Johnson and Cozad Meet Saturday for Boys Title, Unseeded Wang and Allegre Reach First ITF J300 Final in Tucson; Newman Advances to Semifinals at J300 in Brazil; San Diego J300 Qualifying Begins Saturday

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Tucson AZ--

No. 5 seed Ryan Cozad and top seed Andy Johnson continued their stellar form to advance to the boys singles final Saturday at the ITF J300 Tucson, while unseeded Camille Allegre and Allison Wang meet for the first time in a first final for both at the J300 level.

All four semifinal matches, played simultaneously on a hot and clear morning at the Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club, were decided in straight sets, and all finished within ten minutes of each other.

Cozad was the last of the four to finish, but he wasn't complaining about the length of his 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 7 seed Safir Azam, knowing his history this week.

"He's won all third sets, 5-1 down in one, so when I got up in the second I was pretty nervous, honestly, because I knew he was going to fight and come back," said the 17-year-old from Atlanta, who saw his 4-0 second set lead become 4-3. "He's a great fighter and a great competitor, so I had to keep my foot on the pedal. At 4-3 we had a tight game, I ended up holding at 30 and was able to break at love in the next game. He let up a little bit and I hit some good returns, so it was nice to get out of there."

Cozad, who won both the singles and doubles titles last week at the J200 in Las Vegas, points to a new coaching relationship as one of the reasons for his current winning streak.

"It's multiple things," Cozad said. "I'm doing a lot of really good physical work at home in the gym, and I'm working with Sukhwa Young at Dobsha Academy and he's been really helpful, great with the tactical stuff in my match, and he's helping me stay calm. He keeps it super simple; this is actually the first time he's been with me at a tournament, so it's new, but it's been really good."

While Cozad has benefitted from having Young coaching him during a match, which is now available to all juniors in ITF competition, Johnson doesn't feel the need for that. His coach, Vasile Beches, rarely travels with him, and he has been able to make the adjustments necessary, including in today's 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 10 seed Roshan Santhosh.

"A lot of people say I'm pretty good with that stuff," said the 16-year-old from Rancho Palos Verdes California. "It was how I was brought up with my coach, he showed me the way to understand the tennis more."

Johnson trailed 3-1 in the first set and 2-0 in the second set, and was talking to himself more than usual, but although he was occasionally irritated, he said he maintained his focus. 

"I wasn't out of control today at all," said Johnson, who won his first Pro Circuit title last month at an M15 in Naples Florida, but had his winning streak snapped in the first round of qualifying at the BNP Paribas Open early this month. "I was still very focused, maybe a little upset, maybe, I wish I would have done this or that a little bit better, but for the most part, I was completely in the match."

Johnson and Cozad played last January at the J300 in Costa Rica, with Cozad beating Johnson 6-4, 6-1 in the second round en route to the title.

"That was like my fifth ITF," said Johnson, who has since reached the Kalamazoo 16s final, the ITF J300 Pan Am Closed final and the quarterfinals of the US Open Junior Championships and the Orange Bowl. "He's also played a lot of tournaments, so I wouldn't say I have more of an advantage over him. I'll go out there and play my best tennis, talk to my coaches about it, maybe watch some matches he's played, and just have fun tomorrow."

"It'll be fun," Cozad said. "He's playing well."

While both Johnson and Cozad have played in a J300 final, Allegre and Wang will be making their debut in the final of any ITF Junior Circuit tournament above the J60 level.

Allegre once again proved too steady for her opponent, with the 16-year-old from Aliso Viejo California defeating 15-year-old Emery Combs 6-4, 6-1.

Allegre said she has been focusing on improving her first serve percentage and after making 77 percent of her first serves in her 6-0, 6-2 win over No. 2 seed Hollie Smart of Great Britain Thursday, her percentage of 70 today was one of the key to keeping Combs from dictating play.

"She has a really aggressive game," said Allegre, who dropped serve just once in the match. "I knew I had to counter her, I couldn't really miss. As long as I was consistent, she was the one missing. If her shot wasn't a winner that she would normally get, then she would go for more, and start missing. So I knew I had to get into the longer rallies."

