LEIGHTON ALLEN, GABRIELLA PRICE WIN USTA BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ 18s
NATIONAL CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS SINGLES TITLES
Allen, Price Earn Wild Cards into 2019 US Open Junior Championships and Future Tournaments through New USTA Competitive Pathway Linkages
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 23, 2019 – Eighteen-year-old Leighton Allen, of Austin, Texas, and sixteen-year-old Gabriella Price, of Boca Raton, Fla., each won singles titles at last week’s USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s National Clay Court Championships to earn wild card entries into the 2019 US Open Junior Championships.
Allen defeated this year’s boys’ 18s doubles champion Logan Zapp, of Fleming Island, Fla., 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 in the singles final at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in Delray Beach, Fla. With the win, Allen booked his spot in the main draw of the 2019 US Open Junior Championships as a wild card, as well as one singles main draw wild card to an ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event. Zapp, as the Boys’ singles finalist, received a wild card entry into qualifying of an ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event.
Price defeated Karina Miller, of Ann Arbor, Mich., 6-0, 7-5 in the singles final at the LTP Tennis Club in Mount Pleasant, S.C., to win her first USTA National Championship. Through the new USTA competitive pathway linkages, Priceearned a wild card into this summer’s US Open Junior Championships and a singles main draw wild card entry into a USTA Pro Circuit W25 event. As the girls’ 18s runner-up, Miller earned a wild card spot into an ITF World Tennis Tour W15 event to be determined.
Luke Casper (Santa Cruz, Calif.) followed up his boys’ 16s singles title at the USTA National Winter Championships in January by winning the boys’ 16s singles trophy, defeating Samir Banerjee (Basking Ridge, N.J.) 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. Casperearned a main draw wild card at an ITF World Tennis Tour M15 event, while Banerjeereceived a wild card into qualifying of an ITF World Tennis Tour M15 event to be determined.
2018 USTA National Indoor Championships quarterfinalist Aubrey Nisbet (Wilmington, Del.) bested Carrie Beckman (Louisville, Ky.) 6-0, 6-4 in the singles final of the girls’ 16s event. Nisbet earned a wild card into the main draw of the prestigious Grade A Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship in Plantation, Fla., in December. Beckmanacquired a wild card into the singles main draw of a Junior ITF Grade 4 tournament to be determined.
Lara Smejkal (Boca Raton, Fla.) was the girls’ 14s singles champion, earning a wild card entry into the singles main draw of a Junior ITF Grade 4 tournament to be determined. Nishesh Basavareddy (Carmel, Ind.) overtook Dylan Tsoi (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) to claim the boys’ 14s singles title.
Abhishek Thorat (Lithia, Fla.) took home the boys’ 12s singles title; meanwhile Bella Payne (Taylors, S.C.) was crowned the girls 12s singles champion.
Singles and doubles finals results from all four age groups can be found on Page 2. For complete tournament results, visit the USTA website.
Each year, more than 120,000 players compete in USTA junior tournaments. 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.
