By Sally Milano
Axel Nefve and Katie Volynets captured the boys' and girls' 18s singles titles Sunday at the USTA National Clay Court Championships, earning wild cards to compete in the US Open Junior Championships in September.
Nefve (pictured above), a 17-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., defeated Ryan Goetz of Greenlawn, N.Y., 6-2, 6-4, to take home the boys' 18s trophy, while Volynets, 15, from Walnut Creek, Calif., beat Abigail Forbes of Raleigh, N.C., 6-2, 6-2, for the girls' 18s crown.
In addition to their US Open junior wild-card entries, Nefve and Volynets will each receive a wild card into a future USTA Pro Circuit event.
Nefve, who lived within walking distance of Roland Garros in Paris until the age of 6, dropped just one set in the tournament – a comeback 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Mason Beiler in the semifinals.
Volynets, who in December became the first player ever to sweep the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl 16-and-under singles titles, cruised to the girls' 18s title without dropping a set. She lost only 27 games total in the seven matches she played.
In the 16s divisions, Atlanta native Garrett Johns and San Antonio’s Fiona Crawley won the boys’ and girls’ singles titles, each earning a wild card into a future USTA Pro Circuit event. Johns beat Jacob Bullard of Calabasas, Calif., 6-2, 6-2, and Crawley defeated Atlanta’s Ruth Marsh, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Fourteen-year-old Saud Alhogbani and 12-year-old Tsehay Driscoll swept the singles and doubles championships in their respective age divisions. Alhogbani won both Boys’ 14s titles, and Driscoll captured both Girls’ 12s crowns.
For complete tournament results, click here, and see below for the final singles and doubles results from all four age groups:
USTA Boys’ 18s National Clay Court Championships
Delray Beach, Fla., July 16-23, 2017
Singles: (17) Axel Nefve (Boca Raton, Fla.) d. Ryan Goetz (Greenlawn, N.Y.), 6-2, 6-4
Doubles: (5) Christian Alshon (Boca Raton, Fla.) / Tyler Zink (Bradenton, Fla.) d. (12) Patrick Maloney (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) / Harris Walker (South Salem, N.Y.), 6-3, 6-2
USTA Girls’ 18s National Clay Court Championships
Memphis, Tenn., July 16-23, 2017
Singles: (13) Katie Volynets (Walnut Creek, Calif.) d. (2) Abigail Forbes (Raleigh, N.C.), 6-2, 6-2
Doubles: (17) Forbes / Alyvia Jones (Gonzales, La.) d. (6) Sophie Graver (Allenwood, N.J.) / Marlee Zein (Sugar Land, Texas), 6-4, 6-3
USTA Boys’ 16s National Clay Court Championships
Delray Beach, Fla., July 16-23, 2017
Singles: (14) Garrett Johns (Atlanta) d. (8) Jacob Bullard (Calabasas, Calif.), 6-2, 6-2
Doubles: (6) Robert Cash (New Albany, Ohio) / Ryder Jackson (Nicasio, Calif.) d. (2) Jeffrey Fradkin (New York) / Phillip Jordan (Spartanburg, S.C.), 6-2, 6-4
USTA Girls’ 16s National Clay Court Championships
Virginia Beach, Va., July 16-23, 2017
Singles: (1) Fiona Crawley (San Antonio) d. (2) Ruth Marsh (Atlanta), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles: (15) Sophia Sassoli (Gladwyne, Pa.) / Rhea Shrivastava (Skillman, N.J.) d. (9) Zoey Weil (Columbus, Ohio) / Brigitte Wu (Jersey City, N.J.), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
USTA Boys’ 14s National Clay Court Championships
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., July 16-23, 2017
Singles: (11) Saud Alhogbani (Alexandria, Va.) v. (15) Jonah Braswell (Sarasota, Fla.)
Doubles: (27) Alhogbani / Nishesh Basavareddy (Carmel, Ind.) d. (5) Grant Durham (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) / Isaac Smith (Clearfield, Utah), 6-7(3), 6-0, 6-3
USTA Girls’ 14s National Clay Court Championships
Plantation, Fla., July 16-23, 2017
Singles: (26) Elise Wagle (Niskayuna, N.Y.) d. (5) Valencia Xu (Livingston, N.J.), 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
Doubles: (9) Robin Montgomery (Washington, D.C.) / Katrina Scott (Woodland Hills, Calif.) d. (7) Mia Kintiroglou (Livingston, N.J.) / Tara Malik (Secaucus, N.J.), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Championships
Orlando, Fla., July 16-22, 2017
Singles: Juncheng Shang (Naples, Fla.) d. (4) Aidan Kim (Milford, Mich), 6-3, 7-5
Doubles: (1) Lucas Brown (Plano, Texas) / Cooper Williams (New York) d. (12) Andrew Delgado (High Point, N.C.) / James Rico (Cary, N.C.), 6-3, 6-0
USTA Girls’ 12s National Clay Court Championships
Boca Raton, Fla., July 16-23, 2017
Singles: (3) Tsehay Driscoll (La Canada Flintridge, Calif.) d. Clervie Ngounoue (Washington, D.C.), 7-6(4), 6-2
Doubles: (4) Driscoll / Ava Krug (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) d. Natalie Block (Plantation, Fla.) / Lara Smejkal (Boca Raton, Fla.), 4-6, 6-4, 6-0