jessica Pegula[3] v Sorana Cirstea[16](ROU)

In the first round of men's doubles, Kalamazoo 18s champions Yannik Alvarez and Noah Johnston lost to Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner of Germany 6-3, 7-6(6).

"Obviously we're disappointed but we have to look at the positives," Alvarez told Michael Lewis after the match. "We were, we had them.' "It's great to see that we're at that level, that if we come back here next year, that we belong," Johnston said.

"We started out strong and the crowd really helped us," Alvarez said. "We enjoyed every second on the court and tried to stay positive."

USTA Collegiate Playoff wild cards Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico of Ohio State will play their second round match against John Peers of Austraila and Marcelo Melo of Brazil Saturday.

August Aces; Four Americans Qualify for US Open Junior Championships; Filin and Carpico Beat Red Hot Brazilian Team in Men's Doubles; Latak Claims First J300 Title in Repentigny, Britton Wins Girls Singles

My monthly look back at the highlights of juniors, collegians and former collegians for August is out today at Tennis Recruiting Network, with 18 players featured, from a Masters 1000 champion to first-time J300 winners. I always learn a lot when researching this article, and I hope it shines a spotlight on those who may not be as famous as Ben Shelton, but still deserve applause for their milestones.

The qualifying for the US Open Junior Championships concluded today at the Cary Leeds Tennis Center in the Bronx, with four Americans earning their spots in the main draw, which begins Sunday.

Wild card Daniel Malacek is the only US boy of the six who began the qualifying to get through, with the Kalamazoo 16s finalist and doubles champion joining doubles partner and Kalamazoo champion Kamil Stolarczyk in the main draw.

Malacek, the 16-year-old from Washington state, defeated No. 11 seed Joshua Adamson of Canada 6-2, 6-3 to qualify for his first junior slam.

Top seed and J300 College Park champion Felix Roussel of Canada, did not qualify. The 18-year-old from Toronto lost to No. 9 seed Peter Ogunsakin of Nigeria 6-3, 6-4. Ogunsakin, 17, lost in the final round of qualifying at Roland Garros, but has now qualified in his last two junior slams.

For the second year in a row, the Japanese high school boys wild card qualified, with Yoshihiro Sakurai hoping to have the same impact as 2025 qualifier Naoto Tomizawa, who beat Keaton Hance in the first round.

Only two girls seeds, of the 16 who started the qualifying, made the main draw: No. 9 seed Marija Lauva of Latvia and No. 3 seed Dusica Popovski of Serbia.

Natalie Kha, who has verbally committed to USC, earned her qualifying wild card as the feed-in champion in the San Diego 18s Nationals and she will make her slam debut after beating Riyo Yoshida of Japan 7-6(4), 6-2.

Yael Saffar won a nearly three-hour, all-USA marathon with No. 14 seed Carrie-Anne Hoo, 7-5, 4-6, 10-5, and alternate Scarlett Fagan defeated No. 10 seed Ireland O'Brien 6-3, 7-5.

Final round US Open Junior qualifying results of Americans:

Ntungamili Raguin[2](BOT) d. Izyan Ahmad[WC] 7-5, 7-6(9)
Francisco Fontes D'Amorim(BRA) d. Tyler Lee[WC] 7-6(5), 0-6, 10-7
Daniel Malacek[WC] d. Joshua Adamson[11](CAN) 6-2, 6-3

Kokona Ishii(JPN) d. Nadia Poznick[WC] 6-0, 6-3

Natalie Kha[WC] d. Riyo Yoshida(JPN) 7-6(4), 6-2

Scarlett Fagan[ALT] d. Ireland O'Brien[10] 6-3, 7-5

Yael Saffar d. Carrie-Anne Hoo[14] 7-5, 4-6, 10-5

Both of the USTA Collegiate Playoff men's wild card winners posted victories at the US Open, with Sebastian Gorzny(TCU, Texas) earning a Top 40 win in his thriller on Monday, and Ohio State's Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico getting an impressive win in their opening men's doubles match. Filin and Carpico were facing the hottest team of the summer in No. 8 seeds Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos of Brazil, who had won both the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters last month. Yet it was the two Buckeyes, channeling the energy of a loud crowd of supporters on Court 7, who held their nerve at the end, getting a break at 5-all and Carpico serving it out after a 30-0 lead became 30-all. An overhead smash by Filin gave the 2025 NCAA doubles finalists a match point, and although Carpico missed his first serve, he made the second, and after a couple of exchanges, Filin executed a surprising but perfect forehand volley for the win.

