Unseeded Clarke and Latak Reach US Open Singles Semifinals; Top Seed Miguel Saves Three Match Points in Third Set Tiebreaker to Win Battle of Junior Slam Champions; Top Two Seeds Advance in Girls Singles

©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--
Flushing Meadows NY--

Marcel Latak and Melije Clarke, two unseeded 17-year-olds from the United States, are relatively inexperienced at the highest level of the World Tennis junior circuit compared to the other competitors this week at the US Open Junior Championships. But that hasn't kept them from reaching their first junior slam semifinals with impressive wins today at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Latak is playing in just his second main draw in a junior slam, with his first last year here in New York courtesy of the wild card the Kalamazoo 16s champion receives. After a lackluster summer, Latak has caught fire the past two weeks, winning the J300 in Repentigny Canada last week and beating both 2026 Australian Open boys finalists this week New York.

His tenth consecutive win came today against No. 4 seed Keaton Hance, with Latak earning his second straight victory, this one by a 6-4, 6-4 score, in the confines of Louis Armstrong Stadium.

"It's been crazy", Latak said. "If you told me before coming into this tournament that you're going to play on Armstrong twice, I would not be able to sleep, at all. But I've got to stop looking at the big board, because when I look at a point, I say 'wow', I'm playing so good."

Hance no doubt would agree, with Latak hitting his inside in forehand, a shot he said he's been working on with coach Christian Groh at his San Diego training base, consistently for winners, complementing his widely admired backhand. 

The only wobble Latak showed came serving for the match at 5-4 40-0, when several unforced errors gave Hance a chance to claw his way back in the match. But Latak hit a forehand winner to earn a fourth match point, only to make another unforced error, but an ace to reach a fifth match point allowed him to relax.

"I didn't really feel nervous until 40-0," said Chicago area resident, who had suffered a couple of painful losses when serving for the match last month. "Then I shanked a few balls and it didn't look good. The goal was to just go body to make some first serves, but I said 'I'm just going to go for it' and I ended up hitting an ace. That really helped me, because I could breathe for a second."

Latak made his first serve on match point No. 5 and when Hance's return sailed long, Latak tossed his racquet aside and raised his arms in triumph.

"It's hard to say something, just shock a little bit," Latak said of the prospect of playing in the semifinals of a junior slam after never winning a match at that level before this week. "But I feel proud that I was able to stick in."

Latak will face No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie of Germany, who trailed No. 5 seed Jack Kennedy 6-4, 3-1 before winning nine straight games and holding on for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory, his first in three meetings with the 18-year-old New Yorker.

"The match changed as soon as he realized I started playing a different way," said the TCU freshman, who moved to Germany from New Zealand at age 12 to improve his tennis prospects. "And he started thinking, started making a lot of mistakes for his level."

Kennedy, with the crowd solidly behind him, got one of the breaks back for 4-2, but Mackenzie kept calm, broke Kennedy again with a sizzling backhand winner and relied on his serve in the final game. Although he faced a break point, Mackenzie came up with big serves when he needed them, including two aces, one on match point.

"Thank God I served well there," said the 2026 Roland Garros doubles champion, who has reached his first junior slam semifinal in singles with the win. "Break point down, to hit an ace and two unreturnables was important for me. I didn't want to have to serve that one out again."

Surviving three match points against him, and a bout of cramps that struck during the final points of the nearly-three hour match, No.1 seed Guto Miguel outlasted American and No. 6 seed Jordan, Lee, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (13-11).

The final set had more twists and turns than San Francisco’s Lombard Street. Miguel, the Roland Garros champ, broke serve in the second game and jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

Lee, the Wimbledon champion, went down 5-2 and it looked like the match was just about over.

But the Florida 16-year-old staged a stirring rally, breaking serve at 5-3 and then holding to 5-all, throwing his fist in the air and exhorting the crowd after his last service point.

Both players then held to set up a dramatic 10-point tiebreak. Lee blasted a beautiful backhand down the line to get to 7-all in the tiebreak, and after Lee took the lead with a backhand volley winner, Guto came up limping and was hopping around in the backcourt with what looked like cramps.

Lee got to match point at 9-8, but Guto blasted a forehand crosscourt winner to save it. At 9-10, Guto saved another match point when his serve ticked the tape and induced a Lee error.
A third match point for Lee was erased by a Guto net charge and overheard smash. Finally at 12-11, Guto had his first chance to win, and a Lee backhand sailed into the net.

The Brazilian collapsed in relief and shook his arms in joy while lying on his back before getting up to hug his opponent.

Miguel was requested for required post-match interviews by both U.S. and Brazilian media, and US Open officials told the press that he would do his interviews after his doubles match later, which is often the case.

However, possibly due to fatigue, Miguel and partner Ziga Sesko withdrew from their doubles match, giving a walkover to Latak and partner Tanishk Konduri. US Open and World Tennis officials did not make any arrangements to have him fulfill his media obligations, saying he had left the tournament grounds.

Miguel’s opponent in Friday’s semifinal is seventh-seeded Austrian Thilo Behrmann, a soft-spoken 18-year-old who makes plenty of noise on the court. Behrmann, who said his body was still fatigued from a tough third-round win over American No. 12 seed Andy Johnson, battled through Italy’s unseeded Simone Massellani, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

“I was feeling a bit from the match yesterday, a bit tired, but I just kept fighting and then in the second and third sets I started playing better, and then he gave me some things.”

Behrmann said he attacked Massellani’s forehand more and more as the match went on, “and that’s what gave me a lot of points.”

Behrmann and Miguel met in the Roland Garros quarterfinals this year, with Miguel managing a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 victory.

“It was very close, so it’s definitely going to be very tough tomorrow,” Behrmann said.

Behrmann said he’s been coached in Austria for several years by Wolfgang Thiem, father of 2020 U.S. Open men’s singles winner Dominic Thiem.

