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Four U.S. Junior Teams Go Undefeated to Win Regional Championships and Qualify for World Finals

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 5, 2008 — The USTA today announced both the U.S. Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup (16-and-under) teams as well as the boys’ and girls’ World Junior Tennis teams (14-and-under) went undefeated at the 2008 North/Central America & Caribbean Regional Championships this weekend in Montreal, Canada, to qualify for the World Finals.

Each event featured a four-team round robin competition with the top two teams advancing to the 16-nation World Final in each division. Canada finished second in all four events, qualifying for the finals. The World Junior Tennis Finals will be held August 4-9 in Prostejov, Czech Republic. The Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup World Finals will be held September 23-28 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
2008 North/Central America & Caribbean Regional Championships – Final Standings

Junior Davis Cup Junior Fed Cup
1. United States* 3-0 1. United States* 3-0
Coach: David Roditi Coach: Robin White
2. Canada* 2-1 2. Canada* 2-1
3. Mexico 1-2 3. Bahamas 1-2
4. Cuba 0-3 4. Mexico 0-3
World Junior Tennis - Boys World Junior Tennis - Girls
1. United States* 3-0 1. United States* 3-0
Coach: Kent Kinnear Coach: Jai DiLouie
2. Canada* 2-1 2. Canada* 2-1
3. Mexico 1-2 3. Mexico 1-2
4. Guatemala 0-3 4. Guatemala 0-3
* The top two teams in each division advance to the 2008 World Finals.

The United States Junior Davis Cup team went undefeated in nine singles and doubles matches on the weekend. The U.S. team was led by Evan King (Chicago, Ill.) who posted a 4-0 overall record (2-0 at No. 1 singles). Teammates Jordan Cox (Duluth, Ga.) and Raymond Sarmiento (Fontana, Calif.) both went 4-0 (2-0 in singles) as well for the U.S.

The U.S. Junior Fed Cup team, led by 2008 USTA Spring Nationals Singles Champion Kristie Ahn (Upper Saddle River, N.J.), went 8-1 individually on the weekend. Ahn finished 4-1 overall (2-1 singles) while teammates Beatrice Capra (Ellicott City, Md.) posted a 4-0 record (2-0 singles) and Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla.) went 3-0 (1-0 in singles) for the U.S.

King and Bolender are among the first class of juniors to work full-time with USTA National Coaches at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla., the first USTA facility to house kids full-time. King and Capra both wrote daily blogs for USTA.com highlighting their experiences in Montreal.

Like the Junior Davis Cup team, the U.S. World Junior Tennis boys’ team, went undefeated in nine singles and doubles matches. Christian Harrison (New Braunfels, Texas) led the team with a 5-0 overall record (2-0 singles at No. 1 singles). Alexios Halebian (Glendale, Calif.) went 4-0 in singles (3-0 singles) and Tyler Gardiner (Novi, Mich.) posted a 3-0 overall record (and 2-0 doubles). The boys’ World Junior Tennis team won the world championship in 2002 and 2003.

In the World Junior Tennis girls’ event, the defending champion U.S. team posted an 8-1 record in their nine individual matches. The U.S. squad was led by Grace Min (Lawrenceville, Ga.) — currently ranked No. 1 in the USTA Girls’ 14s — who posted a 4-1 overall record (2-1 singles). Kyle McPhillips (Willoughby, Ohio) went 4-0 (1-0 singles) and Madison Keys (Boca Raton, Fla.) went 3-0 (2-0 singles) for the U.S.

The International Tennis Federation administers team competitions to give young tennis players the opportunity to experience international competition and the unique atmosphere of playing in a team for their country.

The United States won the 1999 Junior Davis Cup title and reached the final on four other occasions, including a 1986 second place finish by Jim Courier and Michael Chang. The United States was runner-up at the 1993 Junior Fed Cup to Australia.

The United States girls’ team won the World Junior Tennis title for the second time (1992) in 2007 and the boys’ team finished third. The U.S. became the first nation to win back-to-back World Junior Tennis boys’ titles in 2003, led by Donald Young.

Former U.S. junior international team members (in addition to Courier and Chang) include Andy Roddick, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Mardy Fish, Robby Ginepri, Jamea Jackson, Ashley Harkleroad, and Lisa Raymond.

Posted on May 6, 2008
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