Serving for the first set at 5-4, Combs had a break point, but could not convert.

"I knew I had to make my first serve, and I did," Allegre said. "That definitely helped."

Combs, who made only 49 percent of her first serves, lost the opening game of the second set and double faulted in on game point in the fifth game to give Allegre a cushion. Mindful of staying in the present, which Allegre said was a key to her win over Smart, she did not let up and closed out the match on yet another break of the Combs serve.

Allegre lost in the third round last week in Las Vegas, going one round farther than Wang, who has unquestionably found her form this week, posting another stress-free win in beating No. 8 seed Capucine Jauffret 6-3, 6-2.

"In the J200 in Vegas I wasn't really playing well," said the 15-year-old from San Jose California, who has yet to drop a set this week. "It was a little bit conditions, but I came here expecting nothing. Whatever happens, it can't be worse. So this week my confidence has gradually come up more."

Against Jauffret, Wang was expecting a long match, so she didn't really feel in control until she took a 3-1 lead in the second set.

"She runs really fast, so I have to be patient, was what I was thinking," said Wang, whose only ITF Junior Circuit title came at a J60 in Costa Rica in January. "Until then I didn't really want to think I was comfortable, because she could come back."

Wang said she was "a little bit" excited about her first J300 final, but more than that wouldn't be in keeping with the demeanor of her favorite professional player.

"I usually don't get super excited about stuff," Wang said. "I'd rather be calm than like excited or nervous. Mentally, I'm trying to be like (Elena) Rybakina. She doesn't really show anything on the court."

Wang and Allegre have not played before, so Wang is preparing to use the first three games to get a feel for her opponent.

"I just test everything out," said Wang. "I hit all the shots I know how to hit and see how she handles it. That's what I do for everyone."

Allegre will rely on her father Vince, a former All-American at UCLA, who is her coach.

"I'll focus on my end, and my coach will help me during the match," Allegre said. "We'll figure it out together. He'll guide me in the right direction, help me focus on the important points and keep my mind clear."

Ryan Cozad will play in his fourth final in the past eight days tomorrow after singles, with he and Gavin Goode reaching the doubles final after defeating No. 4 seeds Santhosh and Xavier Massotte 7-5, 6-2 this afternoon. Cozad, who won the Las Vegas doubles title with Ford McCollum last week, and Goode, the top seeds, have won two previous J300 titles as a team. They will face No. 6 seeds Jerrid Gaines Jr. and Australia's Cooper Kose, who beat No. 2 seeds Tanishk Konduri and Marcel Latak 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.

Last week in Las Vegas Hollie Smart and Olivia Traynor played doubles together; tomorrow they will play for the title against each other. Smart and Jauffret, the No. 1 seeds, defeated No. 8 seeds Kennedy Drenser-Hagmann and Karlin Schock 7-6(5), 6-0 in Friday afternoon's semifinal. Smart and Jauffret will play No. 6 seeds Traynor and Combs, who beat unseeded Kaya Baker and Armira Kockinis 6-3, 6-1.

The boys singles final is scheduled for 9 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, with the doubles final after suitable rest. The girls singles and doubles finals are set to begin at 10 a.m.

Live scoring via iOnCourt is here.

At the ITF J300 in Porto Alegre Brazil, No. 4 seed Welles Newman has advanced to Saturday's semifinals. Newman defeated unseeded Alyssa James of Jamaica 6-1, 6-2 and will play top seed Sol Ailin Larraya Guidi of Argentina.  Kori Montoya, who had beaten No. 2 seed Sofie Hettlerova of Czechia in the first round, lost in the quarterfinals today to doubles partner Tea Kovacevic of Bosnia.

The qualifying draws are out for next week's ITF J300 North American Regional Championships, with play beginning Saturday at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.

The qualifying draws did not fill, so both the first and second rounds will be played Saturday, with just one round Sunday to determine the six qualifiers.  Sebastian Godoy is the top seed in the boys qualifying, with Tanvi Pandey the No. 1 seed in girls qualifying.