Florida’s juniors were on the national stage this past week as the USTA Junior National Championships wrapped up across the 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s divisions for both boys and girls. The Sunshine State was well represented from the opening rounds through the finals, with Florida players reaching podiums in singles and doubles at every age level.
The stakes were highest in the 18s, where the championships doubled as a pathway to Flushing Meadows. The Boys’ and Girls’ 18s singles champions earned a wildcard into the US Open main draw singles, while the 18s doubles champions earned a US Open main draw doubles wildcard, provided they compete with the same partner. The 18s singles finalists earned spots in US Open qualifying singles as well as the US Open Juniors main draw singles, and the 16s singles champions earned a US Open Juniors main draw singles berth of their own.
Here is a look at how Florida’s players fared.
Boys’ 18s
Jordan Lee (Orlando) carried the Florida flag deepest in the Boys’ 18s, battling his way to the singles final of a 256-player draw.
Jordan opened with a bye before rolling through the early rounds without dropping a set. He handled Luca Ostovany 6-2, 6-2 in the round of 128, took out Omar Rhazali 6-2, 6-1 in the round of 64, then edged Teodor Davidov 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 32 and dispatched William Freshwater 6-4, 6-1 in the round of 16. The quarterfinals brought his toughest test, as Michael Antonius pushed him to a decider before Jordan closed it out 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. He saved his most dominant performance for the semifinals, dropping just two games in a 6-2, 6-0 win over Andrew Johnson to reach the championship match.
In the final against Jack Kennedy, Jordan was forced to retire with an injury while trailing 1-2, an unfortunate end to an otherwise outstanding week. The runner-up finish still came with real hardware attached, as Jordan earned a wildcard into US Open qualifying singles along with a spot in the US Open Juniors main draw singles.
Results:
- Singles Finalist: Jordan Lee (Orlando)
Girls’ 18s
Florida claimed a national doubles title in the Girls’ 18s, and in fitting fashion, the Sunshine State was represented on both sides of the net in the championship match.
Bella Payne (Bradenton) and Sara Shumate (Bradenton Beach) never lost a set on their way to the title. After opening with a bye, the pair cruised past Emily Wu and Sophie Geng 6-1, 6-1 in the round of 64, then blitzed Sadira Ouyang and Emily Morgan 6-2, 6-0 in the round of 32. Their tightest test came in the round of 16, where they held off Lucy Oyebog and Nancy Lee 6-4, 6-4. Bella and Sara regained their rhythm from there, handling Raina Miae Kim and Chloe Zigliara 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and Natalie Kha and Yilin Chen 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals.
Waiting in the final was fellow Floridian Welles Newman (Boca Raton), who had reached the championship match alongside partner Jordyn Hazelitt. Bella and Sara closed out their perfect week with a 6-2, 6-1 victory, guaranteeing a Florida player would lift the trophy either way. For the champions, the title came with a wildcard into the US Open main draw doubles, which the pair will contest together.
Results:
- Doubles Champions: Bella Payne (Bradenton) & Sara Shumate (Bradenton Beach)
- Doubles Finalist: Welles Newman (Boca Raton)
Boys’ 16s
Florida had a strong presence in the Boys’ 16s, with Lennart Hammargren (Bradenton) posting a top-eight singles finish and Mikaeel Alibaig (Wesley Chapel) putting together a busy and productive week, winning the singles consolation bracket and teaming with Ivan Rybak (Palm Coast) to place third in doubles.
In the doubles draw, Mikaeel and Ivan proved tough to shake all week. After an opening bye, they dropped the first set of their round of 64 match against Miles Olmeda and Charlie Barton before rallying to win 3-6, 6-1, [10-7]. The pair found their footing from there, handling Casra Afsharipour and James Choi 6-3, 6-2 and then dominating Alexander Anderson and Zhiyu Yuan 6-1, 6-2. Their quarterfinal was another test of nerve, as they dropped the opener 6-1 to Aryan Ponugoti and Alexander Lerman before flipping the match and closing out the tiebreaker 10-3. The run ended in the semifinals against Kahven Singh and Griffin Goode, who came through 7-5, 6-3. Mikaeel and Ivan responded in the third-place playoff, beating Louden Muha and Mason Fekete 6-2, 6-4 to finish on the podium.
Results:
- Singles 5-8 Place: Lennart Hammargren (Bradenton)
- Singles Consolation Champion: Mikaeel Alibaig (Wesley Chapel)
- Doubles Third Place: Mikaeel Alibaig (Wesley Chapel) & Ivan Rybak (Palm Coast)
Girls’ 16s
The Girls’ 16s produced Florida’s deepest overall showing, including an all-Florida third-place playoff in doubles. Nikol Davletshina (Boca Raton) finished third in singles and fourth in doubles alongside Daniela Davletshina (Boca Raton), while Chukwunoneeru Smarty (Oneco) landed a top-eight singles finish and Aleksandra Jerkunica (Fort Lauderdale) placed third in doubles.
Nikol put together an impressive singles run to reach the podium. After an opening bye, she overpowered Gabriela Hernandez 6-0, 6-2 in the round of 128, then came through her first three-setter of the week against Lucy Dupere 6-1, 5-7, 6-1. Nikol found her range from there, handling Braylen Michelsen 6-3, 6-0 and Luciana Chica 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals, where she outlasted Abigail Haile in a three-set battle 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Aarini Bhattacharya proved too strong in the semifinals, taking the match 6-2, 6-2, but Nikol bounced back to close her week on the podium, beating Avita Beitler 6-1, 6-2 in the third-place playoff.
