As I mentioned earlier this month, I had an opportunity to speak with the USTA's Dan Holman and Tracy Davies about the newly regionalized ITF Junior Circuit here in the United States and the five new J200s, in Las Vegas, Sumter, Nashville, Cincinnati and Delray Beach, that are part of that restructuring.I wrote this article for the Tennis Recruiting Network about the philosophy behind this
25 days ago
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Qualifying for the Australian Open concluded Thursday in Melbourne, with four US men and one US woman advancing to the main draw.Columbia's two-time NCAA champion Michael Zheng had to save a match point after taking a 7-1 lead in the third set tiebreaker against Lukas Klein of Slovakia, but the 21-year-old from New Jersey will make his ATP and slam main draw debut after a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(10)
26 days ago
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Twenty-four Americans were in the Australian Open qualifying draws when the week began, and nearly half have made the final round, which begins in a few hours Thursday(tonight in the USA) in Melbourne.Six of the nine US men and five of the seven US women in action Wednesday in the second round advanced, with Nishesh Basavareddy(Stanford) having the most dramatic win. Basavareddy, whose ATP
27 days ago
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The first women's USTA Pro Circuit tournament of the year is a W35 at the Inspiration Academy in Bradenton Florida, with qualifying concluding today and four first round matches played.USTA Winter Nationals 18s champion Kenzie Nguyen didn't miss a beat after her title in Lake Nona earlier this month, receiving a wild card into this event and beating Victoria Hu(Princeton) 6-3, 7-6(5). Although Hu
28 days ago
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Last week's ITF J60 in Costa Rica, the first of three events in that country that will conclude with the J300 Coffee Bowl, produced three titles for Americans, including a sweep for Orange Bowl 16s finalist Daniel Malacek. The tournament used the ITF's new format, with results in round eight round robin groups determining the quarterfinalists. American boys won six of those groups, and
29 days ago
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The last entry in my review of last month's Orange Bowl is my Tennis Recruiting Network photo gallery of the 16s tournament. It features all the players from the United States (plus a couple who train here but compete for other countries) who won a round in the singles event. I focus on the 16s for this tournament in order to feature some new faces; many of those playing the 18s appeared in the
30 days ago
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Recent University of Tennessee graduate Shunsuke Mitsui of Japan advanced to his first M25 final with a 6-1, 6-3 win over 17-year-old wild card Jack Kennedy, who was seeking his first Pro Circuit final after losses in three M15 semifinals last year. The 23-year-old Mitsui, who has two M15 titles, will face No. 5 seed Keegan Smith, a former UCLA All-American, who defeated wild card Luca Pow, a
about 1 month ago
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Wild card Jack Kennedy has advanced to his fourth USTA Pro Circuit semifinal and his first at the M25 level, with a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 win over Stefan Dostanic(USC, Wake Forest), the 2025 NCAA Team Championships' Most Outstanding Player, in Winston-Salem.Kennedy will face unseeded Shunsuke Mitsui of Japan, a former University of Tennessee All-American, who beat No. 7 seed and 2025 ITA All-American
about 1 month ago
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Vihaan Reddy withdrew from the ITF J300 in Traralgon Australia on Monday, although he couldn't have known then that he would be getting plenty of matches prior to the Australian Open Junior Championships later this month, where he is still entered.Today the 16-year-old from Northern California reached his second ITF J300 semifinal in the past two months, with the sixth-seeded Reddy beating No. 3
about 1 month ago
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The first coaches poll of the 2026 dual match season is less significant than ever after the ITA changed its ranking procedure for 2026. These rankings used to be a starting point for the computer rankings later in the season, but they no longer serve that purpose, with a new system in place that puts all teams on the same level when results are calculated.Yet for college tennis fans, there is
about 1 month ago
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The first tournament of the year on the USTA Pro Circuit is an M25 in Winston-Salem North Carolina, with qualifying concluding today and four first round matches played. Seventeen-year-old Jack Kennedy, the ITF junior No. 3, will be playing primarily on the ITF men's and ATP Challenger tour in his last year of junior eligibility, as he prepares to begin his collegiate career in the fall at
about 1 month ago
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The first of the 39 ITF J300 tournaments scheduled for 2026 is underway in New Delhi India, with four Americans advancing to the second round with victories today and another aiming to join them with a win Tuesday.Fourteen-year-old Anya Arora, 367 in the first ITF junior rankings of the year, defeated 15-year-old Alisa Terentyeva of Russia, 73 in the new rankings, 6-2, 6-0 in the first round
about 1 month ago
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Last month the ITF released a summary of the changes in its Junior Circuit regulations for 2026, which includes requirements for some substantial upgrades for the seven J500 tournaments.I'll start with the new regulations for 2026, the majority of which are related to the introduction of early rounds of robin robin play in selected J30s and J60s.This ITF article from last fall gives an overview
