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 Ryan Cozad 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] v Denis Shapovalov(CAN)

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.

Collegiate Wild Card Gorzny Saves Five Match Points to Win US Open Debut; Frodin Faces Rybakina Tuesday Morning; College Park Boys Champion Roussel Loses in Repentigny J300 Second Round

It's been 14 years since one of the USTA's NCAA collegiate wild cards won a match at the US Open, but that drought ended today in dramatic fashion, with Sebastian Gorzny saving five match points to defeat Raphael Collignon of Belgium 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(9) to advance to the second round. 

The match took four hours and was played over two days, with Gorzny, who won the USTA's Collegiate US Open Wild Card playoff in June, and Collignon on serve at 3-4 in the third set last night when rain sent the match into a second day. 

Gorzny immediately lost the first two games after the resumption, but took the fourth set and was up a break 3-2 in the fifth, much to the delight of the crowd on Court 11, which was soon at capacity. But the recent University of Texas graduate gave the break right back, and each held without incident until 5-all, when Collignon saved a break point to take a 6-5 lead.

That was nothing compared to the next game, which went to six deuces with Gorzny saving two match points before getting to his first game point, with Collignon making two errors after long, tense rallies in each case.

Gorzny missed a volley to waste his first game point and then his defensive lob went long to give Collignon a third match point, which Gorzny saved with a big first serve.

An unforced error on the backhand resulted in a fourth match point for Collignon, but Gorzny went for the line on an inside out forehand and made it, hit another forehand winner for his third game point and brought the crowd to its feet with an inside in forehand winner to send the match to a 10-point tiebreaker.

Michael Lewis attended the Gorzny press conference and sent along this from Gorzny on that epic game.

"I'm going to have to watch it back," said the 22-year-old from Austin, with an ATP ranking of 731 to Collignon's 38. "I was just staying alive, staying alive, and the crowd was keeping me in it. I was just trying to make one more ball, one more ball, and you know that's just the way tennis goes. I got lucky today, sometimes you don't get lucky. I can't believe I came through there."

It looked bleak when Gorzny lost his two serves to go down 5-2 and worse when Collignon hit a forehand winner to make it 6-2. Then the first double fault from Collignon in the tiebreaker, his 15th in the match, and another the next time he served, made it 7-5 at the second change of ends. Collignon went up 8-5 with a good serve that forced a Gorzny error, only to see Gorzny make an acrobatic stab volley save to keep the point alive, with Collignon missing his backhand reply wide. Gorzny's good first serve made it 8-7, but Collignon could still serve out the match. He missed a routine volley on top of the net for 8-all, but Gorzny made an unforced forehand error to give Collignon his fifth match point. 

But Gorzy again came up with big first serve to save it, and then hit a deep forehand up the middle that caught Collignon by surprise and he netted his reply to give Gorzny his first match point.

When Collignon missed his first serve, some pumped up fans  cheered, and given his two recent double faults, were probably expecting what came next, with his second serve catching the tape for his 17th and final double fault of the match.

Gorzny, who had 12 aces and six double faults, was undoubtedly full of adrenaline during that last set, and particularly in the last two games, but he was able to stick to his game plan.

"Just staying aggressive, getting to net when I can, feeling it, and seeing who's going to crack first," Gorzny said. "That was crazy. Just crazy."

Highlights of the match can be found here.

The last NCAA wild card to win a match at the US Open, men or women, was USC's Steve Johnson, who reached the third round in 2012, after claiming his second NCAA title that May. 

Gorzny's opponent in the second round is 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia, the No. 7 seed.

Gorzny's counterpart, NCAA champion and USTA Collegiate Playoff winner Reese Brantmeier(UNC) will play her first round match against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine tomorrow. Michael Zheng(Columbia), who received a wild card unrelated to his 2025 NCAA singles title, plays Fabian Marozsan of Hungary tomorrow. 

San Diego USTA National 18s champion Thea Frodin makes her singles main draw debut against No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan at 11 a.m. on the Grandstand.