The pair will play unseeded John Peers(Middle Tennessee, Baylor) of Australia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil in the second round.

The girls 18s National champions in San Diego, Bella Payne(Georgia) and Sara Shumate(Oklahoma) lost to Eri Hozumi of Japan and Andreja Klepac of Slovenia 6-3, 6-0 in women's doubles.

Wild cards Kristina and Annika Penickova lost to six-time women's slam champion Sara Errani of Italy and her partner Lilli Tagger of Austria 7-5, 7-6(3).

Kalamazoo 18s champions Yannik Alvarez and Noah Johnston(Georgia) will play their first round doubles match on Saturday against unseeded Jakub Schnaitter(Azusa Pacific, Wake Forest) and Mark Wallner(Temple, Tennessee) of Germany.

Friday's US Open third round results of Americans:

Jessica Pegula[3] d. Leylah Fernandez[31](CAN) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3

Emma Navarro[26] d. Karolina Muchova[17](CZE) 6-3, 7-5

Taylor Townsend d. Diana Shnaider[15](RUS) 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3

Linda Noskova[6](CZE) d. Ann Li[29] 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2

Ben Shelton[8] d. Denis Shapovalov(CAN) 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4

Tommy Paul[20] d. Alexander Bublik[15](KAZ) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3

Frances Tiafoe[11] d. Valentin Vacherot[22](MON) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

Alex Michelsen d. Daniel Merida(ESP) 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3

Saturday's third round matches featuring Americans:

Taylor Fritz[9] v Francisco Cerundolo[24](ARG)

Learner Tien[14] v Jakub Mensik[17](CZE)

Michael Zheng[WC] v Arthur Gea[LL](FRA)

Amanda Anisimova[10] v Anastasia Potapova[24](AUT)

Coco Gauff[4] v Cristina Bucsa(ESP)

Iva Jovic[14] v Alexandra Eala[17](PHI)

Madison Keys[22] v Qinwen Zheng[Q](CHN)

Marcel Latak won his first World Tennis J300 title this evening in Repentigny Canada, defeating No. 15 seed Rhys Lawlor of Great Britain 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 to avenge his second round loss to Lawlor at the J300 in Roehampton earlier this summer. The unseeded 17-year-old from Chicago's previous best showing at a J300 was reaching the final at the J300 Regional in San Diego in March.

No. 6 seed Daniella Britton won the all-British girls final with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 9 seed Hollie Smart. 

Nine Americans Reach Final Round of US Open Junior Qualifying; Teen Teams Play Friday in Women's Doubles; Zheng Makes Men's Singles Third Round; Latak Advances to J300 Repentigny Boys Final, All-British Girls Final Set for Friday

The first day of the US Open Junior Championships qualifying ended this evening with nine Americans advancing to the final round. Three boys and six girls won their matches today, and at least two US girls will qualify with two all-USA matches Friday.

After play had begun, the USTA sent a press release announcing that two of the courts at the Cary Leeds Tennis Center in the Bronx would have live streaming, which is free at the US Open's YouTube website. Live scoring is available at usopen.org.

The most notable result of the day was courtesy of 14-year-old wild card Nadia Poznick, who beat World Tennis junior No. 69 Pietra Rivoli of Brazil, the top seed in qualifying, 6-1, 6-1. Poznick, the reigning Easter Bowl 14s champion, has played only a handful of World Tennis junior events, but received a wild card as a member of the USA team that competed in the World Tennis 14-and-under team competition last month.

Scarlett Fagan was the 17th American girl to play in qualifying today; she took the place of Alisa Terentyeva of Russia, who played in the girls doubles semifinal today, so has probably received a special exempt spot in the main draw.

US Open Junior first round qualifying results of Americans

GIRLS:
Nadia Poznick[WC] d. Pietra Rivoli[1](BRA) 6-1, 6-1
Kokona Ishii(JPN) d. Nancy Lee[11] 6-3, 4-1 ret.

