2 min read
This year, Universal Tennis launched the Junior National Pathway to provide more competition for junior players all over the country and to help them get seen by college coaches. Sixteen Junior Regional events are on the schedule, with more than half of them completed.
The winners of the 17U and 15U divisions (plus at-large registrants) will meet in Las Vegas from Dec. 3-7 for the Junior National Championships and Showcase.
Most of the Regional events are held on college campuses, perfectly fitting in with the goal of combining junior and college tennis. The divisions are 13U, 15U, and 17U with a format featuring round-robin play followed by a knock-out playoff, guaranteeing at least three matches for every player. Also, every 15U and 17U match is live-streamed and recorded.
A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE
Lisa Stone, the creator of Parenting Aces, a website for tennis parents by a tennis parent, was on-site for the SoCal & Arizona Regional at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. last weekend. She shares her experience and recaps the event, as well as provides interviews with parents, coaches, and players on her website (a free account is required to view the full story).
Stone caught up with Alex Galstyan (UTR Rating 9.40), the winner of the 15U division, and his father Sergey.
"I think it's great what's been done by Universal Tennis," Sergey Galstyan said. "It makes it more fair for everybody, and it’s a unique system where matches are not based on age but based on level."
Galstyan won the 15U title over Sibby Roddi (UTR Rating 9.31), while Hans Sempre (UTR Rating 6.80) defeated Edmund Lu (UTR Rating 5.95) for the 13U title, and Zino Mirtorabi (UTR Rating 10.16) upset Lance Urlaub (UTR Rating 10.99 in the 17U final.
Check out Stone's podcast with Universal Tennis' Matt Andre and Darling Tennis Center's Brian Wilson:
WINNERS AND FINALISTS, SO FAR
Mid-Atlantic & NC Region, Boys (Oct 15-17)
13U: Romir Bhalla def. Jack Kirby
15U: Eric Lindemann def. Samir Jones
17U: Charles Wood def. Cody Benton
Mid-Atlantic & NC Region, Girls (Oct 22-24)
13U: Devin Gilroy def. Elizabeth Zhang
15U: Lisa Kranec def. Mia Matriccino
17U: Alexandra Borcich def. Allison Harris
Midwest, Boys (Oct 30-Nov 1)
13U: Abraham Rosett def. Landon Vens
15U: Ethan Portnoy def. Derek Blackwell
17U: Nicholas Meyers def. Anthony Vanoyen (USA)
North Cal & Pacific NW Region, Boys (Oct 23-25)
13U: Collin De Oliveira def. Oakley Koegler
15U: Nav Dayal def. Ty Parrish
17U: Alex Dinkov def. Siddarth Chava
Northeast Region, Boys (Oct 22-24)
13U: Chase Gerloff def. Michael Lorenzetti
15U: Mateusz Gradzki def. Brian Yi
17U: Petro Kuzmenok def. James Lorenzetti
Northeast Region, Girls (Oct 16-18)
13U: Fiona Merchant def. Ananya Rao
15U: Ayanna Varma def. Juliette Ceas
17U: Leticia Kitio def. Shu Grosso
SoCal & Arizona, Boys (Oct 22-24)
13U: Hans Sempre def. Edmund Lu
15U: Alex Galstyan def. Sibby Roddi
17U: Zino Mirtorabi def. Lance Urlaub
SoCal & Arizona, Girls (Oct 29-31)
13U: Romi D’amore def. Audyssie James
15U: Nicole Weng def. Samantha Wang
17U: Julianne Nguyen def. Tatum Buffington
South Central Region, Boys (Sept 3-5)
13U: Aaditt Rishi def. Dylan Wilhelm
15U: Valor Dare def. Rowan Matorin
17U: Lathan Skrobarcek def. Finnegan Tankersley
South Central Region, Girls (Sept 18-20)
13U: Madeleine Bridges def. Eloise Nasr
15U: Mya Bowe def. Stella De Vera
17U: Lorena Cedeno def. Jenna Bohnert
Southern Region, Boys (Oct 22-24)
15U: Nicolas Wild def. Flavius Henderson Li
17U: Michael Thomas def. Lleyton Beasley
Southern Region, Girls (Oct 31-Nov 1)
13U: Jensen Diiani def. Sadira Ouyang
15U: Elena Duva def. Sydney Brantley
17U: Isabella Theodore def. Michelle Jones
To register for events and learn more about the Junior National Pathway, please click here.
UTR Ratings as of Oct. 27, 2021 at 12 p.m. EST.