Clarke also has a famous name on her coaching team, with US Open and Wimbledon semifinalist Lori McNeil mentoring her. Clarke, who defeated No. 8 seed Nana Leme Da Silva of Brazil 6-3, 5-6, 6-3 today in her first junior slam quarterfinal, said McNeil has been emphasizing the process of improving.

"It's mainly keep your head down, keep working, no matter what's happening," Clarke said. "If you continue to work hard every day, it will eventually translate, even if you don't see it right in the moment. Just keep doing what you're doing, keep being disciplined and it will all come when it's ready."

Clarke was up a set and 4-2 before Leme Da Silva began to connect more regularly on her big groundstrokes.

"She definitely rushed me a lot," Clarke said of the latter stages of the second set. "She takes advantage of her serve plus-one, so it was just about digging out the first couple of balls and assert my dominance later in the rally. But she started playing a little bit more confidently and I started being a little bit more passive."

Most players dodge the expectations question, but Clarke admitted she had a goal as she approached her fourth junior slam.

"I was like, I'm going to do better than I've done at the other ones," said Clarke, who reached the third round at Wimbledon, losing to eventual champion Anna Pushkareva in three sets. "I'm going to improve and show that I can do this. Not only to myself, but to everyone else, that I deserve to be in a spot like this."

That spot will be against World Junior No. 1 and finalist in the last two junior slams, Xinran Sun of China, who defeated No. 7 seed Mariia Makarova of Russia 7-6(2), 6-1 in today's first match on Court 17. Sun, the only girl still alive in both singles and doubles, had to rally from a 5-2 first-set deficit to defeat No. 7 Mariia Makarova in straight sets, saving six set points in the 66-minute opening set.

After a medical timeout at 5-2, Sun's rally began.

“A week before the tournament started I had some right knee pain, from changing from clay to hardcourt so quickly,” said Sun, who did not play a hardcourt warmup event. “But after I was down 2-5, I just said, ‘okay, we just focus on each point. I cannot think about the pain.'’’

Sun and Clarke will be playing for the first time Friday.

One of the girls quarterfinals was much shorter than the others. No. 2 seed Jana Kovackova, of Czechia, won the first set over American No. 6 seed Janae Preston, 6-2.

At the end of the set, Preston took a bathroom break and saw a trainer between sets.

After four minutes, the trainer, not Preston, returned to the court and told the chair umpire that Preston couldn’t continue.

Yesterday, during her win over Polina Skliar, Preston got sick on the court at the end of the first set tiebreaker, but after a medical timeout, was able to recover and win the set, and the match.

“I didn’t know there was anything wrong with her, I couldn’t tell,” Kovackova said.

The Czech teen said she was “so mad” after her doubles loss on Wednesday, but played well on Thursday to advance to her second Slam singles semifinal of the year.

“I think I played better than the matches before,” Kovackova said.

Still, much like she did on Wednesday, she downplayed her chances of winning the U.S. Open singles title.

“I’m not going to win,” she repeated with a laugh on Thursday. “But we will see.”

Kovackova will play in the semis against Wimbledon champion Anna Pushkareva, who turned back 14-year-old fellow Russian Ekaterina Dotsenko, 6-4, 6-0 to reach her second semi of the slam year.

After Pushkareva lost her doubles match, she was all smiles and giddy enthusiasm about playing in another junior slam semifinal.

“I have such special feelings to play here because New York is a really beautiful city and there’s a really special energy and it’s my first time ever here and I’m so excited to be here,” Pushkareva said, all in one breath. “Today I played good and just tried to focus on the ball and do what I do every day, I know she’s a really good player and I was able to do really good.”

Pushkareva had a very funny reaction when asked if her life had changed since winning Wimbledon.

“Before I won Wimbledon I think, yeah, if I will win Wimbledon I will wake up every morning and I will think about how I’m Wimbledon champion, and I don’t need to get out of bed, I don’t need to have practices, I’m already the Wimbledon champion,” she said. “And the reality was, you’re still just a tennis player. Maybe a little more attention, more cameras, but it’s not really changed much in my life.”

Pushkareva and Kovackova have not played on the World Tennis junior circuit, but Kovackova posted a win over Pushkareva at the Tennis Europe Masters 14s in 2023.

The boys doubles final Saturday will feature at least one American, with Latak and Konduri facing Safir Azam and Kazakhstan's Damir Zhalgasbay in Friday's semifinal. Latak and Konduri received the walkover from Wimbledon champions Sesko and Miguel and Zhalgasbay and Azam defeated Yannik Alvarez of Puerto Rico and Ryan Cozad despite losing an epic second set tiebreaker, 6-3, 6-7(14), 10-6.

The other semifinal features two more unseeded teams: Aaron Gabet of France and Valentin Gonzalez-Galino of Spain against Mark Ceban and Rhys Lawlor of Great Britain. Gabet and Gonzalez-Galino defeated wild cards Daniel Malacek and Kamil Stolarczyk of the United States 2-6, 6-3, 10-7 and Ceban and Lawlor beat Ameicans Vihaan Reddy and Mason Vaughan 6-3, 6-3.

Unseeded wild cards Kristina and Annika Penickova defeated No. 8 seeds Alyssa James of Jamaica and Polina Skliar of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4 in today's quarterfinals and will face giant-killers Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi and Antonina Sushkova of Ukraine in the semifinals. Rajeshwaran and Sushkova, who dealt Kovackova her first junior slam doubles defeat of the year yesterday, beat No. 4 seeds Pushkareva and Felitsata Dorofeeva-Rybas of Russia 6-4, 6-4.

Top seeds Makarova and Sun ended the run of singles qualifiers Natalie Kha of the United States and Kokona Ishii of Japan 6-4, 6-3 and will play unseeded Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva of Russia, who beat Renee Alame of Australia and American Thea Frodin 6-0, 7-6(3).

Makarova and Sun are the only seeded doubles team both doubles semifinals.