Siyoen Sim[2](KOR) d. Anya Arora[WC] 6-2, 6-4
Marija Lauva[9](LAT) d. Anna Kapanadze[WC] 7-5, 6-3

Pavla Sviglerova[16](CZE) d. Isabelle DeLuccia 6-2, 4-6, 10-7
Dusica Popovski(SRB) d. Brooke Wallman 7-6(4), 6-1

Scarlett Fagan[ALT] d. Olivia De Los Reyes 6-3, 2-6, 10-7
Ireland O'Brien[10] d. Barbara Kostecka(POL) 7-5, 6-4

Riyo Yoshida d. Maggia Sohns[5] 6-3, 2-6, 10-5
Nathalie Kha[WC] d. Tea Kovacevic[12](BIH) 6-4, 6-2

Clemence Merceier(CAN) d. Sarah Ye[6] 6-3, 6-2
Ran Wakana[13](JPN) d. Kathryn Cragg[WC] 6-1, 6-4

Arina Malygina(RUS) d. Kennedy Drenser-Hagmann[7] 7-6(5), 5-7, 10-8
Marianne Angel[15](MEX) d. Armira Kockinis 1-6, 6-2, 10-8

Yael Saffar d. Camila Rodero Contreras[8](CHI) 6-1, 6-3
Carrie-Ann Hoo[14] d. Yui Kubota[WC](JPN) 6-2, 6-3

BOYS:
Felix Roussel[1](CAN) d. Tomas Laukys[WC] 6-3, 6-2

Izyan Ahmad[WC] d. Xavier Massotte[13] 1-6, 6-4, 10-7

Daniel Malacek[WC] d. Eudald Gonzalez[5](ESP) 3-6, 6-2, 10-6

Matei Victor Chelemen[6](ROU) d. Zen Uehling[WC] 6-0, 6-3

Koki Nara[16] d. Agassi Rusher 6-1, 1-6, 10-1

Tyler Lee[WC] d. Christopher Thiese[14](GER) 6-0, 6-4

There have been a couple of late US Open Junior withdrawals, with Kristina Liutova withdrawing yesterday, with ninth-ranked Zangar Nurlanuly of Kazakhstan also pulling out yesterday. Nurlanuly is the only current Top 20 boy not playing.

Women's doubles began today, with USTA Collegiate Playoff winners DJ Bennett and Ava Esposito of Auburn losing to No. 13 seed Storm Hunter(AUS) and Desirae Krawczyk(Arizona State)[13] 6-0, 6-3. 

Wild cards Reese Brantmeier(UNC) and Savannah Broadus(Pepperidine) lost to top seeds Katerina Siniankova(CZE) and Taylor Townsend 6-2, 6-4.

Tomorrow USTA National 18s champions Bella Payne(Georgia) and Sara Shumate(Oklahoma) will play their first round match against Eri Hozumi(JPN) and Andreja Klepac(SLO).

The Penickova twins, who have won two W35 titles in the past two months, will play Sara Errani(ITA) and Lilli Tagger(AUT).

Men's doubles begins Friday, with USTA Collegiate playoff winners Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico(Ohio State) facing No. 8 seeds Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos of Brazil.

Marcel Latak has reached his second J300 final this week in Repentigny Canada, with the unseeded 17-year-old beating a seed in each of the past four rounds. including today's 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 5 seed Mark Ceban of Great Britain. In the final Friday Latak will face his fifth seeded opponent, No. 15 Rhys Lawlor of Great Britain, who advanced when No. 7 seed Kai Thompson retired at 1-1 in the first set. Lawlor defeated Latak 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the J300 in Roehampton this summer.

A British champion is guaranteed in the girls final, with Hollie Smart, the No. 9 seed, facing No. 6 seed Daniella Britton. Smart defeated No. 4 seed Antonina Sushkova of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4, while Britton advanced when unseeded Andrea Cabio of Canada retired trailing 6-3, 3-0. Britton beat Smart 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 this spring in the final of a J200 in England.

The girls final was not played, with Cabio unable to recover from her injury. She and Camille Allegre gave a walkover to top seed Renee Alame of Australia and Ilary Pistola of Italy. 

In the boys final, No. 3 seeds Lawlor and Ceban defeated top seeds Leonardo Storck Franca and Pedro Chalbagoity of Brazil 6-3, 6-3. Neither boys doubles semifinal was played and only one of the girls doubles semifinals was played.

The second round of the US Open singles is nearly finished, with just two more matches yet to be completed tonight.