Nikol also teamed with Daniela in the doubles draw, where the pair reached the semifinals. After a bye, they survived a tight opener against Ashley Narath and Luciana Chica, dropping the first set before winning 2-6, 6-3, [10-8]. The sisters then rolled through Xinyi Yu and Angela Li 6-1, 6-0 and Kelly Shi and Zhongyi Zhou 6-3, 6-2 before edging Elle Groslimond and Riko Pang 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Madeline Cleary and Isabelle Nguyen ended their title hopes in a three-set semifinal, and in the third-place playoff the sisters ran into fellow Floridian Aleksandra Jerkunica, who teamed with Daniella Sales to take the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and claim third place.
Results:
- Singles Third Place: Nikol Davletshina (Boca Raton)
- Singles 5-8 Place: Chukwunoneeru Smarty (Oneco)
- Doubles Third Place: Aleksandra Jerkunica (Fort Lauderdale)
- Doubles Fourth Place: Nikol Davletshina (Boca Raton) & Daniela Davletshina (Boca Raton)
Boys’ 14s
The Boys’ 14s was Florida’s crowning achievement of the week, and the Sunshine State made sure the national title stayed home by putting both finalists in the championship match.
David Bender (Indian Harbour Beach) went unbeaten through the 256-player draw. After an opening bye, he overpowered Brayden Angus 6-0, 6-1 in the round of 128, then survived his first real scare against Haris Shahbaz in the round of 64, dropping a first-set tiebreaker 7-6 (5) before storming back to win 6-1, 6-2. David rolled from there, handling James Phillips 6-2, 6-3 and William McGugin 6-3, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals. That is where he was pushed hardest, edging Evan Fan in a three-set marathon 6-7 (8), 6-0, 7-6 (5). He steadied himself in the semifinals to get past Daksh Bharadwaj 7-5, 6-4 and book his place in the final.
On the other side of the draw, Krish Advani (Bradenton) was every bit as impressive. He opened with a bye, then dispatched Lucas Rogers 6-0, 6-4 and Ryan Zhang 6-2, 6-1 before advancing past Andrew Cheng, who retired with an injury while Krish led 6-2, 3-0. In the round of 16 he took down Selwyn Olufemi-Owoeye, the reigning Bobby Curtis Boys’ 14s state champion, 6-4, 6-2. Krish then cruised past Novak Masteller 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and dug deep in a three-set semifinal against Matthew Finn, taking it 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to set up the all-Florida final.
The championship match delivered the drama the matchup deserved. Krish struck first with a 6-3 opening set, but David answered with a 6-2 second set to force a decider. In the third, David found the extra gear, closing out a 6-2 win to claim the national title. David added a doubles finalist finish to his week, while Krish placed third in doubles.
Results:
- Singles Champion: David Bender (Indian Harbour Beach)
- Singles Finalist: Krish Advani (Bradenton)
- Doubles Finalist: David Bender (Indian Harbour Beach)
- Doubles Third Place: Krish Advani (Bradenton)
Girls’ 14s
Christina Li (Bradenton) had a productive week on both fronts, finishing in the top eight in singles and taking third place in doubles.
Partnering with Skylar Mandell, Christina opened the doubles draw with a bye before surviving a scare against a familiar Florida pairing. Vasiana Christopoulos and Lauren Chang, both fresh off deep runs at the Bobby Curtis Junior State Championships, took the opening set 6-2 before Christina and Skylar rallied to win 2-6, 6-2, [10-8]. The pair settled in from there, handling Lillian Chhiv and Victoria Park 7-5, 6-1, then coming through a tight opener against Gabriella Moracci and Daniella Yogumyan to win 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. Their quarterfinal was another test of nerve, as they edged Valentina Arlati and Cate Andreoli 7-6 (8-6), 6-1. The run to the final was halted when they were forced to withdraw from the semifinals due to illness, but the duo returned for the third-place playoff and closed their week on the podium with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Daniella Akhtar and Jessie Janiak.
Results:
- Singles 5-8 Place: Christina Li (Bradenton)
- Doubles Third Place: Christina Li (Bradenton)
Boys’ 12s
Zachary Burunov (Hollywood) put together the deepest run of any Florida player in the Boys’ 12s, winning six straight matches to reach the final.
Zachary opened with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Shrey Nadagoudar, then turned in his most dominant performance of the week against Niall Harrington, dropping just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 victory. From there the matches tightened considerably. He edged Leo Berger 6-4, 6-4 and then survived an identical 6-4, 6-4 test against Hamin Song to reach the quarterfinals. Zachary responded with authority, taking out Satvik Arja 6-4, 6-0 before handling William Zhou 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals to punch his ticket to the final.
There he ran into Aleksander Denisov, who proved a step too far, taking the match 6-3, 6-0. Even so, Zachary’s run through the draw marked one of the standout Florida performances of the week in the youngest boys’ division.
Results:
- Singles Finalist: Zachary Burunov (Hollywood)
Girls’ 12s
Vlada Hranchar (Boca Raton) fought her way to the singles final in the Girls’ 12s, and she did it the hard way, winning three three-set matches along the route.
Vlada opened against Briana Rybak, dropping the second set before closing it out 6-2, 4-6, 6-0. She then turned in her cleanest performance of the week, dispatching Ingrid Sagstrom 6-2, 6-0, and followed it with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Mia Lurigio. The round of 16 brought her toughest test yet, as she edged Evita Barjolo 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a match that went the distance. Vlada handled Audrina Goodman 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, then showed her resilience once more in the semifinals, recovering from a 6-3 opening-set loss to Reya Mahadoo to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.
The final against Lailah Cowgill was the match of the week. Vlada lost the opener 6-2 before storming back to take the second 6-3 and force a decider. The third set went all the way to a tiebreaker, where Cowgill edged it 7-5 to claim the title. It was a razor-thin margin at the end of a remarkable week for the young Floridian.
Results:
- Singles Finalist: Vlada Hranchar (Boca Raton)
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