In the US Open men's doubles semfinals today,  No. 5 seeds Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski(LSU) of Great Britain defeated top seeds Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten(UNC-Asheville) of Great Britain 7-6(4), 6-2. Tim Puetz(Auburn) and Kevin Krawietz of Germany defeated Rajeev Ram(Illinois) and Great Britain's Joe Salisbury(Memphis) 6-3, 6-4.

The women's doubles final, which, like three of the four junior semifinals, is at noon Friday, will feature top seeds Taylor Townsend and Czechia's Katerina Siniakova against the wild card team of Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger. 

The women's final will not feature an American, as top seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 and Elena Rybakina beat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Four US Boys, Two US Girls Reach US Open Junior Championships Quarterfinals; Last Two Boys Junior Slam Champions Face Off Thursday; Kovackova's Historic Doubles Run Ends; Gauff Advances to Semifinals; Montgomery and Krueger Storm Back to Make Women's Doubles Final

©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--
Flushing Meadows NY--

Marcel Latak had no trouble exceeding his own expectations at this U.S. Open.

That’s because he had none.

The 17-year-old Chicago native who has verbally committed to Stanford for 2027, is thrilled to be in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open boys singles draw, but he didn’t expect to be here.

“It’s surreal. I can’t even find the right words right now. It’s so… wow,” Latak said, an enormous grin spreading across his face. Coming into this tournament, I had zero expectations. Maybe just like, go one round further than last year (where he lost in the first round). It was just about putting up a fight.”

Latak has played exceptionally well so far this week; the No. 41 ranked junior has won all six sets of singles he’s played and knocked off two Top 10 seeds, including No. 10 Dimitar Kisimov, whom he defeated 6-3, 6-3 in 53 minutes to reach his first junior slam quarterfinal.

He also got to play on Armstrong Stadium Wednesday, which he found less intimidating than he might have after hitting with Tommy Paul on Ashe before Paul faced Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round Sunday.

"It helped me so much, because I'd already hit in a huge stadium, so going into another stadium, I felt like that's normal," said Latak, who has now won nine straight matches after taking his first J300 title in Canada last week. And it's not even as big (as Ashe), so I felt pretty good about it."

And one of the perks of playing on Armstrong was a chance to relive several of the 19 winners he recorded today. "I would see a good point and I’d look up at the giant screens to see the replay," Latak said.

No. 5 seed Jack Kennedy also has been able to see a dream come true. Having played on Armstrong the past two days, he has twice been asked to perform the winner's task of hitting balls into the crowd after his on-court interview.

"This is something I visualized in my living room as a four-year-old kid, trying to do that," said Kennedy, who defeated unseeded Jack Secord for the second time in a month, this time by a 6-0, 6-4 score. "To be able to have that experience, to be able to do that on a big stage in front of crowd, it's really, really special and a dream come true."

Kennedy had beaten Secord in the 18s semifinals of Kalamazoo last month 6-3, 6-1, so there was some deja vu despite a vastly different atmosphere.

"It did feel a little bit similar," said the 18-year-old from Long Island, who has the advantage of staying at home while he commutes to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for his three-week stretch here. "I felt my game and my level was steadily there and I think he had a good amount more unforced errors than I did, which was part of the game plan. Just stay solid, not force the issue too much, but if you have the shot go for it. But I had to stay disciplined, play physical out of the corners and just dictate the points."

Kennedy's opponent in the quarterfinal is No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie of Germany, who defeated unseeded Connor Doig of South Africa 6-3, 6-3 Wednesday.

Kennedy knows the TCU freshman won't have forgotten their last meeting, also in a quarterfinal, at the Orange Bowl in December.

"I came back from a set, 3-1 and 15-40," Kennedy recalled. "I was about to go down double break in the second. I still, to this day, don't know how I came back, to be honest. He was hitting his kick serves out of the court and was hitting his forehand like an absolute rocket. We've known each other for years, played in the Junior Orange Bowl 14s one year, and he's a really great kid and has a big game."

Latak's opponent Thursday will be No. 4 seed Keaton Hance, who has reached the Australian Open final and the Roland Garros semifinals this year. But despite both being among the top juniors in the country for years, they have never met.

"I don't know how I've never played him," said the 18-year-old from Southern California."I've seen him in a lot of terms but I've never seen him near me in a draw."

Hance's 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over unseeded Kirill Filaretov of Russia today was highlighted by a momentum changing tweener winner at a crucial stage of the second set.

"It was huge point at 4-3 (Filaretov serving) at 15-all," Hance said. "It was a tough one, because I came to the net and he was at the net. It was a really fast volley that came at me, at my feet. I didn't have any time to really get out of the way, so I kind jumped up." with the racquet between his legs, Hance guided it past Filaretov and rode that momentum to a break and hold for the set.

"There's a lot of luck involved, for sure, but pretty much the whole court was open, so if I can just make it over I have a chance," Hance said. "But I'll take it."

Hance went up 2-0 in the third and with 14 more conventional winners in that set, didn't give Filaretov any hope of a comeback.

The fourth American boy to reach the quarterfinals is No. 8 seed Jordan Lee, who defeated unseeded Daniel Jade of France 6-3, 6-4 in the last singles match of the day.

When draws come out before a tournament, certain matchups look tantalizing but you never know if they’re going to happen.

Fortunately in the boys draw, a matchup many were anticipating is happening: A meeting of the last two Grand Slam singles winners. Roland Garros champ and No.1 seed here Guto Miguel and Wimbledon champ Jordan Lee will face off with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

The two have played once before, in Roehampton on grass in July, with the Brazilian coming out on top, 6-4, 6-4.

“It's gonna be a fun match,” Lee said Wednesday evening,. “We know each other pretty well. I think it's a match we both have been looking forward to.”

Lee, asked what he learned from playing Miguel several weeks ago, made a pretty revealing statement.

“It was the first match I’ve played where I was genuinely under pressure, pretty much ever,” Lee said, clarifying that he meant ball pressure, not expectations pressure.

