ZooTennis

Penickova Rises to No. 1 in ITF Junior Rankings Despite Loss in Chengdu Finals; Gaines and Moreno Claim J100 Titles in Georgia; ITF J300 Pan Am Photo Gallery

As of today, Kristina Penickova has reached the top of the ITF Junior Tennis rankings, after the 16-year-old advanced to championship match of the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals last week in Chengdu China. Despite losing to US Open girls champion Jeline Vandromme of Belgium 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, Penickova overtook fellow American Julieta Pareja on the strength of her results last week, her

3 months ago | 1 read

Vandromme and Schoenhaus Claim ITF WTT Junior Finals Titles; Kypson Wins Third Challenger of Year at Sioux Falls 100; First Pro Tournament, First Title for Kennedy-Drenser; Li Wins Second WTA Title

Seventeen-year-old Jeline Vandromme of Belgium and 18-year-old Max Schoenhaus of Germany won the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals Sunday in Chengdu China in contrasting fashion.No. 4 seed Vandromme, the US Open girls champion last month in New York, got her third win this year over top seed Kristina Penickova in another three-set battle. After beating Penickova 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in group play

3 months ago | 1 read

Kristina Penickova Reaches ITF WTT Junior Finals; Annika Penickova Advances to W15 Hilton Head Final; Forbes, and Stoiana Play for Pro Circuit Titles Sunday; Kypson and Spizzirri in Challenger 100 Finals; Lam Falls in Final of W15 in Spain

Sixteen-year-old twin sisters Kristina and Annika Penickova are, unusually, half a world apart this month, but both have advanced to finals Sunday.Kristina will play for the title at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals against Jeline Vandromme of Belgium, while Annika has advanced to her first pro final at the W15 in Hilton Head South Carolina.Kristina posted her third victory in four

3 months ago | 1 read

Penickova Advances to Semifinals at ITF WTT Junior Finals, Twin Sister Reaches Semifinals at W15 in Hilton Head; Forbes Beats Bigun at Norman M35; Stoiana Makes W100 Tyler Semifinals; Ghibaudo, Spizzirri Advance at Challenger 100s

The semifinals have been determined for the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in Chengdu China, with Kristina Penickova reaching the Knockout stage and Jack Kennedy falling short, despite his victory today.Round robin qualifications can be very wonky, and that was the case in two of the four groups. In Kennedy's Group B, Andres Santamarta Roig of Spain handed Max Schoenhaus of Germany his first

3 months ago | 0 reads

All Three Americans Drop Matches at ITF WTT Junior Finals; Forbes and Bigun Meet in Norman M25 Quarterfinals; Four Teens Reach Quarterfinals at W15 in Hilton Head; Memorial Mass for Tom Svajda Next Month in San Diego

The final matches in the round robin stage of the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals are set for Friday, after all three Americans dropped their matches Thursday in Chengdu China.  Top seed Kristina Penickova and No. 5 seed Jack Kennedy lost to put their records at 1-1, with wins Friday likely necessary if they are to advance to Saturday's semifinals. Benjamin Willwerth is now 0-2 in group

3 months ago | 1 read

Penickova and Kennedy Start ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals with Wins, Top Seed Vasilev Upset by Alexandrescou; Thirty More Players Qualify for Division I NCAA Singles Championship with Regional Play Complete

Kristina Penickova and Jack Kennedy picked up victories in the first day of play at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in Chengdu China Wednesday. Penickova, the top seed, defeated Julia Stusek of Germany 6-0, 6-4, coming from 4-1 down in the second set to close out the No. 5 seed in 61 minutes.Kennedy, the No. 5 seed, defeated No. 2 seed and former ITF Junior No. 1 Andres Santamarta

3 months ago | 1 read

ITF WTT Junior Finals Begin Wednesday in Chengdu; Newman Beats Top Seed at W15 in Hilton Head; Qualifying Complete at M25 and W35 Tournaments in Norman OK; USTA AO Wild Card Race Standings

The ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals begins with round robin play Wednesday in Chengdu, which is late tonight in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States. The two groups for boys and the two groups for girls, shown below, will produce the four semifinalists, with the knockout round beginning Saturday.The Americans competing in the Junior Finals are Jack Kennedy, Benjamin Willwerth and

3 months ago | 2 reads

Qalbani and Moreno Claim J60 Titles in South Carolina; US ITF Junior Circuit Features J100 in Rome Georgia This Week; Electronic Line Calling Debuts at Sioux Falls SD Challenger 100

