Florida Athletes Earn US Open Wildcard Spots at USTA Junior National Championships

USTA hosted two of the most prestigious junior tournaments in the first week of August. The USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships took place in San Diego, California, while the USTA Boys’ 16s & 18s National Championship were held in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  

Many of Florida’s top junior players were competing in this week-long tournament, that featured both Singles and Doubles play. With the best junior tennis athletes in the world competing, the matches were very intense.

Akasha Urhobo, from Florida, was a strong competitor at the National Championship.
photo Courtesy of J. Fred Sidhu / Barnes Tennis Center

There was a lot on the line for the competitors in both the Girls’ and Boys’ draws, as their placement could secure them a spot in the US Open Main and Junior Draws. Winners and top performers of the earned wildcards into various tournaments: 

• B/G18 Singles Champion – US Open Main Draw Singles 
• B/G18 Doubles Champions – US Open Main Draw Doubles (required to play with same partner) 
• G18 Singles Finalist – US Open Qualifying Singles, US Open Juniors Main Draw Singles, one Women’s USTA W35 Main Draw Singles 
• G18 Singles 3rd place – US Open Juniors Main Draw Singles, one Women’s USTA W35 qualifying singles 
• G18 Singles 4th place – US Open Juniors Qualifying Singles 
• G18 Singles 5th place – US Open Juniors Qualifying Singles 
• B/G16 Singles Champion – US Open Juniors Main Draw Singles 
• G16 Singles Finalist – 16s Orange Bowl Main Draw Singles 
• G16 Singles 3rd place – Junior ITF J60 main draw singles 
• G16 Singles 4th place – Junior ITF J60 qualifying singles 
• G16 Singles 5th place – Junior ITF J30 qualifying singles 

Florida’s top talent gave it everything they had, with some securing a spot at the US Open. 

Two Florida Girls Win Big 

Photo Courtesy of J. Fred Sidhu / Barnes Tennis Center

In the Girls’ 18s, Tyra Caterina Grant (Miami Beach) teamed up with the Jovic Iva (Southern California), who ended up winning the Girls’ 18s Singles Draw. This duo was the top seed in doubles, and they played like it all week long. In their first match, the girls won without dropping a game, and in their second match, they won in dominant fashion again.  

The quarterfinals are when Tyra and Jovic ran into their toughest challenge. Taking on fellow Florida competitor Sophia Webster (Bonita Springs) and her partner Ashton Bowers (Midwest), these four put on a great showing of tennis. Sophia and Ashton stuck first, winning the opening set 6-4 following a break. However, Tyra and Jovic battled right back, winning the next set in a convincing 6-2 score. The tiebreaker set was close to start, but Tyra and Jovic ran away with it to win 10-4. 

Riding this momentum, they won their semifinal match over the third seed in Alanis Hamilton (Texas) and Kayla Chung (Southern California) in a 6-4, 6-3 score. The championship match was no different, and in one of their best matches of the weekend, Tyra and Jovic won 6-2, 6-0 over Florida’s Victora Osuigwe (Bradenton) and Maya Iyengar (Southwest). Tyra’s win secured her a wildcard in the US Open Doubles Main Draw with Jovic. Victoria, alongside Maya had a phenomenal weekend and will be names to look out for in the future.  

Tyra and Jovic earned a wildcard spot at the US Open.
Photo Courtesy of Lexie Wanninger / USTA Southern California

Florida’s other winner came in the Girls’ 16s, where Ishika Ashar (Boca Raton) took down top talent to secure her spot in the US Open Juniors Draw. She entered the draw seeded outside of the top 16, but that didn’t matter to her at all. In her first three matches, Ishika came out strong, winning breaks and taking all the matches in convincing fashion. 

Things got tough for Ishika in the Round of 16, where she faced the third seeded Isabelle DeLuccia (Eastern). The girls delivered a great match, and Ishika showed a lot of perseverance. They traded games in the opening set, leading to a tiebreaker, where Isabelle edged out a 7-3 win. Not letting that affect her, Ishika bounced back taking the second set with ease 6-1. She would ride that momentum into the third set and secured another 6-1 win to move to the quarterfinals. 

Ishika Ashar played well all week long.
Photo Courtesy of J. Fred Sidhu / Barnes Tennis Center

Ishika dominated her next match, and in the semifinals, she took down Lyla Middleton (Southwest) in a 6-3, 7-5 match. This set up a date with Nicole Weng (Southern California) for the championship. Both girls had been battling all week and they left it all on the courts. Ishika got first blood, taking the opening set in a close 7-5 manner. She carried that to the second set and cemented her win with a 6-2 victory to win the Billie Jean King National Championship. 

Other Top Finishes from Junior National Championships 

Outside of the winners, USTA Florida athletes had a ton to be proud of. In the Girls’ 18s Singles, Akasha Urhobo (Fort Lauderdale) took home third place and earned a wildcard into the US Open Juniors Main Draw. 

In the Girls’ 16s Doubles, Sara Shumate (Bradenton Beach) and her partner Bella Payne (Bradenton) played phenomenal together, taking down some of the best in the country. In the end, they fell just short, finishing runner-up in the draw. 

Bella Payne had a great finish in the Girls’ 16s Draw.
Photo Courtesy of J. Fred Sidhu / Barnes Tennis Center

In the Boys’s 16s, the duo of Noah Bayon (Gainesville) and William Freshwater (Naples) had a good week and finished in fourth place for Doubles. Finally, Jack Satterfield (Tampa), a Bobby Curtis winner received the Dr. Allen B Stowe Sportsmanship Award for the Boys’ 18s as he displayed outstanding sportsmanship throughout the tournament. 

All in all, it was a great showing from Florida junior players on the National stage and the section is excited to watch some of these athletes compete at the US Open. 

Results of Top Performers at USTA Junior National Championships 

Girls 18s 

Tyra Caterina Grant, Miami Beach, Doubles Champion 

Victoria Osuigwe, Bradenton, Doubles Finalist 

Akasha Urhobo, Fort Lauderdale, Singles Third Place 

Girls 16s 

Ishika Ashar, Boca Raton, Singles Champion  

Sara Shumate, Bradenton Beach/Bella Payne, Bradenton, Doubles Finalists 

Boys 16s 

Noah Bayon, Gainesville/William Freshwater, Naples, Doubles Fourth Place