The winner of the Miguel-Lee match will face the winner of Thilo Behrmann-Simone Massellani match, the other quarterfinal on that side of the draw.

The seventh-seeded Behrmann came back to defeat No. 12 seed Andy Johnson 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, while Massellani beat unseeded Tanishk Konduri 7-6(1), 6-2, his second win over the American in the past two weeks.

Two US girls have advanced, with unseeded Melije Clarke reaching her first junior slam quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-3 win over unseeded Ruien Zhang of China, who had beaten No. 3 seed and Australian Open girls champion Ksenia Efremova of France in the second round.

Clarke had struggled to close out No. 13 seed Charo Esquiva Banuls of Spain in the second round yesterday, failing to serve it out at 5-4, and 6-5 in her 6-4, 7-6(3) victory.

Today on Grandstand, Clarke had no such trouble, hitting an ace on her first match point serving at 5-3.

"I had to trust myself and just have a little more belief in my game," said the 17-year-old from Texas. "In my last match I was frantic, playing a little unsure, making a lot of unforced errors. Today I was just focused on keeping it simple and not overthinking it. Sealing it with an ace and not a double fault is nice."

Clarke, who made the round of 16 at Wimbledon, said the fast courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center suit her game.

"I like the fast courts," Clarke said. "I think it helps carry my serve and my plus-one is really effective. I've always liked playing on faster courts, I did well at Wimbledon, so yeah, I like these courts a lot.

Clarke will face No. 8 seed Nana Leme Da Silva of Brazil, who defeated No. 11 seed Felisata Dorofeeva-Rybas of Russia 6-2, 6-4.

The other American girl in the quarterfinals is No. 6 seed and Wimbledon semifinalist Janae Preston, who survived a bout of on-court sickness at a most inopportune time. Preston, a 16-year-old from Nevada, was having an intense first set battle with No. 9 seed Polina Skliar of Ukraine, lasting 75 minutes. After winning a long rally at 10-all in the tiebreak, Preston suffered an upset stomach on a humid day in New York and vomited in the back of the court.

After a 10-minute medical timeout and a court cleanup, Preston won the set on her eighth set point. She then had a much easier time in the second set, winning 7-6(10), 6-3 to advance to a meeting with No. 2 seed Jana Kovackova of Czechia, who beat qualifier Arina Malygina of Russia 6-3, 6-4.

Kovackova has the consolation of a quarterfinal appearance in singles, but her unprecedented run in doubles came to an end today when she and partner Katerina Zajickova lost to Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi of India and Antonina Sushkova of Ukraine came back to post a 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 victory.

Kovackova is the only junior girl to ever win all four junior slam titles, a streak that began last September here at the Open with older sister Alena, and extended through the sisters' title at the Australian Open, and Jana's Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles with Zajickova.

Sushkova and Rajeshwaran Revathi had played only one tournament as a team before this one, losing their first match at last month's J300 in College Park. But they have already seen, in their two matches in New York, how they complement one another.

"She's brings a great energy on court and that is something I haven't seen with a lot of players I've played with," said Rajeshwaran Revathi. "Same for me, same for me," Sushkova said. "Sometimes I just need to breathe and Maaya's coming to me saying 'take some time, ok we have to get this one right now.' When she says it, we win the point, so there is magic."

Sushkova and Rajeshwaran Revathi said they were not intimidated by all the history Kovackova has made.

"We were not afraid, not afraid at all," Rajeshwaran Revathi said. "We just wanted to play our best and see how it goes." "Just because they are grand slam champions, there is nothing to be afraid about," Sushkova said. "All girls here play the same level. We just had the right energy at the right time and got the win."

It was a rough day in singles Wednesday for the Penickova twins, who turn 17 years old on Friday.

First, Kristina Penickova had top seed Xinran Sun of China battling into a third set on Court 5, before Sun, the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist in singles, steadied herself and pulled away for a 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory. Sun will face doubles partner and No. 7 seed Mariia Makarova of Russia, a 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-4 winner over No. 12 seed Larraya Guidi of Argentina.

Then Annika Penickova also was locked in a tight battle with 14-year-old Russian Ekaterina Dotsenko, and was just two games away from clinching a quarterfinal spot.

But Dotsenko, who reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, showed poise beyond her years in taking the second set in a tiebreaker, before getting an early break in the third en route to a 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 win.

“It was such a difficult match,” said Dotsenko, who will play Wimbledon champion and No. 5 seed Anna Pushkareva of Russia, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over No. 10 seed Paola Pinera Celorio, next. “It was not my best tennis, and she’s a really good opponent, but I think I won because of my character, and never giving up on any point. I didn’t want to fall down on this opportunity, because I’m so excited to be here in New York at the U.S. Open, it’s been my dream.”

The Penickovas are still alive in doubles, advancing to the quarterfinals with a resounding 6-0, 6-0 win over No. 2 seeds and Wimbledon finalists Nana Leme Da Silva and Victoria Luiza Barros of Brazil. The Penickovas lost only 21 points in the match.

In addition to the Penickovas, there are two other American girls in the doubles quarterfinals, with Natalie Kha and Japanese partner Kokona Ishii playing top seeds Makarova and Sun. Thea Frodin and her Australian partner Renee Alame will play unseeded Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva of Russia Thursday.

There will be at least two US boys in every doubles quarterfinal Thursday, with Latak and Konduri facing top seeds Miguel and Slovenia's Ziga Sesko; Safir Azam and his partner Damir Zhalgasbay of Kazakhstan playing Ryan Cozad and Puerto Rico's Yannik Alvarez; wild cards and Kalamazoo 16s champions Daniel Malacek and Kamil Stolarczyk face Aaron Gabet of France and Valentin Gonzalez-Galino of Spain, and Vihaan Reddy and Mason Vaughan taking on the British team of Mark Ceban and Rhys Lawlor.

Miguel and Sesko are the only seeds boys doubles team remaining.

