Bjorn Fratangelo (Pittsburgh), Marcos Giron (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Hunter Harrington (Spartanburg, S.C.) will represent the United States in the Junior Davis Cup Finals, Sept. 29 - Oct. 4 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The event features 16 teams from nations across the world composed of players age 16 and under.
The U.S. is the reigning Junior Davis Cup champions and will attempt to become the first back-to-back winners since France in 1992 and 1993. USTA National Coach Mark Merklein will captain the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team.
The U.S. Junior Davis Cup team comprised of Shane Vinsant, Jeremy Efferding and Dennis Mkrtchain went undefeated at the North/Central America and Caribbean Regional Championships in May to qualify for the finals. Mexico will also represent the region, having qualified automatically as the host country.
Fratangelo, 16, is currently the No. 2 player in the USTA Boys’ 16s National Standings and won the USTA Boys’ 16s National Clay Court Championships in July. Giron, currently No. 5 in the USTA Boys’ 16s National Standings, won the doubles title at the USTA Boys’ 16s National Championships in August and reached the final of the Boys’ 16s Easter Bowl in April. Harrington, 16, is currently No. 6 in the USTA Boys’ 16s National Standings and won a USTA Boys’ 16s National Open in February.
Vinsant, who began training full time at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., as a member of the 2009-10 class that resides at the USTA facility, was slated to compete in the final, but was forced with withdraw due to an abdominal injury and was replaced this week by Harrington.
The United States won the Junior Davis Cup title twice (1999 and 2008) and reached the final on four other occasions, including a 1986 second-place finish by Jim Courier and Michael Chang.
In addition to Courier and Chang, former U.S. junior international team members include Andy Roddick, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Mardy Fish, Robby Ginepri, Jamea Jackson, Ashley Harkleroad and Lisa Raymond.