Two-time NCAA champion Michael Zheng(Columbia) came back from his first US Open main draw win yesterday to get a second today, beating lucky loser Yunchaokete Bu of China 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Zheng gets another lucky loser in the next round, Arthur Gea of France, who beat Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. If he beats Gea Saturday, Zheng can eclipse Steve Johnson(USC), who won two rounds as a two-time NCAA champion in 2012, but lost to Richard Gasquet of France in the third round.

Americans overall went 15-6 in the second round, with the men 7-3 and the women 8-3.

Thursday's US Open second round results of Americans:

Taylor Fritz[9] d. Matia Bellucci(ITA) 6-0, 6-1, 6-1

Learner Tien[14] d. Gael Monfils(FRA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

Arthur Gea[LL](FRA) d. Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Michael Zheng[WC] d. Yunchaokete Bu[LL](CHN) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3

Coco Gauff[4] d. Paula Badosa(ESP) 6-4, 7-6(5)

Amanda Anisimova[10] d. Lilli Tagger(AUS) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1

Madison Keys[22] d. Anna Bondar(HUN) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5)

Iva Jovic[14] d. Francesca Jones[Q](GBR) 6-4, 6-4

Friday's US Open third round matches featuring Americans:

Jessica Pegula[3] v Leylah Fernandez[31](CAN)

Emma Navarro[26] Karolina Muchova[17](CZE)

Taylor Townsend v Diana Shnaider[15](RUS)

Ann Li[29] v Linda Noskova[6](CZE)

Ben Shelton[8] v Denis Shapovalov(CAN)

Tommy Paul[20] v Alexander Bublik[15](KAZ)

Frances Tiafoe[11] v Valentin Vacherot[22](MON)

Alex Michelsen v Daniel Merida(ESP)

College Park J300 Recap, Videos; Zheng Claims First US Open Main Draw Victory; Junior US Open Wild Cards; 16 Americans Account for Half of Girls Qualifying Spots; Latak Reaches J300 Repentigny Semifinals

My recap of the World Tennis J300 tournament in College Park for Tennis Recruiting Network is available today, which condenses my week-long coverage into one article about the major warmup event for the US Open Junior Championships.

Videos of the singles finals are below; a full replay of both singles finals, with additional coverage of the doubles finals, can be found at the Cracked Racquets YouTube channel.

At the US Open today, there was more rain, but that didn't stop

two-time NCAA champion Michael Zheng from doubling the number of NCAA wild card winners advancing to the second round since 2012, although his wild card was not a result of his November 2025 NCAA singles title. Zheng, who graduated from Columbia in May, decided not to compete in the USTA's US Open Collegiate Playoff (he discusses his reason for skipping it in this conversation I had with him in July) but the fact that he qualified for all three slams this year made him an obvious choice for a US Open main draw wild card.

In the first slam where Zheng was not required to qualify, he easily defeated Fabian Marozsan of Hungary 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in a first round match that was scheduled for Tuesday but postponed until today due to rain. Zheng's win over Marozsan in the first round at Cincinnati went to a third-set tiebreaker, so the level Zheng brought today, with 33 winners and 17 unforced errors, is a testament to the comfort level he beginning to feel at slams, especially after reaching the third round at Wimbledon.

"Getting to the third round, knowing that I can compete with some of the top players in the world definitely helps," Zheng said in his press conference, attended by Michael Lewis and other reporters. "So I think just having those experiences definitely helped with the nerves, with everything today."

Zheng and Marozsan were playing on Court 10, one of the smaller outer courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, but Zheng saw that as an asset.

"Yeah, it was amazing," Zheng said when asked about the atmosphere. "I got, I would say, a solid court, but you know, one of the smaller courts, and I think that just made it better. It was
pretty much packed, and the energy was through the roof, so it was amazing.

"Coach Howie (Endelman) was there, a lot of alums that came out to watch," Zheng said. "But yeah, it just felt like a college tennis match, really. You know, Howie, I think, and his brother, really turned it into a college atmosphere. My teammates came out. They had the, 'let's go, Michael' chants and I'm not sure my opponent was ready for it, but that's just the college tennis atmosphere, and you rarely see so many people come out to college tennis match like today on one court, so to have that energy on one court was super special."

Because the match was postponed until today, Zheng will be back for his second round tomorrow, where he will play lucky loser Yunchaokete Bu of China, who shocked No. 12 seed Rafael Jodar(Virginia) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 in another first round match pushed from Tuesday to today. Many college fans were hoping to see Jodar vs Zheng, which did not happen in Jodar's sole semester at Virginia in 2025, but that will have to wait.

