RAVICHANDER, MA WIN USTA NATIONAL WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ 18s SINGLES TITLES
Four Juniors Earn Wild Cards into Future Tournaments through New USTA Competitive Pathway Linkages
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., January 5, 2019 – Top young juniors Ishaan Ravichander (16, Belle Mead, N.J.) and Connie Ma (15, Dublin, Calif.) won the USTA National Winter Championships Boys’ and Girls’ 18s singles titles on Friday, headlining the American juniors to win singles or doubles titles at the USTA National Winter Championships over the past week.
The National Winter Championships were played at the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando (18s and 16s division) and the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz. (14s and 12s divisions) consisting of 128 singles players and 64 doubles teams across all age groups.
No. 17 seed Ravichander claimed the Boys’ 18s singles title after taking down California native Zachery Lim (16, Fairfield, Calif.), 7-6 (2), 6-3. Fifteen-year-old Ma started 2019 on a high note, defeating Orlando native Alana Wolfberg, 6-4, 6-0, to win the Girls’ 18s singles title a day after winning the doubles crown with partner Anna Campana (18, Hillsborough, Calif.) by a score of 6-4, 6-2, over Allie Gretkowski (15, Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and Anna Ross (17, Mount Pleasant, S.C.).
Luke Casper (Santa Cruz, Calif), ranked second in Northern California in the Boys’ 16s, won his first USTA National Championship after defeating Quinn Snyder (16, Delran, N.J.), 7-6 (5), 6-4, in the Boy’s 16s singles final. Following up on her doubles title at the USTA National Indoor Championships in November, Nadeja Madlova (16, Brooklyn, N.Y.), took home the Girls’ 16s singles title after defeating top-seeded Leyden Games (15, Newport Beach, Calif.) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Fourteen-year-old Ria Bhakta (Saratoga, Calif.) overtook Kinaa Graham (13, Austin, Texas) with a double bagel victory to take home the Girls’ 14 singles title. Meanwhile, after a third-place finish at the USTA National Indoor Championships in November, No. 2 seed Sebastian Gorzny (15, Irvine, Calif.) claimed the Boys’ 14s singles title in Tucson, defeating No. 17 Brayden Michna (14, Taylor, Texas), 2-6, 6-1, 6-0.
Four players earned wild-card entries into future tournaments because of the USTA’s new, merit-based competitive pathway linkages. Ravichander, as the Boys’ 18s singles champion, received one wild card entry into the main draw of a future ITF World Tennis Tour Men’s 15 event in the U.S. Ma, as the Girls’ 18s singles champion, received a wild card entry to the singles qualifying draw of a USTA Pro Circuit Women’s 25 event, as well as a wild card into the singles main draw of the International Spring Championships ITF Junior tournament in Carson, Calif.
Wolfberg, as the Girls’ 18s singles runner-up, receives a wild card entry to the singles qualifying draw at a USTA Pro Circuit Women’s 15 event and a wild card entry into the singles main draw of an ITF Junior Level 4 event to be determined. Bhakta, the Girls’ 14s singles champion, also received a wild card into the singles main draw of an ITF Junior Level 4 event to be determined.
Top-seeded Amber Yin (Ballwin, Mo.) swept the singles and doubles titles, defeating Kinley Vanpelt (Lawrence, Kan.), 6-4, 7-5 in the Girls’ 12s singles final and partnering with Annika Renganathan (Sammamish, Wash.) to lift the doubles title.
Mason Nuyen (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) beat Maxwell Exsted (Savage, Minn.) – who was a finalist in both singles and doubles – 6-4, 7-5, to win the Boy’s 12s singles title.
Final results of the USTA National Winter Championships can be found on Page 2. The complete draws are available at the following links: 18s and 16s; 14s and 12s.
Each year, more than 120,000 players compete in USTA junior tournament. Players compete in levels of competition through earned advancement in the 10s, 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s age divisions. USTA junior tournaments help kids take their game as far as they want – high school, college or pros – or just have fun competing.