Five years after they won the US Open girls doubles title, Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger are through to the women's doubles final, beating No. 2 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Luisa Stefani of Brazil 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(8). After getting a break with Dabrowski and Stefani serving at 6-5 in the third, Montgomery and Krueger fell behind 8-2 in the tiebreaker, but won the last eight points to advance to the final against top seeds Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and American Taylor Townsend. 

Coco Gauff saved two match points in her 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 win over Mirra Andreeva of Russia and will face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the  second semifinal tomorrow night. Jessica Pegula will play Aryna Sabalenka in the evening's first match.

From a USTA press release today:

The US Open will offer free grounds admission to the public on Thursday, September 10, as part of its annual 'Open for All Day' celebration. No ticket or Fan Access Pass is required to come to the US Open from the time gates open at 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., when tickets for the women's singles semifinals will start being scanned.

Nearly 50 US Open matches will be played throughout the day that are free to attend, including:

Men's Doubles Semifinals

Junior Singles and Doubles Quarterfinals

Wheelchair Singles Quarterfinals and Doubles Semifinals
Quad Wheelchair Singles Quarterfinals and Doubles Semifinals
Junior Wheelchair Singles and Doubles Semifinals

Para-Standing Invitational

*Entry is granted on a rolling basis subject to real-time capacity.

Secord Sets Up Rematch with Kennedy in US Open Junior Championships Third Round; Preston Posts Comeback Win; Filin and Carpico Fall Just Short in Men's Doubles

©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--
Flushing Meadows NY--

Two Jacks who know each other well will play for the second time in a month tomorrow on Louis Armstrong Stadium, where they both picked up straight-sets win in the second round of the US Open Junior Championships on yet another sunny day at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Kalamazoo 18s champion and No. 5 seed Jack Kennedy made short work of Canadian qualifier Benjamin Azar, a freshman at Michigan, needing a little over an hour to post a 6-0, 6-4 victory.

Unseeded Jack Secord followed Kennedy on Armstrong, beating No. 9 seed and Duke freshman Yannick Alexandrescou of France 6-2, 6-4 to give himself an opportunity to avenge his 6-3, 6-1 loss to Kennedy in the Kalamazoo semifinals.

"I was super flat in that match," said Secord, who turns 18 on Friday. "I just wasn't moving well, a couple minor things bothering me. I looked back on some points and I was going super slow, like what am I doing? Tomorrow I should be a little bit more physically and mentally there."

Against Alexandrescou today, Secord wasn't happy with his serving, getting only 53% of his first serves in, but he didn't panic when he went down a break 3-2, knowing Alexandrescou's serve is not formidable.

"It's tricky, I didn't want to be down a break, obviously, and he played a really good game on my serve," said Secord, who has committed to Stanford for 2027. "He hit a forehand bomb down the line on the last point and it was just too good. But I knew I could break him, I broke him twice. It's trickier when someone has a really big serve, like my first round against Damir (Zhalgasbay of Kazakhstan), you have to be more mentally there on your serve."

Secord is the son of Linda Harvey Wild, a former WTA No. 23 who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in doubles in 1996 and the singles quarterfinals at the US Open in that same, year but his coach from the time he was three years old has been Wild's stepfather, Steve Wild, who did most of the coaching from the Armstrong player's box today.

"He's coached my mom, so obviously he's a great coach, and I couldn't ask for a better grandpa," said Secord, from Lake Forest Illinois. "I know he would like me to listen to him a little bit more, but I know he's right most of the time, but he's great to have by me."

Secord and Kennedy are among the seven American boys in the round of 16, with unseeded Marcel Latak and No. 4 seed Keaton Hance also winning today to join No. 8 seed Jordan Lee, No. 12 seed Andy Johnson and unseeded Tanishk Konduri in the Wednesday's third round. 

Latak saved two set points in the first set of his 7-6(7), 6-4 win over University of Oklahoma freshman Tito Chavez, one with Chavez serving for the set at 6-5 and one at 5-6 in the tiebreaker. But with his confidence high from seven straight wins, including the J300 title last week in Repentigny, Latak proved too good on those big points.

Hance won a 6-0 set again today, after posting one in his first round win over Pedro Chabalgoity of Brazil yesterday, only this time it was in the second set, not the first. The Australian Open finalist won an astounding 21 of 22 net points, and hit 32 winners and just 15 unforced errors in his 7-5, 6-0 win over Oliver Majdandzic of Germany.

Hance followed No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie onto Grandstand court, with both junior slam doubles champions looking to add a singles title in their final shot in New York.

Mackenzie may be one of the more well-known redheads on the juniors circuit, but he knows who the most famous tennis ginger is, and he’s met him.

"I got to meet Sinner, that was very cool," Mackenzie said Tuesday, after winning his second round singles match over Kanta Watanabe of Japan 6-2, 6-4. "There’s a special bond," he laughed.

“No, I didn’t talk to him for that long, just a few minutes, but he’s a great guy, really genuine,” Mackenzie said.

Mackenzie said playing on Grandstand, even with a sparse crowd, was a big adjustment compared to the outer courts assigned to most juniors matches.

“It definitely makes a difference, because you have huge TV’s in the background, maybe playing other matches, or your score is scrolling, or you have people moving around," said the German by way of New Zealand (he moved to Dusseldorf when he was 12). 

"If you throw the ball up on a smaller court (to serve), there’s no stands there, but today there was. It’s a lot more difficult."

Mackenzie has just started college life at Texas Christian University, which has been a springboard for many current pros. Mackenzie cited his longtime relationship with former Horned Frog Cameron Norrie as a big reason why he chose the school.

“I’ve known him since I was 10, because my Dad coached him when he was a young boy," Mackenzie said of the 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist. “He’s been a great mentor for me. The things he’s managed to do are unbelievable.”

Mackenzie will next play fellow redhead Connor Doig of South Africa, who defeated qualifier Peter Ogunsakin of Nigeria 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

"He's a tricky opponent because, you know, you don't quite know what to expect with him,” said Doig, a freshman at Baylor. “His level goes up and down a lot. In the third set, I just did better with my footwork, and I got more intense, and I was able to play better.”