Qualifiers Mary Stoiana(Texas A&M) and Nishesh Basavareddy(Stanford) are also playing their first round matches Tuesday, with Stoiana facing No. 17 seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines in a night match on Armstrong, and Basavareddy playing qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Court 11 at 11 a.m. Michael Lewis caught up with Basavareddy and coach Dean Goldfine after his final round qualifying win, see this article for more.

Monday's US Open first round results of Americans:

Ben Shelton[8] d. Tallon Griekspoor(NED) 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2

Frances Tiafoe[11] d. Martin Damm 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Valentin Vacherot[22](MON) d. Aleks Kovacevic 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 

Brandon Nakashima[16] d. Sebastian Baez(ARG) 6-2, 6-1, 6-0

Learner Tien[14] d. Nuno Borges(POR) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2

Alex Michelsen d. Federico Cina[Q](ITA) 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 (postponed from Sunday)

Sebastian Gorzny[WC] d. Raphael Collignon(BEL) 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(9) (postponed from Sunday)

Amanda Anismova[10] d. Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3 

Taylor Townsend d. Maja Chawalinska[20](POL) 6-2, 6-3

Caty McNally d. Anouk Koevermans[Q](NED) 7-5, 6-1

Linda Noskova[6](CZE) d. Katie Volynets 7-5, 6-1

Harriet Dart[Q](GBR) d. Peyton Stearns 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Ann Li[29] d. Antonia Ruzic(CRO) 7-5, 6-1

Sloane Stephens[WC] d. Clara Tauson(DEN) 6-4, 6-1

Emma Navarro[26] d. Lois Boisson(FRA) 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-3 (postponed from Sunday)

Tuesday's US Open first round matches featuring Americans:

Madison Keys[22] v Alina Korneeva(RUS)

Coco Gauff[4] v Zeynep Sonmez(TUR)

Mary Stoiana[Q] v Alexandra Eala[17](PHI)

Thea Frodin[WC] v Elena Rybakina[2](KAZ)

Iva Jovic[14] v Magdalena Frech(POL)

Robin Montgomery[Q] v Maria Sakkari[32](GRE)

Reese Brantmeier[WC] v Oleksandra Oliynykova(UKR)

Taylor Fritz[9] v Darwin Blanch[WC]

Nishesh Basavareddy[Q] v Tristan Schoolkate[Q](AUS)

Michael Zheng[WC] v Fabian Marozsan(HUN)

Zachary Svajda v Daniel Altmaier(GER)

Marcos Giron v Ignacio Buse[32](PER)

College Park J300 champion Felix Roussel played his second round match today at the Repentigny J300 in Canada, falling to No. 11 seed Matteo Gribaldo of Italy 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. Roussel, who played a singles match for eight consecutive days beginning last Monday in College Park, will now have two days off before US Open Junior Championships qualifying begins Thursday.

No. 16 seed Nancy Lee is through to the quarterfinals in Repentigny after defeating No. 3 sesed Lujza Beviz of Hungary 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-4 today. The other seven Americans play their third round matches Tuesday.

Kalamazoo Champion Kennedy Falls in US Open Main Draw Debut; Challenger Titles for Mayo and Volynets; Nakashima Wins M15 Champaign; Stolarczyk and Latak Oust No. 2 and No. 4 Seeds at J300 in Canada

The US Open kicked off today with 14 Americans in action, but rain this evening kept the schedule from being completed.

Kalamazoo 18s champion Jack Kennedy lost to qualifier Lloyd Harris of South Africa, and Michael Lewis was on the scene to file the article below for Zootennis.

Special to Zootennis.com

by Michael J. Lewis

NEW YORK – Jack Kennedy had played pro matches at the U.S. Open twice before he took to Court 12 on Sunday.

But he admitted things felt different this time. For the first time in his life, the 18-year-old from nearby Huntington, N.Y. on Long Island was in the main draw of the men’s singles.

As happened the last two years, hundreds of locals were in full-throated support of Kennedy, but veteran Lloyd Harris of South Africa proved to be too tough.