USTA Boys’ 18s National Winter Championships
Orlando, Fla., Dec. 29, 2018 – Jan. 4, 2019
Singles: (17) Ishaan Ravichander, (Belle Mead, N.J.), d. (9) Zachery Lim, (Fairfield, Calif.), 7-6 (2), 6-3
Doubles: (10) Jeremie Casabon, (Flourtown, Pa.)/Henry Ruger, (Philadelphia, Pa.), d. Hunter Heck, (New Brighton, Minn.)/JJ Tracy, (Hilton Head Island, S.C.), 6-4, 6-1
USTA Girls’ 18s National Winter Championships
Orlando, Fla., Dec. 29, 2018 – Jan. 4, 2019
Singles: (4) Connie Ma, (Dublin, Calif.), d. (3) Alana Wolfberg, (Orlando, Fla.), 6-4, 6-0
Doubles: (15)Connie Ma, (Dublin, Calif.)/Anna Campana, (Hillsborough, Calif.), d. (4) Allie Gretkowski, (Mount Pleasant, S.C.)/Anna Ross, (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), 6-4, 6-2
USTA Boys’ 16s National Winter Championships
Orlando, Fla., Dec. 29, 2018 – Jan. 4, 2019
Singles: (5) Luke Casper, (Santa Cruz, Calif.), d. (13) Quinn Snyder, (Delran, N.J.), 7-6 (5), 6-4
Doubles: (14) Samir Banerjee, (Basking Ridge, N.J.)/Louis Cloud, (San Antonio, Texas) d. (12) Jacob Bickersteth, (West Bloomfield, Mich.)/Billy Suarez, (New York, N.Y.), 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
USTA Girls’ 16s National Winter Championships
Orlando, Fla., Dec. 29, 2018 – Jan. 4, 2019
Singles: (8) Nadejda Maslova, (Brooklyn, N.Y.), d. (1)Leyden Gamesd, (Newport Beach, Calif.), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Doubles: (1)Ava Catanzarite, (Franklin Park, Pa.)/Avery Durham, (Hilton Head Island, S.C.), d. (4) Carrie Beckman, (Louisville, Ky.)/Emma Charney, (Prospect, Ky.), 6-3, 6-4
USTA Boys’ 14s National Winter Championships
Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 27, 2018 – Jan. 2, 2019
Singles: (2) Sebastian Gorzny, (Irvine, Calif.), d. (17) Brayden Michna, (Taylor, Texas), 2-6, 6-1, 6-0
Doubles: (1) Lucas Brown, (Plano, Texas)/Aidan Kim, (Milford, Mich.), d. (9) Noah Hernandez, (Hinsdale, Ill.)/Marko Mesarovic, (Austin, Texas), 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
USTA Girls’ 14s National Winter Championships
Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 27, 2018 – Jan. 2, 2019
Singles: (9) Ria Bhakta, (Saratoga, Calif.), d. (5) Kinaa Graham, (Austin, Texas), 6-0, 6-0
Doubles: (3) Tsehay Driscoll, (Pacific Palisades, Calif.)/Emma Roeck, (Novi, Mich.), d.(9) Alice Otis, (Charleston, S.C.)/Piper Charney, (Prospect, Ky.), 7-6 (3), 6-1
USTA Boys’ 12s National Winter Championships
Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 27, 2018 – Jan. 2, 2019
Singles: (9) Mason Nguyen, (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), d. (4) Maxwell Exsted, (Savage, Minn.), 6-4, 7-5
Doubles: (4) Abhinav Chunduru, (Plano, Texas)/Prathinav Chunduru, (Plano, Texas) d. (1) Maxwell Exsted, (Savage, Minn.)/Santiago Muhala, (Katy, Texas), 6-1, 7-6 (6)
USTA Girls’ 12s National Winter Championships
Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 27, 2018 – Jan. 2, 2019
Singles: (1) Amber Yin, (Ballwin, Mo.), d. (7) Kinley Vanpelt, (Lawrence, Kan.), 6-1, 6-1
Doubles: (1) Annika Renganathan, (Sammamish, Wash.)/Amber Yin, (Ballwin, Mo.), d. (9) Bianca Molnar, (Ladera Ranch, Calif.)/Aspen Schuman, (Menlo Park, Calif.), 6-4, 6-4