Americans Melije Clarke and No. 6 seed Janae Preston joined the Penickova sisters, who won yesterday, in the third round, with Clarke defeating No. 13 seed Charo Esquiva Banuls of Spain 6-4, 7-6(3), and Preston coming back to defeat Avery Alexander of Canada 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Clarke served for the match twice, at 5-4 and 6-5 and played poor games each time, failing to earn a match point. But it was Esquiva who couldn't keep the errors at bay in the tiebreaker, after taking a 3-1 lead, as Clarke took the final six points of the match.

Preston is convinced that her recent losses, to Thea Frodin in the  18s Nationals final, and to Nao Hibino of Japan in the women's qualifying helped her find her way through today on Court 17.

"Yeah it hurt alot," said the 16-year-old from Henderson Nevada of her 6-1, 6-0 loss to Frodin in San Diego last month. "It's always the what ifs, but learn from it, move on, know it can happen. The thing I was most scared to happen, happened and now I can move on."

Preston said she's learned from her 30 wins and three losses this year on the World Tennis junior circuit that she doesn't have to play a perfect match to advance.

"It's all a different mindset now," Preston said. "I know I really want this and getting more experience in when I don't play well, like today, finding little mental shifts, findings ways to win, and that's been a really big change for me in a positive way."

Jana Kovackova hasn't lost a girls junior slam doubles match since the semifinals of 2024 Wimbledon, and her streak continued today, with she and partner Katerina Zajikova of Czechia, seeded No. 5, beating Jordyn Hazelitt of the United States and Marija Lauva of Latvia 7-5, 6-4.

Jana Kovackova has won four consecutive Grand Slam girls doubles titles, which is unprecedented, and is going for a calendar year Grand Slam here at the U.S. Open, partnering with fellow Czech Katerina Zajikova, with whom Kovackova has won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year.

But when asked about the possible achievement, Kovackova shrugged.

“It’s not like winning in singles, that would be better,” she said.

Kovackova, who said this US Open would be her last junior tournament, was asked about the possibility of winning her first singles Slam this week, as she’s the No. 2 seed. 

“Sorry, it’s not going to happen.”

Kovackova plays qualifier and Oklahoma State freshman Arina Malygina of Russia in the third round on Wednesday. Malygina defeated No. 15 seed Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi of India 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.

No. 3 seed and Australian Open girls champion Ksenia Efremova of France has struggled in slams since her title in January, winning just two matches in the final three junior slams of the year. Today she lost to Ruien Zhang of China 7-6(6), 6-2.

Tuesday's second round results of American juniors:
Melije Clarke d. Charo Esquiva Banuls[13](ESP) 6-4, 7-6(3)
Janae Preston[6] d. Avery Alexander(CAN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Polina Skliar[9](UKR) d. Isha Manchala[WC] 6-3, 6-2
Jana Kovackova[2](CZE) d. Hannah Ayrault[WC] 6-3, 6-3

Marcel Latak[SE] d. Tito Chavez(ESP) 7-6(7), 6-4
Keaton Hance[4] v Oliver Majdandzic(GER) 7-5, 6-0
Jack Kennedy[5] d. Benjamin Azar[Q](CAN) 6-0, 6-4
Jack Secord d. Yannick Alexandescou[9](ROU) 6-2, 6-4

Wednesday's third round matches featuring American juniors:

Marcel Latak[SE] v Dimitar Kisimov[10](BUL)
Tanishk Konduri v Simone Massellani(ITA)
Jack Kennedy[5] v Jack Secord
Andy Johnson[12] v Thilo Behrmann[7](AUT)
Keaton Hance[4] v Kirill Filaretov(RUS)
Jordan Lee[8] v Daniel Jade(FRA)

Kristina Penickova[WC][14] v Xinran Sun[1](CHN)
Annika Penickova[WC] v Ekaterina Dotsenko(RUS)
Janae Preston[6] v Polina Skliar[9](UKR)
Melija Clarke v Ruien Zhang(CHN)

While most of tennis fans at the US Open were focused on the Ashe quarterfinal between Alex Michelsen and No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe on Ashe, several hundred surrounded Court 5 to see two generations clash in men's doubles. Each team won 140 points, but it was three-time US Open champions Rajeev Ram of the United States and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain defeating Ohio State's NCAA wild cards Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Filin served for the first set at 5-3, but two double faults gave the momentum back to Ram and Salisbury. The veterans, 42 and 34 respectively, took a 6-2 lead in the first set tiebreaker, only to see the Buckeyes pull even, then lose the final two points.

The collegians didn't make the same mistake in the second set, closing it out with confidence, but they let a 0-40 opportunity on the Ram serve slip away, and despite some Filin heroics in a six-deuce game to hold for 4-all, they couldn't put any pressure on Ram, who held at love, to immediately put Carpico in the spotlight serving at 4-5. This time they couldn't wriggle out of the 15-40 deficit, with Ram and Salisbury converting their first match point.

Filin and Carpico, the only NCAA wild card team to reach the third round in US Open history (wild card records go back only to the 1990s), were disappointed with the loss, but were able to see the positives of their run in New York.

"I think we've had a lot of respect from the other guys in college, but this will definitely add to it," said Carpico, a 21-year-old senior from Ohio. "And it will definitely put our names on the list of the pro teams to look out for us. We're known in the college world, but we definitely made a splash here, so everyone on the Pro Circuit now knows us I think. That's a good thing."

"Everything happens for a reason," said Filin, a 20-year-old from Illinois. "We're super grateful for the USTA and the US Open for giving us a chance, for our family and friends coming out and supporting us. We're only 20 and 21 and have a whole season ahead of us, and now with these points, maybe we can start playing Challengers, maybe some ATP tournaments and see where we are a year from now. Just keep going."