Sebastian Gorzny, the Texas graduate who won the USTA's US Open Collegiate Playoff in Zheng's absence, also got a first round victory Monday, saving five match points to beat Raphael Collignon of Belgium 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(9). He was not as competitive in his second round encounter today with No. 7 seed  Daniil Medvedev, falling 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, but Gorzny was encouraged by the 2021 US Open champion's comments when they shook hands.

"He was really nice. He told me, 'great match,'" Gorzny told Michael Lewis. "He said you have a great game, you should go pro. It was really nice to hear that from him, that he believed I was good enough."

Although Gorzny said he thinks he will have another year of eligibility in college, he is not currently planning to return.

"I'm not going to school in the fall for sure," Gorzny said. "I'll play futures, challengers, I'm planning on pro."

As for his four days at the US Open, Gorzny couldn't be more pleased.  

"It's been amazing. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. Was really struggling last year, then kind of turned it around. Had a decent summer, won the playoff. There's been learning and growing every single week. The first match, couldn't have painted a better first match, no matter how I dreamed of it happening. Today, getting to play on Armstrong, against a Grand Slam champion like Meddy, is just a great experience and something I'll learn from, and keep in the memory bank."

Wednesday's US Open first and second round results of Americans:

Daniil Medvedev[7](RUS) d. Sebastian Gorzny[WC] 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 

Frances Tiafoe[11] d. Rei Sakamoto[Q](JPN) 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-5

Ben Shelton[8] d. Hubert Hurkacz(POL) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5

Alex Michelsen d. Brandon Nakashima[16] 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 

Tommy Paul[20] d. Dino Prizmic(CRO) 6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4

Michael Zheng[WC] d. Fabian Marozsan(HUN) (rd 1 moved from Tuesday) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Zachary Svajda d. Daniel Altmaier(GER)(rd 1 moved from Tuesday) 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2

Ignacio Buse[32](PER) d. Marcos Giron 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 6-7(6), 6-1 (rd 1 moved from Tuesday)

Jessica Pegula[3] d. Sofia Kenin[WC] 6-3, 6-1

Marta Kostyuk[11](UKR) d. Sloane Stephens[WC] 6-1, 7-5

Emma Navarro[26] d. Caty McNally 3-6, 6-2, 6-3

Ann Li[29] d. Donna Vekic(CRO) 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4

Taylor Townsend d. Taylah Preston[WC](AUS) 6-1, 6-1

Iva Jovic[14] d. Magdalena Frech(POL) 7-5, 6-3 (rd 1 postponed from Tuesday)

Thursday's US Open second round matches featuring Americans:

Taylor Fritz[9] v Matia Bellucci(ITA)

Learner Tien[14] v Gael Monfils(FRA)

Zachary Svajda v Arthur Gea[LL](FRA)

Michael Zheng[WC] v Yunchaokete Bu[LL](CHN)

Coco Gauff[4] v Paula Badosa(ESP)

Amanda Anisimova[10] v Lilli Tagger(AUS)

Madison Keys[22] v Anna Bondar(HUN)

Iva Jovic[14] v Francesca Jones[Q](GBR)

Americans went 21-20 in first round matches over the past four days, with the men having a 10-8 record and the women 11-12.

With the US Open Junior Championships qualifying beginning tomorrow at Cary Leeds Tennis Center in the Bronx, the USTA has provided me with the main draw wild cards for the US Open Junior Championships, which often change at the last minute when players move into the main draw or receive special exemptions from their performance in Canada.

Boys:

Kamil Stolarcyzk

Safir Azam

Navneet Raghuram

Teodor Davidov

Jerrid Gaines Jr

Matias Reyniak

Kayden Colombo

Mason Vaughan

Girls:

Shristi Selvan

Kristina Penickova

Annika Penickova

Hannah Ayrault

Emery Combs

Allison Wang

Isha Manchala

Thara Gowda

Marcel Latak was expected to receive a main draw wild card given his ranking and his position in qualifying, but he has advanced to the semifinals of the J300 in Repentigny, so he will receive a special exempt entry, freeing up a wild card for Raghuram.

Latak defeated No. 6 seed Simone Massellani of Italy 7-5, 6-3 today and will play No. 5 seed Mark Ceban of Great Britain in the semifinals. Great Britain's Rhys Lawlor, the No. 15 seed, is also in line for a special exemption into the main draw after beating No. 8 seed Kanta Watanabe of Japan 7-6(5), 6-1. He will play No. 7 seed Kai Thompson of Hong Kong, who beat No. 3 seed Tito Chavez 7-6(7), 0-6, 6-1.