After a close first set, Harris used his bigger serve and much-greater experience to pull away from Kennedy and grab a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win.

“The butterflies were there more than before, especially right after the warmup this morning,” Kennedy said. “Walking back into the locker room, and thinking about what was going to happen, it did feel a little different.”

The 18-year-old Kennedy, who earned the wild card by winning Kalamazoo earlier this month, broke serve early but was broken right back by Harris, and Kennedy was chasing the match the rest of the way.

Harris won 79 percent of his first-serve points, compared to only 59 percent for Kennedy, and the South African smacked 31 winners to just 15 for Kennedy.

“He did a really good job serving; he mixed them up a lot, and, you know, he was very accurate with the serves, and he was kind of putting them on lines,” Kennedy said. “I didn't get that many chances to put returns in, but, you know, he did just a great job and I think I could have done a better job kind of neutralizing some points here and there.

Harris had nothing but kind words for his young opponent after the match.

“He has a lot of positive things in his game,” Harris said. “He’s very aggressive, really goes after the ball. I felt like I could play the important points a little bit better. I had the edge on the serve, but he’s got a lot of potential, and a lot of upside.”

Kennedy reiterated he will be playing in the U.S. Open Juniors Tournament starting on Sept. 6, both in singles and doubles, as he and partner Keaton Hance look to defend their U.S. Open doubles crown won last year.

Greg Lumpkin, Kennedy’s longtime coach at Robbie Wagner Tournament Training in Glen Head, N.Y., said the match got a little bit away from Kennedy when he tried to do too much after falling behind.

“He was trying to force the issue and pressure (Harris) a little bit, which is understandable in the second and third sets,” Lumpkin said. “I think Jack learned a little bit about himself today. Now we’ll get ready for the next one."

That “next one” was expected to be at the University of Virginia, as Kennedy was previously expected to enroll at the school in Charlottesville this August.

But two weeks ago Kennedy announced that he would delay enrollment at UVA until January, so he could collect the $140,000 main draw U.S. Open first round paycheck, and continue to play pro tournaments throughout the fall.

Cavaliers head coach Andres Pedroso, who was in attendance on Court 12 for the match Sunday, said he fully supported his standout freshman’s decision to wait a few months before heading to school and joining the reigning NCAA champs.

“I think it was always in the back of his mind, he wants to be a pro tennis player and he’s earned the right to continue testing the waters on the pro tour,” Pedroso said. “We’re 100 percent behind him and we’ve got his back, and I thought it was a great decision he made.”

Pedroso was asked what he thinks Kennedy can improve on to get him ready to play at the high-major Division I level.

“It usually comes down to maturity and understanding their games, and being a little more calm and a little more clear out there,” Pedroso said. “Jack has a lot of game and has shown he can play with anyone in the world. For him it’s just understanding his game, and showing he can do it over and over again, regardless of the atmosphere or the moment. And that takes a little time.”

Kennedy spoke more about his decision to delay his enrollment after the match.

“Ultimately I just decided with the chances that I have with these wild cards from the Next-Gen accelerator program, it's a good chance to prove my level,” Kennedy said. “Who knows where I’ll end up in these next couple of months, but I just want to give myself the best chance possible, maybe with a chance to make the NextGen Finals.”

Kennedy currently sits 19th in the ATP Next Gen Finals race; the Top 8 finishers (open to players 20 and under) compete in the Finals, at a site and date still to be determined.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sebastian Gorzny(TCU, Texas), the USTA's Collegiate Wild Card Playoff champion, was on serve with Raphael Collignon of Belgium at 3-6, 6-3, 4-3* when rain suspended play.

