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 Noah Johnston(Georgia) 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] d. Denis Shapovalov(CAN) 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4
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.
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