Last week was a quiet one on the ITF Junior Circuit, with J60s the highest level of tournaments on the schedule. One of those J60s was in Lexington South Carolina, where Rowan Qalbani and Carlota Moreno swept the titles.Qalbani, the No. 2 seed, beat doubles partner and top seed Marcel Latak 6-4, 6-2 in the singles final, after partnering with Latak for the doubles title the previous day. Qalbani,

3 months ago | 4 reads

Jodar Earns Second Challenger Title in Lincoln; Wolff and Zarazua Claim Women's USTA Pro Circuit Titles; Top Seeds Shine at ITA Cup; First Roland Garros Junior Wild Cards Decided in Tokyo

University of Virginia sophomore and 2024 US Open boys champion Rafael Jodar of Spain won his second ATP Challenger title today at the 75 in Lincoln Nebraska, defeating No. 8 seed Martin Damm 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-3.  I apologize for my previous references to Lincoln as a 100-level Challenger; I must have been confused by the prize money, which is not related to the ATP points at stake. Jodar,

3 months ago | 1 read

Jodar and Damm to Meet in Lincoln Challenger Final; Rogers Beats Vidmanova to Reach W100 Macon Final; Wolff Escapes Liutova Upset Bid in Bakersfield W35; First Australian Open Junior Wild Cards Earned in South America

The finals are set at the ATP Challenger 75 in Lincoln Nebraska, with University of Virginia sophomore Rafael Jodar facing No. 8 seed Martin Damm after both posted straight-sets victories today.Jodar, who beat top seed Brandon Holt(USC) in last night's quarterfinal 6-0, 7-5 took out No. 4 seed Patrick Kypson(Texas A&M) 6-3, 6-3 today to reach his second ATP Challenger final.Damm, who saved

3 months ago | 0 reads

ITF J300 Pan Am Recap, Videos; Bender and Manchala Win USA's Les Petits As Qualifying Playoffs; ITA Cup for D-II, D-III, NAIA and JUCO Underway in Rome Georgia

My recap of last week's ITF J300 Pan American Closed Championships in Spring Texas is up today at the Tennis Recruiting Network, so if you missed my daily coverage here, it's an opportunity to get caught up on how one of the five J300 ITF Junior Circuit events in the United States played out. Below are videos of all four of the singles finalists. A Tennis Recruiting Network Photo Gallery is

3 months ago | 1 read

Finals for USA Qualifying for Les Petits As Set for Friday; Liutova, Fakih Advance to Bakersfield W35 Quarterfinals; Suresh, Jodar Reach Lincoln Challenger Quarterfinals; Jones, Vidmanova, Akli Win at W100 in Macon; Spizzirri's First ATP Quarterfinal

The eight under-14s who will represent the United States at the prestigious Les Petits As event next January in Tarbes France were decided today at Tropical Park in Miami Florida.The semifinalists assured themselves no worse than a qualifying wild card, and the two boys and two girls who won the semifinal matches today are already guaranteed a place in the main draw.Tara Guhan defeated top seed

3 months ago | 0 reads

Quarterfinals Set in Les Petits As USA Qualifying; Orange Bowl to Host ITF Junior Wheelchair Masters; ITF Introduces Junior Finals Competitors; Sohns and Penickova Advance at W35s; Florida State Seeking Tennis-related PhD Intern

The annual USA Playoffs for the 14U Les Petits As tournament, which is scheduled for the last week of January 2026, is underway this week in Miami, with the quarterfinals now set after today's completion of round robin play. Only one of the boys quarterfinalists is unseeded, Evan Fan, while all eight of the girls seeds advanced to the quarterfinals. Quarterfinalists at Les Petits As USA

3 months ago | 0 reads

Rodriguez Qualifies for W100 in Macon; Ilagan Beats No. 2 Seed Cassone at Lincoln Challenger; Bakersfield W35 Disrupted by Rain; Mandlik Leads After Week One of USTA Australian Open Women's Wild Card Challenge

Three USTA Pro Circuit events taking place this week, two  one of them a 100-point event, with the women outdoors in Macon Georgia and the men indoors in Lincoln Nebraska.The qualifying for the ATP Challenger 75 in Lincoln concluded yesterday, with University of Florida junior Adhithya Ganesan, former University of Michigan All-American Andrew Fenty, former Ohio State All-American Cannon

3 months ago | 0 reads

Ngounoue Wins Back-to-Back ITF J100s, Stratton, Jalbert, Malacek Claim ITF Junior Circuit Singles Titles; First Wave of Regionals Produces Additional NCAA D-I Qualifiers