Camille Allegre and Canada's Andrea Cabio got a walkover in the doubles semifinal today from No. 5 seeds Daniella Britton, a singles semifinalist from Great Britain, and Anna Pircher of Austria. They are awaiting their opponents, who play later tonight. The unseeded Cabio will play Britton in one girls semifinal; No. 4 seed Antonina Sushkova of Ukraine plays No. 9 seed Hollie Smart in the other girls singles semifinal.

Half of the competitors in the girls qualifying draw for the US Open Junior Championships are Americans, with all 16 first round qualifying matches Thursday featuring a US girl.

Qualifying wild cards were given to the two 14-year-old girls who played on the USA World Tennis team competition in Czechia last month: Nadia Poznick and Anna Kapanadze, while the third member of the team, Wimbledon 14-and-under champion Isha Manchala receiving a main draw wild card. The other girls qualifying wild cards went to Anya Arora, Kathyrn Cragg and Natalie Kha, who won hers as the fifth-place finisher in the 18s in San Diego. The sixth wild card always goes to a Japanese high school player, this year it is Yui Kubota. Five of the 16 US girls in the draw are seeded; Pietra Rivoli of Brazil, No. 69 in the current WT junior rankings, is the top seed.

American boys are much more scarce in US Open Junior qualifying, with only six of the 32 players in the draw from the United States. Five are wild cards: Tomas Laukys, Izyan Ahmad, Daniel Malacek, Zen Uehling and Tyler Lee. The sixth American, in by his ranking, is Agassi Rusher. The Japanese high school wild card is Yoshihiro Sakurai.

College Park J300 champion Felix Roussel of Canada is the top seed in boys qualifying ,with his career-high junior ranking this week at 46. 

Matches begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, with live scoring available on the US Open website.

San Diego Champion Frodin Vows to Learn from US Open Loss; Fritz Beats Blanch; Collegiate Wild Card Brantmeier Drops First Round Match on Rain Marred Tuesday; Top Seeds Fall at Repentigny J300

After Thea Frodin won the USTA National 18s title last month in San Diego she was asked if she would rather face a qualifier on an outside court or a seed on Ashe at the US Open and she replied: "I'm going with seeded player on Arthur Ashe. I want it all. Bring it on!"

When she was drawn to play WTA No. 2 and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, ten years her senior, that scenario was a possibility. Rather than Ashe, however, their match was played on the Grandstand, and while Frodin showed flashes of her San Diego form, Rybakina won comfortably, 6-3, 6-2.

Frodin made her biggest impression when the match was all but over, serving at 1-5, 15-40 in the second set. Frodin hit five aces in the game, saving all three match points she faced, and ended the match with 11 aces to six for Rybakina, who is often cited as having the most dominant serve in women's tennis, Frodin only got 44 percent of her first serves in however, and was at a disadvantage in the rallies.

The 17-year-old from Southern California had come to New York with the irresistible story of being the tennis body double for a young Serena Williams in the 2021 move King Richard. (For more details on her experience during filming, see this article from the USTA Southern California website.) So, despite her loss today, she did get the main interview room for her press conference, which is extremely rare for a junior, and unheard of for one who lost her first round match.  But it gave her an opportunity to express how she viewed facing such a daunting opponent.

"Yeah, I mean, obviously I had a tough first round. Rybakina is a great player. I tried going out there to see what it would be like just to, I guess, feel no pressure, just go out there and have a fun time. I feel like that's what I accomplished, and obviously I have a lot to learn, but I'm excited with most of the things I did out there. Yeah, I'm excited to, I guess, experience this more times, hopefully."

When asked if she was considering college tennis as an option she said:

"Yeah, I mean, I think I'm trying to just finish high school, see where the rest of this year takes me. I'm not rushing into kind of making a decision with all that. I would say my answer to that is just I'm taking this year and next year to finish high school and then see where I am then."

Frodin will turn 18 this December, but with the new five-in-five NCAA eligibility there is little urgency to make that decision now.

She also confirmed that she is planning to play the US Open Junior Championships, which begin Sunday.