Sunday's US Open First Round Results of Americans:

Jessica Pegula[3] d. Elena-Gabriela Ruse(ROU) 6-3, 6-2

Sofia Kenin[WC] d. Venus Williams[WC] 6-2, 7-6(6)

Katie Boulter(GBR) d. Carol Lee[WC] 6-4, 3-6, 6-0

Emma Navarro[26] v Lois Boisson(FRA) 7-6(6), 4-2 (postponed until Monday)

Ekaterina Alexandrova[18](RUS) d. McCartney Kessler 6-2, 6-2

Lanlana Tararudee(THA) d. Elvina Kalieva[Q] 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2

Taylah Preston[WC](AUS) d. Alycia Parks 6-3, 6-3 

Alexander Bublik[15](KAZ) d. JJ Wolf[WC] 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 

Sebastian Gorzny[WC] v Raphael Collignon(BEL) 3-6, 6-3, 3-4 (postponed until Monday)

Alex Michelsen v Federico Cina[Q](ITA) 6-4, 1-1 (postponed until Monday)

Tommy Paul[20] d. Coleman Wong[Q] 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3

Lloyd Harris[Q](RSA) d. Jack Kennedy[WC] 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 

Jaime Faria(POR) d. Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 1-6, 6-2

Monday's US Open first round matches featuring Americans;

Ben Shelton[8] v Tallon Griekspoor(NED)

Martin Damm v Frances Tiafoe[11]

Aleks Kovacevic v Valentin Vacherot[22](MON)

Brandon Nakashima[16] v Sebastian Baez(ARG)

Learner Tien[14] v Nuno Borges(POR)

Ashlyn Krueger v Amanda Anismova[10]

Taylor Townsend v Maja Chawalinska[20](POL)

Caty McNally v Anouk Koevermans[Q](NED)

Katie Volynets v Linda Noskova[6](CZE)

Peyton Stearns v Harriet Dart[Q](GBR)

Ann Li[29] v Antonia Ruzic(CRO)

Sloane Stephens[WC] v Clara Tauson(DEN)

Volynets prepared for the US Open at the new WTA 125 tournament in Philadephia, taking the title, her second at that level in five appearances in the final. The 2019 National 18s champion, seeded sixth, defeated No. 3 seed Tereza Valentova of Czechia 6-3, 7-5 in the final.

Aidan Mayo won his second career Challenger title yesterday in Jamaica after getting into the main draw of the 75 level Kingston Open 2 as a lucky loser. The 23-year-old defeated No. 2 seed Andy Andrade(Florida) of Ecuador 6-3, 7-6(7) in the final.

In the only USTA Pro Circuit tournament this week, Bryce Nakashiima, No. 16 US Open seed Brandon's younger brother, won his second M15 title of his career this summer in Champaign Illinois. The Ohio State senior, seeded No. 5, defeated qualifier Jakub Vrba(Arkansas) of Czechia 6-2, 7-6(6) in the final. Nakashima, who didn't drop a set all week, beat teammates Jack Anthrop[3] and Preston Stearns[Q] in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Three former collegiate standouts from the United States won W15 titles today on the World Tennis women's circuit.

No. 7 seed Sofia Rojas(Oklahoma State, Georgia) defeated top seed Alexandra Vagramov(UCLA) of Canada 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals and unseeded Riko Kikawada of Japan 6-3, 6-1 for her third W15 title, all coming in Monastir Tunisia. 

At the W15 in Torello Spain, recent UCLA graduate Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer won her first pro title, with the 22-year-old Southern Californian, seeded seventh, beating top seed Katarina Kuzmova of Slovakia 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the semifinals and No. 6 seed Celia Cervino Ruiz of Spain 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.

And former Pepperdine All-American Ashley Lahey, seeded No. 8, defeated No. 5 seed Ilinca Amariei(Texas A&M) of Romania 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the final to capture her third World Tennis women's singles title in the W15 in Romania.

The seeds at the J300 were in action for the first time today at the J300 in Repentigny Canada, and the last two Kalamazoo 16s champions ousted two of them today. 2025 Kalamazoo 16s champion Marcel Latak defeated No. 4 seed Hyu Kawanishi of Japan 6-4, 7-6(2), and 2026 Kalamazoo 16s champion Kamil Stolarczyk beat No. 2 seed Raffaele Ciurnelli of Italy 6-2, 6-1.

College Park J300 champion Felix Roussel won his first round match today over lucky loser Sulaiman Syed 6-0, 6-3, but he is still a match behind the rest of the draw.