USTA's Men's Australian Open Wild Card Challenge Kicks Off at Las Vegas Challenger; Sancilio and Bhakta Earn ITF Junior Circuit Titles; Stone Ousts Top Seed at J4 in South Carolina; Pegula Claims WTA 1000 Title; US Davis Cup Team Announced

The ATP Challenger 80 this week in Las Vegas isn't part of the USTA Pro Circuit, but any results from this week's event will count toward the USTA's Australian Open Wild Card Challenge, which kicks off this week and extends through the week of November 14th. The best three results from this four-week period will decide the 2023 reciprocal wild card the USTA receives from Tennis Australia, and they are not confined to events in the United States, with any ATP points earned at the $25K level and above on hard courts or indoor carpets will count toward a player's total.

The qualifying was completed today in Las Vegas, and the main draw began, with four first round matches. Americans through to the main draw: Omni Kumar(Duke), Aidan Mayo, Tennys Sandgren(Tennessee) and wild card Alfredo Perez(Florida). TCU freshman Jack Pinnington Jones of Great Britain also advanced to the main draw.

Denis Kudla is the top seed, and will play Perez in the first round; Steve Johnson(USC) is the No. 2 seed.  Main draw wild cards went to Alexandr Cozbinov, a former UNLV star, Maxime Verboven, a junior on the UNLV team and Ohio State senior Cannon Kingsley. Verboven lost to Brandon Holt(USC) in the first round today 6-2, 6-2. Cozbinov will face 17-year-old Jerry Shang of China in the first round Tuesday.

I covered the ITF J4 Atlanta results on Saturday, but there were two other titles for American juniors aside from the four they claimed in Georgia. Fifteen-year-old Roman Sancilio, a five-star recruit from Virginia earned his first ITF Junior Circuit title at a J5 in Mexico last week. A qualifier playing in just his second ITF Junior tournament, Sancilio won nine matches over the eight days of the event, beating unseeded American John Patrick Popowich 7-5, 6-4 in the final. Sancilio and his partner Gray Kelley also reached the doubles final, so he played 14 matches over that eight-day span.

The other ITF junior title last week was in doubles, with Ria Bhakta winning the J3 in South Africa. Bhakta and her British partner Marelie Raath, the top seeds, defeated No. 3 seeds Flora Johnson of Great Britain and Miotisoa Rasendra Andrianantenaina of Madagascar 6-2, 7-6(5) in the final. It's the seventh ITF Junior Circuit doubles title for the 17-year-old Bhakta, but the first above the J4 level.

This week's ITF Junior Circuit tournament in the United States is a J4 in Lexington South Carolina and there has already been an major upset, with 13-year-old wild card Harper Stone defeating No. 1 seed Brianna Baldi in the first round 7-5, 6-1. Stone made the semifinals last week in Atlanta, her first ITF Junior Circuit tournament.

Atlanta champion Andrew Delgado is the top seed this week in Lexington, and he has advanced to the second round. Fourteen-year-old Joseph Oyebog is the No. 2 seed in the boys draw. 

Atlanta champion Cleo Hutchinson, the No. 5 seed this week in Lexington, has moved into the second round, as has No. 2 seed Ece Gencer of Turkey. 

Jessica Pegula won the WTA 1000 last night in Guadalajara Mexico, the second title of her career. The 28-year-old, who had already clinched her spot in the singles and doubles at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth next week, is up to a career-high of 3 in the WTA rankings. Coco Gauff is at a career-high of 4 and it's the first time since two Americans are in the Top 4 since Serena and Venus in 2010.

The USTA today announced the team for next month's Davis Cup final in Malaga Spain: Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. They will take on Italy in the quarterfinals early Thanksgiving morning in the United States. Italy's team is Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Jannik Sinner, Fabio Fognini and Simon Bolelli.