Last year's Kalamazoo 18s champion Darwin Blanch, who received a main draw wild card again this year, did get the seed on Arthur Ashe that Frodin was hoping for. But against 2024 US Open finalist and No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz, Blanch's experience was similar, with Fritz coasting to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win. That match went on as scheduled because it was in Ashe, but rain was a problem throughout today, with seven men's first round matches moved to Wednesday after more rain in the evening. Another shower after 9:30 p.m. postponed seven more matches that were in progress, including Iva Jovic's match.

USTA Collegiate Playoff winner Reese Brantmeier, who finished her illustrious career at North Carolina in May, did play outside this afternoon without disruption, but she too was unable to take a set, losing to Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4.

Brantmeier, who received a women's doubles wild card with Savannah Broadus(Pepperdine) and will face top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katarina Siniakova in the first round, was not happy with her execution today, as she told Michael Lewis after the match.

"Yeah, obviously she plays a little bit of an unconventional style, so that's a challenge in itself. That's not kind of the way that you practice often, but I did know that going in, and I definitely think I had my opportunities. But that is kind of what these early stages of my pro career are for, is getting those chances and getting comfortable at that level.

 
So, obviously disappointed with how I executed in a lot of those moments today. Obviously I would have loved to make a run in my first appearance here. But like, it's not necessarily the expectation. So I'm just trying to take away the learning opportunities from it."

No NCAA women's wild card recipient has won a match at the US Open since Bea Bielik of Wake Forest reached the third round in 2002.

Tuesday's US Open first round results of Americans:

Madison Keys[22] d. Alina Korneeva(RUS) 7-5, 6-4
Coco Gauff[4] d. Zeynep Sonmez(TUR) 6-3, 6-4
Alexandra Eala[17](PHI) d. Mary Stoiana[Q] 6-1, 6-2
Elena Rybakina[2](KAZ) d. Thea Frodin[WC] 6-3, 6-2
Iva Jovic[14] v Magdalena Frech(POL) 4-4, postponed until Wednesday
Maria Sakkari[32](GRE) d. Robin Montgomery[Q] 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
Oleksandra Oliynykova(UKR) d. Reese Brantmeier[WC] 6-4, 6-4

Taylor Fritz[9] d. Darwin Blanch[WC] 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Tristan Schoolkate[Q](AUS) d. Nishesh Basavareddy[Q] 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Michael Zheng[WC] v Fabian Marozsan(HUN) (moved to Wednesday)

Zachary Svajda v Daniel Altmaier(GER)(moved to Wednesday)

Marcos Giron v Ignacio Buse[32](PER)(moved to Wednesdsay)

Wednesday's US Open second/first round matches featuring Americans:

Sebastian Gorzny[WC] v Daniil Medvedev[7](RUS)

Frances Tiafoe[11] v Rei Sakamoto[Q](JPN)

Ben Shelton[8] v Hubert Hurkacz(POL)

Brandon Nakashima[16] v Alex Michelsen

Tommy Paul[20] v Dino Prizmic(CRO)

Michael Zheng[WC] v Fabian Marozsan(HUN) (moved from Tuesday)

Zachary Svajda v Daniel Altmaier(GER)(moved from Tuesday)

Marcos Giron v Ignacio Buse[32](PER)(moved from Tuesday)

Jessica Pegula[3] v Sofia Kenin[WC]

Sloane Stephens[WC] v Marta Kostyuk[11](UKR)

Emma Navarro[26] v Caty McNally

Ann Li[29] v Donna Vekic(CRO)

Taylor Townsend v Taylah Preston[WC](AUS)

Iva Jovic[14] v Magdalena Frech(POL) 4-4, postponed from Tuesday

Both top seeds lost in today's third round at the J300 in Repentigny Canada. No. 14 seed Valentin Gonzalez-Galino of Spain defeated No. 1 seed Leonardo Storck Franco of Brazil 6-3, 6-1 and unseeded Masa Jankovic of Serbia beat Australian Open girls champion Ksenia Efremova of France 6-4, 7-6(9).

No. 16 seed Nancy Lee, who reached the quarterfinals yesterday, and unseeded Marcel Latak, who beat No. 16 seed Rihards Neimanis of Latvia 7-5, 7-6(2) today, are the only two Americans left in singles.

Latak and Spain's Tito Chavez, the No. 7 seeds, are through to the boys doubles semifinals, and unseeded Camille Allegre and Canada's Andrea Cabio are through to the girls doubles semifinals.