about 1 month ago
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The first champions of 2026 have been crowned, with the USTA Winter National Championships concluding today in Orlando Florida and San Antonio Texas.Just one of the eight finals played today went three sets, with the boys 18s title claimed by No. 2 seed Ronit Karki after he dropped the first set. The 2025 Wimbledon boys finalist defeated No. 17 seed Andrew Li 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in more than two and a
about 1 month ago
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My monthly Tennis Recruiting Network column on December's top performances focuses primarily on the winners of the three major junior events in Florida, which makes it a great way to catch up if you weren't able to follow my daily coverage. But the IMG Academy, Orange Bowl and Junior Orange Bowl champions weren't the only players to pick up titles as the year came to a close, with juniors and
about 1 month ago
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2026 didn't start the way that four of the seven No. 1 seeds remaining in contention for the USTA Winter Nationals would have liked, with girls 18s top seed Carlota Moreno the only one to post a quarterfinal victory today in Orlando.Boys 18s top seed and defending champion Shaan Patel saw his winning streak end at 11 matches, with No. 13 seed Noble Renfrow posting a convincing 6-0, 6-1
about 1 month ago
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The quarterfinals are set for the USTA Winter National Championships on New Year's Day, with seven of the eight No. 1 seeds still in the hunt for a gold ball. The boys 14s lost their top seed in today's round of 16, with unseeded Nathan Lee, the younger brother of Tyler Lee, defeating Sebastian Zavala 6-1, 6-3.The quarterfinal matchups in singles:B18s:Shaan Patel[1] v Noble Renfrow[13]Michael
about 1 month ago
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JanuaryMax D Smith, USTA Winter Nationals 12sDavid Bender and Gabriel Marino, USTA Winter Nationals 12s (dbls)Jacqueline Nick, USTA Winter Nationals 12sLucy Dupere and Christina Li, USTA Winter Nationals 12s (dbls)Eli Kaminski, USTA Winter Nationals 14sRafael Pawar and Zesen Wang, USTA Winter Nationals 14s (dbls)London Evans, USTA Winter Nationals 14sAnna Scott Laney and Michelle Lee, USTA Winter
about 1 month ago
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The No. 1 seeds continued to advance at the USTA Winter National Championships, with all eight top seeds reaching Wednesday's round of 16.Boys 18s No. 1 seed and defending champion Shaan Patel will face No. 17 seed Siddharth Bharadwaj and No. 2 seed Ronit Karki will play No. 17 seed John Gentek.Daniel Malacek, the top seed in the boys 16s, will play No. 13 seed Joshua Dolinsky.Girls 18s No. 1
about 1 month ago
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Although all eight of the No. 1 seeds have advanced to Tuesday's third round of singles at the USTA Winter National Championships, another No. 2 seed has exited, along with the No. 3 seed in boys 18s division.Calla McGill, the No. 2 seed in the girls 18s, lost today to Addison Lindsay 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, while Alexander Suhanitski, the boys 18s No. 3 seed lost to Michael Lorenzetti 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5.
about 1 month ago
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The first round of the USTA Winter National Championships is complete with only one major upset, in the boys 16s. No. 2 seed and USTA Indoor Champion Eli Kaminiski lost to Rafael Bote 7-6(1), 6-2. Bote, who lives in Boca Raton but competes on the ITF Junior Circuit under the Canadian flag, reached the quarterfinals of the IMG Academy International Championships earlier this month.As I
about 1 month ago
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The entry lists and wild cards for the 2026 Australian Open were announced earlier this week, with a dozen US men and 13 US women receiving direct acceptance.The US men, in order of ranking:Mackenzie McDonaldBrandon HoltMichael MmohZachary SvajdaColton SmithNishesh BasavareddyMartin DammTristan BoyerMichael ZhengNicolas Moreno de AlboranMitchell KruegerMurphy CassoneThe qualifying wild cards
about 1 month ago
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The USTA Winter National Championships begin Sunday, with the 16s and 18s at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona Florida and the 12s and 14s competing in San Antonio Texas.Shaan Patel is defending his title in the boys 18s division, with Wimbledon boys finalist Ronit Karki the No. 2 seed. Not seeded in the girls 18s is Paige Wygodski, last year's 16s champion; not seeded in the girls 16s is
about 2 months ago
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photo via philbo at unsplash.comI'm taking a couple of days off for the Christmas holiday, but will be back to look at the draws for the first big tournaments of 2026: the USTA Winter Nationals, which begin December 28 in Orlando for the 16s and 18s and San Antonio for the 12s and 14s.Have a very merry christmas!
about 2 months ago
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I want to preface these observations with my amazement at how much was accomplished in the 12 months since I first visited the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale. On our way to the airport after the 2024 Orange Bowl, the final one at the Veltri Tennis Center 10 miles to the west, we stopped to scout out the JETC, which had not yet been publicly announced as the
about 2 months ago
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