Tuesday's quarterfinal results of Americans:
Jessica Pegula[3] d. Emma Navarro[26] 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Frances Tiafoe[11] d. Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(6)
Ben Shelton[8] v Carlos Alcarez[2](ESP)

Men's doubles round 3:
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury(GBR) d. Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin[WC] 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4

 
Wednesday's quarterfinal match featuring an American:

Coco Gauff[4] v Mirra Andreeva[5](RUS)

Latak Ousts Australian Open Champion, Antonius Falls in Second Round at US Open Junior Championships; 14-year-old Manchala Unfazed in Earning First Junior Slam Victory; Gauff Through to Women's Quarterfinals

©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--

Flushing Meadows NY--

The second day of the US Open Junior Championships were full of surprises, with Americans on both sides of the ledger: those who pulled off the unexpected, and those who were upset victims.

Unseeded Marcel Latak has had an eventful ten days: winning his first J300 title in Canada on Friday, hitting with Tommy Paul on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday and beating the reigning Australian Open boys champion and No. 6 seed Ziga Sesko of Slovenia 7-5, 6-3 today in his first round matchl

Latak said his run in Canada caught him by surprise, after a couple of tough losses: in Kalamazoo, where he was up 6-4, 5-2 on Andy Johnson in the round of 16,  and at the College Park J300, where he served for the match at 5-3 in third against Tanishk Konduri.

"Honestly, what happened in Kalamazoo and in College Park too, it was a lesson," said the 17-year-old from Chicago. "I maybe got too ahead of myself when I was up 5-2 against Andy and 5-3 against Tankishk, started to cruise a little bit, but that's the time you really have to step on it and go for it."

After all his success in his six wins in Canada, which included dropping the first set in the final 6-0, Latak had a clear game plan against Sesko.

"I knew from the start I have to impose my game before he does," said Latak, who trains with Christian Groh in San Diego. " "Getting that first ball, being aggressive, not giving him too much time. I started out really strong, up 5-4 in the first set serving, had two sets points, didn't close it out, but because of last week, I kept my composure, broke back immediately and closed out the set. I had no expectations here, but I knew if I played someone like Ziga today, I could do it, I could take that match."

As for the opportunity to warm up Tommy Paul before his match with Carlos Alcarez, Latak called it "the best experience of my life, honestly. I'll remember that day forever. I don't think I've smiled longer in my life than after that hit. He's a super nice guy."

Latak will face Tito Chavez of Spain, the University of Oklahoma freshman, who fought off a valiant comeback attempt from Gavin Goode for a 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(8) win. Goode had trailed 5-1 in the third set.

Latak's doubles partner, Tanishk Konduri, also ousted a seed today, beating No. 14 seed Mathys Domenc of France 6-3, 6-4 in their second round match today.

Konduri knew he had to find a way to counteract Domenc's serve, after playing him several times in doubles.

"He's a very strong server and believes in his serve a lot, but I did feel he's more used to playing clay than on these fast hard courts," said the 17-year-old from Cupertino California, who had six aces of his own to just two for Domenc. "I think I'm a great mover, so I was just trying to get to neutral as early on as possible in rallies, extend points as long as possible. I was very strong in the longer rallies, and I don't think lost many of them."

While Latak and Konduri, who also won their first round doubles match this evening, were advancing over seeds, No. 3 seed Michael Antonius was stunned 6-3, 6-3 by Raffaele Massellani of Italy.

Some tennis players are hesitant to call any win the “biggest of their life.”

Recency bias tends to cloud the mind.

But Massellani wasted no time when he sat down for an interview following his  win over Antonius in the second round.

“It’s the best win of my life, best guy I ever beat in my life,” the 18-year-old Massellani said five minutes after his triumph. “It was a great match. I stayed calm for the full match and I play very, very good. I’m very happy.”

Massellani, ranked No. 41 in the World Tennis junior rankings, came into the U.S. Open with some hardcourt momentum, having reached the quarterfinals of J300 Repentigny last week.

And he did have some recent experience against Antonius, a 16-year-old from Buffalo: In July Antonius beat Massellani in three sets at Roehampton on grass.

“I know him from before, but today I stayed very solid. I played aggressive, but with more calm,” Massellani said.

The Italian from outside Turin said he was aware Antonius had some success in the men’s qualifying draw two weeks ago.

“I saw him win the first round of pro, and before this match I was little bit scared,” Massellani said. “I thought, ‘oh my God, this guy is crazy.’”

Finishing off Monday’s match wasn’t easy for Massellani; on his first match point, he said he felt cramps while running for a passing shot.

After Antonius saved three match points, Massellani said he kept telling himself to make his first serve on the fourth one.

He did, and Massellani sent a forehand passing shot that Antonius volleyed wide, setting off a celebration from Massellani and his coaches.

Massellani will face Konduri in the third round, with the Italian posting a 7-6(5), 7-5 victory over Konduri in round of 16 last week at the J300 in Canada.

No. 4 seed Keaton Hance avoided the upset bug that bit Antonius, defeating Pedro Chabalgoity of Brazil 6-0, 7-6(4) in the first round to start the day's action on Court 5.

"I think I played great in the first set," said the 18-year-old from Torrance California, who reached the final of the Australian Open in January. "I was talking to my coach after the match just now and we were both really happy with the way I played in the first set, all around. I was serving well, hitting my forehand really well, moving forward a lot. I wouldn't say he played bad, maybe he had a little bit of a slow start, but I feel like I really capitalized on that."

Chabalgoity found his form in the second set, while Hance couldn't sustain his from the first, but when it mattered in the second set tiebreaker, Hance was able to play without dwelling on the possibility of a third set.

"Going into the breaker, I wanted to give myself the mindset of I'm not worried," Hance. "I have a lot of confidence in myself in third sets, so I made sure I consciously thought that thought, so I could play looser. Because when you have that thought, you're not playing to not lose. I was down a couple of times in that tiebreaker, but I stayed calm and was able to execute well, especially at the end. I was down 3-4, and played great points for the rest of the match."

Hance will face Oliver Majdandzic of Germany in a second round match Tuesday.

