This past weekend roughly 1,000 of America’s most talented young tennis players participated in one of the most prestigious junior events in the United States — the USTA Super National Hard Court Championships. The tournaments, which were held from August 1-10, featured competition in the 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s age divisions.
The Hard Courts took place at various locations across the United States. In the boys’ divisions, the 16s and 18s were held in Kalamazoo, MI, the 14s in San Antonio, TX, and the 12s in Homewood, IL. For the girls’, the 18s were hoted in San Jose, CA the 16s in San Diego, CA, the 14s in Peachtree City, GA, and the 12s in Alpharetta, GA.
Below are the final results for each division. Top finishes by USTA Southern Section players are noted in bold below.
Boys' 18
- Singles Finals - Robert Yim, Glendale, CA (4) def. Jamil Al-Agba, Tarzana, CA (3), 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
- Doubles Finals - Pramod Dabir, Saratoga, CA / John Isner, Greensboro, NC (3) def. Greg Ouellette, Ormand Beach, FL / Eric Riley, Rancho Sante Fe, CA (unseeded), 6-1, 6-4
Boys' 16
- Singles Finals - Gary Sacks, Calabasas, CA (3) def. Matt Bruch, Lake Forest, IL (4), 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
- Doubles Finals - Jean Ives Aubone/Jesse Levine, Miami, FL (7) def. Stefan Hardy / Shan Sondhu, Santa Maria, CA (12), 6-1, 6-2
Boys' 14
- Singles Finals - Steven Forman, Del Mar, CA (5) def. Meteusz Kecki, Sacremento, CA (17), 6-2, 6-2
- Singles 3rd / 4th Place - Clint Bowles, Tampa, FL (2) def. Bradley Cox, Duluth, GA (unseeded); 6-7(0), 6-4, 6-1
- Doubles Finals - Jeremy Forman, Del Mar, CA / Steve Johnson, Orange, CA (3) def. Matt Allare, Maineville, OH / Calvin Bennett, Sandy, UT (4), 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4
Boys' 12
- Singles Finals - Chase Buchanan, from Gahanna, OH (No. 8 seed) def. James Seal, from Chattanooga, TN (No. 7), 7-6(0), 6-2
- Singles 3rd / 4th Place - Ryan Harrison (Shreveport, LA) def. Rhyne Williams (Knoxville, TN) 6-4, 6-0
- Doubles Finals - Chase Buchanan / Rhyne Williams, Knoxville, TN (2) def. Conor Biller, Little Elm, TX/Devin McCarthy, Cincinati, OH (5), 6-0, 6-1
- Doubles 3rd / 4th Place - Alex Kuznetsov, Richboro, PA / Vahid Mirzadeh (2) def. Robert Cameron, Lenoir City, TN / Chris Kwon, Boca Raton, FL (6), walkover, injury
Girls' 18
- Singles Finals - Theresa Logar, Rochester Hills, MI (9) def. Alexandra Podkolzina, Concord, CA (1), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Doubles Finals - Anne Yelsey Del Mar, CA / Riza Zalameda, Los Angeles, CA (2) def. Lindsey Nelson, Orange, CA / Jessica Nguyen, Chatsworth, CA (5), 7-6 (5), 6-2
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| Katrina Tsang - G16 Doubles Champion |
Girls' 16
- Singles Finals - Elizabeth Kobak, Old Westbury, NY (7) def. Liberty Sveke, Sarasota, FL (11), 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-3
- Singles 3rd / 4th Place - Catherine Newman, Greensboro, NC (8) def. Jennifer Stevens, Miami, FL, 6-1, 6-2
- Doubles Finals - Liberty Sveke, Sarasota, FL / Katrina Tsang, Raleigh, NC (1) defeated Sarah Fansler, Laguna Nigel, CA / Elizabeth Plotkin, San Fransisco, CA (2), 6-4, 6-3
Girls' 14
- Singles Finals - Reka Zsilinszka, Fayetteville, NC (9) def. Linda Mushref, Brentwood, TN (17), 7-5, 7-5
- Singles 3rd / 4th Place - Jamie Hampton, Auburn, AL (1) def. Ashley Weinhold, Austin, TX, 6-1, 6-4
- Doubles Finals - Anamika Bhargava, Collierville, TN / Jamie Hampton, Auburn, AL (1) def. Linda Mushref, Brentwood, TN / Keri Wong, Jackson, MS (9), 6-3, 6-2
Girls' 12
- Singles Finals - Jessica Alexander, Tyler, TX def. Nelly Radeva, Costa Mesa, CA, 6-1, 6-1
- Doubles Finals - Jessica Alexander, Tyler, TX / Alexandra Bush, Vienna, WV def. Kathryn Talbert, Mooresville, NC / Ebie Wilson, Mobile, AL, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
- Doubles 3rd / 4th Place - Sarah Guzick, Greer, SC / Mary Weatherholt, Shawnee, KS def. Mandy Brown, Mequon, WI / Kate Turvey, Dublin, OH, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2
The Super National Championships are the most prestigious events on the USTA junior tournament schedule. Besides the Hard Courts, three additional Super Nationals are held during the year. They are the USTA Super National Spring Championships – The Easter Bowl in April, the USTA Super National Clay Court Championships in July, and the USTA Super National Winter Championships in December. Besides taking home a trophy, the winners of the boys’ and girls’ 18s divisions also received an automatic wild card into the US Open, which begins Aug. 25 in Flushing, N.Y. The boys’ and girls’ champions in the 16s divisions earned wild cards into the US Open Junior Championships, which will take place the week of Sept. 1.
Past winners of the boys’ 18s include Rod Laver (1956), Stan Smith (1964), Aaron Krickstein (1983) and Michael Chang (1987), while former girls’ 18s champions include Chris Evert (1971), Tracy Austin (1977-78), Jennifer Capriati (1989) and Lindsay Davenport (1991).