Top 14-and-under juniors earn spots to compete in Les Petits As

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November 6, 2017 01:32 PM

By Sally Milano

Six of America's top 14-and-under junior players will compete in Les Petits As, the most prestigious 14-and-under junior tournament in the world, after securing a spot in the tournament behind their performances at the Les Petits As USA Playoffs, held last week at Club Med in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Thirteen-year-olds Evan Wen (pictured above), from Morristown, N.J., and John Kim, of Sunnyvale, Calif., will compete in the boys' main draw, while Katrina Scott, of Woodland Hills, Calif., and Katja Wiersholm, of Kirkland, Wash., also both 13, will play in the girls' tournament.

All four players reached finals at the USA Playoff, with Wen beating Kim in the boys' final and Scott defeating Wiersholm in the girls'.

Victor Lilov, 13, from Raleigh, N.C., and Vivian Ovrootsky, 13, from San Jose, Calif., also earned spots to compete in either qualifying or the main draw with third-place finishes at the playoffs. USTA Player Development will select one additional boy and girl to travel to and play in Les Petits As and will choose whether that player or the third-place finisher will play in the main draw or qualifying.

All four players will also compete in the Junior International Teen Tennis event in Bolton, England, the week prior to Les Petits As.

A number of former Les Petits As champions have gone on to become No. 1 in the world, including Rafael Nadal, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis. Former American winners include Michael Chang, Donald Young, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Frances Tiafoe and CiCi Bellis, while Lindsay Davenport was a finalist, and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and finalist Madison Keys were both participants.

Les Petits As will take place Jan. 22-28, 2018, in Tarbes, France.

 

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