Even after Americans swept all four Pan American ITF J300 titles having guaranteeing that result with all singles quarterfinalists and doubles semifinalists from the United States, four other Americans captured titles on the ITF Junior Circuit last week.Carel Ngounoue of Washington DC won his second consecutive J100 in Ghana, with the 17-year-old top seed beating unseeded Jesse Clarkson of Great

College Basketball

3 months ago | 1 read

Friend Wins All-Qualifier Challenger Final in Fairfield; Mandlik Claims Biggest Title of Career at W100 in Edmond; Vacherot's Improbable Shanghai Title; Gauff Wins Wuhan 1000

After a week in Texas devoted to high-level junior tennis, I've got some catching up to do on the USTA Pro Circuit and on the WTA and ATP Asian Swing in tonight's post.Jay Friend and his All-American trophy last month in TulsaJay Friend, a senior at the University of Arizona, continued the level that saw him claim the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa last month, capturing his first

3 months ago | 1 read

Little Mo Mixed Doubles Champions Antonius and Clarke Claim ITF J300 Pan American Closed Titles Six Years Later

©Colette Lewis 2025--Spring, Texas--When Michael Antonius defeated Andrew Johnson 6-4, 6-3 in the ITF J300 Pan American Closed boys final on an adjacent court Saturday morning, Chukwumelije Clarke was down a set to Carrie-Anne Hoo in the girls final. But the No. 6 seed had an unlikely source of motivation to begin a comeback: keeping up with her Little Mo 9-and-under mixed doubles teammate."I was

3 months ago | 1 read

Johnson and Antonius Reach ITF J300 PanAm Closed Final; Clarke and Hoo Meet for Girls Title; Doubles Champions Crowned; Kennedy Advances to M15 Lexington Semifinals

©Colette Lewis 2025--Spring, Texas--Saturday's singles finals at the ITF J300 Pan American Closed Championships are rematches, with No. 6 seed Chukwumelije Clarke and No. 5 Carrie-Ann Hoo reprising their contest in the USTA Winter Nationals 18s final back in January, and No. 4 seed Andrew Johnson and No. 3 seed Michael Antonius meeting for the second consecutive week, after all four posted

3 months ago | 1 read

Top Four Boys Seeds Advance to ITF J300 Pan Am Semifinals; Sohns and Hoo Oust Second and Third Seeds to Reach Girls Final Four; Kennedy Moves into Quarterfinals of M15 in Lexington

©Colette Lewis 2025--Spring, Texas--Three comebacks were necessary, but when the boys quarterfinals concluded after noon Thursday at the ITF J300 Pan American Closed Championships, the four top seeds had advanced.The only quarterfinal in which the winner won the opening set No. 4 seed Andrew Johnson's 6-2, 6-3 win over No. 10 seed Tanishk Konduri, a rematch of last Saturday's Corpus Christi J200

3 months ago | 0 reads

Qualifier Suh, Unseeded Stoot Join Top Seeds in ITF J300 Pan American Closed Quarterfinals; Pareja Defeats No. 2 Seed at W100 in Oklahoma

©Colette Lewis 2025--Spring, Texas--The top three seeds in both the girls and boys draws at the ITF J300 Pan American Closed advanced to Thursday's quarterfinals at the Giammalva Racquet Club, but four unseeded players will join them, including 15-year-old qualifier Sophie Suh.Suh, playing in just her fourth ITF Junior Circuit tournament and the first outside of her home section of Southern

3 months ago | 0 reads

Penickova and Clarke Return with Victories; Latak Ousts One of Eight Boys Seeds to Fall in Second Round of ITF J300 Pan American Closed

©Colette Lewis 2025--Spring, Texas--Top seed Annika Penickova and No. 9 seed Zaire Clarke returned to competition after long injury layoffs today in the second round of the ITF J300 Pan American Closed, and both came away with victories on the hard courts of the Giammalva Tennis Center in suburban Houston.Penickova, who has been out since Roland Garros with a tibia stress fracture, used her

3 months ago | 0 reads

August's San Diego Final Opens Door to North Carolina for Wygodzki; Top Seeds Penickova and Goode Begin Play Tuesday at ITF J300 Pan American Closed

©Colette Lewis 2025--Spring, TexasAlthough those living in South Texas scoffed at the suggestion that it was more like summer than fall today for the opening round of the ITF J300 Pan American Closed, but temperatures in the low 90s with little breeze did challenge many of those engaged in long three-set battles at the Giammalva Racquet Club outside Houston. But New Yorker Paige Wygodzki was

3 months ago | 0 reads