Upsets were few in the girls draw today, with No. 16 Jordyn Hazelitt the only seed to lose, falling to 14-year-old Russian Ekaterina Dotsenko 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 in a second round match.

Dotsenko isn't the youngest player in the draw however. That status belongs to Isha Manchala, who won't be 15 until 2027, and has already had her accomplishments this summer recognized in her home town of Hilton Head South Carolina.

After winning the Wimbledon 14-and-under title in July, Manchala had a party thrown for her in the neighborhood where she lives, and the mayor of Hilton Head, Alan Perry, bestowed an official commendation honoring her in August.

“It was great because it showed me that when you do big things, people will celebrate you,” Manchala said Monday. “So I just want to keep doing well in these big tournaments so I can keep being celebrated.”

Manchala took a big step in her career on Monday, winning her first match at the U.S. Open, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 over Alexandra Malova, a Russian with a World Tennis junior ranking of 26.

She credited her daily journal for helping her stay calm once Malova took the second set.

“I journaled before match about my game plan and I took it out (after the second set) read my game plan back, and I was like ‘OK, I need to regroup here, play my game, and not let her dictate the points.”

On her goals for New York, Manchala said “I want to go shopping, in Soho,” and also expressed a desire to eat New York City pizza.

She’ll next face No. 9 seed Polina Skliar of Ukraine.

No. 6 seed Janae Preston, who played in the women qualifying as the San Diego 18s finalist, losing in the first round to Nao Hibino of Japan 7-6(4), 6-1, faced Fleur De Bresser of the Netherlands in her first round match on Court 17 today and came away with a quick 6-1, 6-0 win.

After winning the J300 in Roehampton, making the semifinals at Wimbledon and reaching the final in San Diego, Preston's confidence level is high.

“I felt good today, wasn’t too nervous and was able to play how I wanted to play,” said Preston, a 16-year-old from Henderson Nevada. “With Wimbledon, I feel like I showed I can play at that level, progressing far into tournaments, and it has helped me a lot.”

Thea Frodin, who beat Preston 6-1, 6-0 in the San Diego final and played in the women’s main draw as a wild card after winning the USTA National 18s title, suffered a tough loss Monday to Czechia’s Katerina Zajickova, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.

Frodin, who faced No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina in the women’s main draw, struggled with her groundstrokes against the steadier Zajickova.

Girls No. 1 seed Xinran Sun, looking to reach her third consecutive junior slam final, defeated American wild card Thara Gowda 6-0, 7-5 to advance to the third round, while boys top seed Guto Miguel of Brazil also advanced to the round of 16 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Mark Ceban of Great Britain.

Ceban, alongside Rhys Lawlor, did pull off an upset in doubles however, with the British pair defeating No. 2 seeds and defending champions Hance and Jack Kennedy 2-6, 6-1, 10-7.

The second round of singles will be completed Tuesday along with the first round of doubles.

Monday's first round results of Americans:

Keaton Hance[4] d. Pedro Chabalgoity(BRA) 6-0, 7-6(4)

Tito Chavez(ESP) d Gavin Goode 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(8)

Marcel Latak d. Ziga Sesko[6](SLO) 7-5, 6-3

Dimitar Kisimov[10](BUL) d. Safir Azam[WC] 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 

Kirill Filaretov(RUS) d. Kamil Stolarczyk[WC] 6-4, 6-4

Janae Preston[6] d. Fleur De Bresser(NED) 6-1, 6-0

Katerina Zajickova(CZE) d. Thea Frodin 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4

Nauhany Leme Da Silva[8] d. Olivia Traynor 7-6(5), 6-3

Isha Manchala[WC] d. Alexandra Malova(RUS) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Monday's second round results of American juniors:

Jordan Lee[8] d. Valentin Gonzalez-Galino(ESP)  6-1, 6-3

Simone Massellani(ITA) d. Michael Antonius[3] 6-3, 6-3

Andy Johnson[12] d. Dan Brand(ISR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0

Daniel Jade(FRA) d. Vihaan Reddy 7-6(2), 7-6(1) 

Tanishk Konduri d. Mathys Domenc[14](FRA) 6-3, 6-4

Ekaterina Dotsenko(RUS) d. Jordyn Hazelitt[16] 7-5, 1-6, 6-4

Xinran Sun[1](CHN) d. Thara Gowda[WC] 6-0, 7-5

Paola Pinera Celorio[10(ESP) d. Yael Safar[Q] 6-2, 6-3

Kristina Penickova[WC][14] d. Antonina Sushkova(UKR) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Annika Penickova[WC] d. Yu Jun Lin(CHN) 6-3, 6-1

Tuesday's second round matches featuring American juniors:

Melije Clarke v Charo Esquiva Banuls[13](ESP)

Janae Preston[6] v Avery Alexander(CAN)

Isha Manchala[WC] v Polina Skliar[9](UKR)

Hannah Ayrault[WC] v Jana Kovackova[2](CZE)

Marcel Latak[SE] v Tito Chavez(ESP)

Keaton Hance[4] v Oliver Majdandzic(GER)

Jack Kennedy[5] v Benjamin Azar[Q](CAN)

Jack Secord v Yannick Alexandrescou([9]ROU)

The possibility of an all-USA men's singles final at the US Open ended tonight with Learner Tien's five-set loss to Karen Khachenov of Russia, leaving no American men in the top half. The three remaining Americans play Tuesday.  

Mondays fourth round results of Americans:

Coco Gauff[4] d. Iva Jovic[14] 6-1, 6-4

Karen Khachanov(RUS) d. Learner Tien[14] 7-5, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4

Tuesday's fourth round matches featuring Americans:

Emma Navarro[26] v Jessica Pegula[3]

Alex Michelsen v Frances Tiafoe[11]

Ben Shelton[8] v Carlos Alcarez[2](ESP)

Men's doubles round 3:

Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin[WC] v Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury(GBR)

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](SLO)

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.