Blanch Earns Second Kalamazoo Title, Latak Comes From 5-1 Down in Third Set to Claim 16s Championship at USTA Boys National Championships; Hometown Favorite Ahn Wins Girls 18s Title in San Diego

©Colette Lewis 2025--
Kalamazoo MI--

Darwin Blanch had already experienced the thrill of a Kalamazoo title, with the 2022 16s champion winning the National Championship at the age of 14 in his first appearance at the tournament.

Two attempts at the 18s title in 2023 and 2024 ended in  quarterfinal and fourth round losses, yet the lure of the US Open wild card brought him back for a fourth year, this time at 403 in the ATP rankings and as the No. 1 seed. The expectations and the pressure were high, yet Blanch navigated both, defeating No. 8 seed Jack Satterfield 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the only match of the tournament's 10 days that was interrupted by rain.

"I obviously had a lot of extra pressure in this tournament," said the 17-year-old left-hander from Delray Beach Florida. "All the matches in this tournament I was expected to win and that's something that I'm not really used to. I'm playing more pros now, and I don't really have the pressure and I'm not expected to do well. So it was definitely a new thing for me. But I worked on thinking about myself, my game, thinking about what I had to do, and that's what helped win the tournament."

Satterfield had had a much longer semifinal match on Saturday, beating Keaton Hance 0-6, 7-5, 6-3, while Blanch got out of his semifinal in straights sets, defeating 2024 finalist Jack Kennedy 7-6(5), 6-1.

"I feel like that definitely helped me a lot," Blanch said. "I was kind of watching his match yesterday in the third set and he was struggling physically. Today, he was playing good, but I knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep up with it, playing that level the whole match. Obviously, I'm tired physically, but I felt better than him, and said I was going to stay there the whole match."

Although he wasn't happy with his first serve percentage, Blanch is dangerous when serving, and he won the shorter points set up by that shot. But Satterfield was a threat in any rally that went more than four or five shots.

"His serve is a massive part of his game, but I wouldn't classify him as a servebot," said Satterfield, an 18-year-old from Tampa Florida. "He has great groundstrokes too, he can grind, a good backhand and a big forehand, so he can do damage in a lot of aspects. But I thought if I could extend the rallies and look for my opportunities, I had a much better chance. He's great in the first four shots of the rally, he plays a really pro game, and it's good to play that, experience that and try to adjust."

After dropping the first set when Blanch saved two break points serving for it a 5-3, Satterfield broke Blanch four times in the second set, returning well and taking advantage of Blanch's errors, while making few himself. The only break of the third set came in the seventh game, when Satterfield made a couple of tired-looking errors, and Blanch confidently served out the set, popping three aces to go back in front.

After the 10-minute break, with both players taking advantage of nearby air conditioning in the 90 degree heat, the fourth set began well for Blanch, who earned a break in the third game and held for 3-1. Rain, which had not appeared in the previous nine days of the event, began dotting the courts, although the delay was brief and players did not leave their changeover chairs. Satterfield won his service game for 3-2, and Blanch was down 0-15 on his serve when a heavy shower moved through, which resulted in a delay of a little less than an hour.

"It wasn't the best moment for [a delay] but it gave me some energy," Blanch said. "I didn't really want it to rain, because I was trying to get some momentum, but it is what it is and it benefitted me."

Satterfield didn't get the boost from the rain delay that he might have been seeking.

"Honestly, coming back was tough," said Satterfield, who is coached by Sukhwa Young at Eric Dobsha Tennis in Tampa. "I felt a little dizzy, it was hot out, and it all happened pretty fast. I played a rough service game at 2-4, but kind of locked back in, but at 5-4 he hit some big serves so that was tough."

Up 5-2 and serving for the match, Blanch double faulted to start the game and was broken at 15-40. But even after Satterfield won his service game easily to close the gap, Blanch showed little concern.

"I wasn't really doubting," said Blanch, who admitted to some nerves at 5-2, with the finish line so close. "I knew if I served well in that last game I was going to get it done. After going too fast in that game, at 5-4 I said I'm going to take this service game slow and I served a lot better, so super happy I got it done."

After a forehand approach did not come back, Blanch collapsed near the net, quickly got up and flexed in the direction of his brother Ulises and JC Ferraro Academy coach Oscar Soria as he celebrated completing a three-year quest for the US Open wild card.

"It's whole different level, it's the pros, but I honestly believe in myself, and if I play my game, I'm sure I can win a match," Blanch said. "I also want to enjoy every moment there, but at the same time I'm going there thinking, I can win a match there."

Blanch is only the second player this century to win both the 16s and 18s titles, matching the accomplishment of Patrick Kypson in 2015 and 2017.

