America’s junior champions for 2013 were decided at the U.S. Junior Championships (Closed) over the third weekend of March at Yale University.
The top ranked players from across the country competed in the event in New Haven, which culminates an intensive season for the many players who have travelled to Philadelphia, New Haven, Baltimore, San Francisco and Boston to participate in the Junior Championship Tour circuit.
Entry into the event is for U.S. citizens only, and restricted to the 32 highest ranked players in each age division, making the champions America’s very best under 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 players.
Topping the draws in the under 19 Boys, 17-year-old Dylan Murray took the title, defeating finals opponent Devin McLaughlin in four games, while 16-year old Sabrina Sobhy was crowned the under 19 Girls champion, winning the final against Maria Elena Ubina in a comfortable three games.
Sobhy stepped on court with a no nonsense approach, snapping up the first game 11-2, followed by a closer second at 11-8. An intense third game saw Ubina almost creep back into the match, but despite managing to even the score to 10-all, Sobhy had the final drive to take the final game 12-10.
In the Boys under 19 final, Murray had a comfortable win in the first game, 11-4, however the second game saw a much more controlled McLaughlin just miss out, 10-12.
During the third game an impressive display of skill saw Murray drop his racquet mid rally and, despite the speed of play, manage to swiftly pick it up and dive to the other side of the court to retrieve the next shot. Despite that performance, he did lose the third game in a close 12-14, but marched back on court to finish off the fourth game in a swift 11-2.
In the Girls under 17 division, Caroline East defeated Chloe Chemtob in five games, 2-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, and in in another lengthy match in the Boys under 17, Derek Hsue defeated James Watson, 9-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10.
Harrison Gill defeated Spencer Lovejoy in the Boys under 15 event in three solid games 11-10, 11-6, 11-8. In the Girls under 15, Casey Wong changed her tactics after dropping the opening two games to opponent Eleonore Evans, and successfully shifted the momentum to take the last three games and win the match 7-11, 11-13, 11-3, 11-3, 11-3.
Ella Ruggiero took the Girls under 13 final against Lily Zelov, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7, and an impressive Boys under 13 match between Charlie East and Willy Ezratty came down to a nail-biting point-for-point fifth game, resolved at 11-10 by a tin from Ezratty giving East the match, 11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10.
In the under 11 Boys final, Connor Stoltz defeated Andrew Aube in three, 11- 7, 11-9, 11-2, and Marina Stefanoni beat Nina Mital in the Girls under 11 division, 11-3, 11-1, 10-12, 11-9.