"It's been a hell of a journey," Blanch said. "Four years in a row here, I've come a long way. Since winning 16s, I'm a whole different person, but it feels amazing. Not many people do [both], and I'm super happy I achieved that; let's go for more."

Satterfield will be moving into the dorms at Vanderbilt this coming week, before heading to New York for the men's qualifying draw, with the wild card he receives as the 18s finalist.  Blanch has received a wild card into the new ATP Challenger 125 in Sumter South Carolina, which begins Monday.

When 16s champion Marcel Latak took the microphone following his 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over No. 2 seed Andrew Johnson, he included an apology.

"Andrew, you played an unbelievable match. I got lucky, that's literally it.  You definitely you should have won," Latak said, undoubtedly referring to Johnson's 5-1 lead in the third set. "So, sorry."

After trailing No. 1 seed Michael Antonius 6-3, 4-1 in the quarterfinals before completing a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 comeback, the fifth-seeded Latak had a template for another turnaround. But after returning from the 10-minute break between the second and third sets, he immediately fell behind 2-0, with two double faults in his service game, including on game point. 

So when he was broken serving at 1-4, Latak could see only one way out: pure aggression.

"I just told myself to go out with a bang," said the 16-year-old from Darien Illinois. "Go for it. The second I made one, I followed it up with another and then it just kept coming. He's an unbelievable player, I can't stress that enough, but there's a little bit of pressure when you go up, and with a lot on the line. I'm just happy I was able to relax. I was just going to win it, because I played so good, or I was going to lose the next game."

In turned out to be the former, as Johnson didn't get to match point serving for it at 5-1 and 5-3. Latak jumped on Johnson's serve, drilling backhands and return winners with regularity, while Johnson's depth and placement started to desert him.  On Latak's own serve, he was setting up aggressive swings, holding with no drama in his last three service games, while the crowd, politely encouraging at 5-2, got firmly behind him to fuel his comeback.

"Never would I think I'd be grateful to be from the Midwest, and now I am," said Latak, who has been training with Christian Groh in San Diego the past several months in preparation for Kalamazoo. "I'm so grateful they were behind me, they helped me so much stay in it. It felt so surreal. To think that strangers are cheering for me is something so unfamiliar. He(Andrew) is the nicest kid ever, so if the crowd were to be for someone, it would be him."

Johnson noticed the fans were behind his opponent once the comeback began.

"I would say the crowd chose a favorite," said Johnson, of Rancho Palos Verdes California, who turns 16 later this month. "I would hit the shot of my life and not a peep. But Marcel started playing unbelievable, no pressure, going after every ball. I don't want to take anything away from Marcel, he played unbelievable. But obviously, this will be in the back of my head next year in KZoo. Up 5-1 in the third, in the finals. But, oh well."

Latak, whose sister Thea played in the Girls 18s Nationals then drove from San Diego with their mother to see him play in the final, is ready for some down time before playing in the US Open Junior Championships with his main draw wild card.

"I might take this week to go easy on the tennis, more mobility stuff, fitness," said Latak, who won his first USTA gold ball at this year's Easter Bowl and his second today in Kalamazoo. "But to think that I'm going to be at the US Open this year, it's unbelievable. I've definitely put the work in, but it still hasn't sunk in yet."

In Sunday's third place singles matches, No. 10 seed Jerrid Gaines Jr. defeated No. 4 seed Vihaan Reddy 7-5, 7-6(4) to win the bronze ball in the 16s. Jack Kennedy, the No. 3 seed, took third place in the 18s with a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 6 seed Keaton Hance. 

In the consolation finals, Navneet Raghuram won the 16s tournament, getting a walkover from Shaan Majeed to finish in fifth place. Maximus Dussault won the 18s consolation draw, beating Nischal Spurling 6-3, 6-3 in Saturday's final.

Latak and Reddy took third in 16s doubles via a walkover from Sebastian Bielen and Gaines. Theo Hegarty and Noble Renfrow claimed third place in the 18s doubles with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Bryan Assi and Justin Lin. 

The tournament's three sportsmanship awards were announced Saturday, with Noble Renfrow the winner of the 18s Allen B. Stowe award; Nischal Spurling was the winner of the Wes Richards Feed-in award and Lucas Smith was the recipient of the 16s Bobby Kaplan award.

The USTA Girls 18s National Championships concluded today in San Diego with No. 7 seed Alyssa Ahn claiming the title and the US Open women's main draw wild card with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 17 seed Maya Iyengar. 

Like Blanch, Ahn won the National 16s title in 2022.

In the G18s doubles final, No. 2 seeds Thea Frodin and Kristina Penickova defeated unseeded Aya Manning and Catherine Rennart 6-4, 7-5, coming from 5-1 down in the second set to claim the US women's doubles main draw wild card.