2012 Year in Review: Junior & Collegiate Competition

December 31, 2012 03:00 PM
By Sally Milano, USTA.com
 
2012 was a big year for American junior and collegiate players, who posted outstanding results throughout the year to earn national and international recognition.

Leading the way was 16-year-old Taylor Townsend, who won four Grand Slam titles—sweeping the singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open and winning doubles championships at Wimbledon and the US Open—to become the first American in 30 years to finish as the No. 1-ranked girl in the ITF World Junior Rankings.

Samantha Crawford took home her first major title by winning the girls' singles championship at the 2012 US Open, while Mitchell Krueger posted successful Grand Slam results this year as well, reaching the Roland Garros and Wimbledon boys' singles semifinals and the doubles quarterfinals at the US Open.

In international team play, both U.S. boys' and girls' teams had great success, with Townsend, Louisa Chirico and Gabrielle Andrews capturing the championship at the Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Final (16 and under) in Barcelona, Spain, and Michael Mmoh, Francis Tiafoe and William Blumberg claiming the title at the 2012 World Junior Tennis Finals, the 14-and-under version of Davis Cup, in Prostejov, Czech Republic.

In collegiate competition, USC standout Steve Johnson completed one of the most successful collegiate careers in history, capped off by taking home the 2012 NCAA men's singles championship and earning 2012 Campbell/ITA National Men's College Player of the Year honors.
 
Stanford's Nicole Gibbs also had an impressive season, winning her final 17 singles matches, including the NCAA singles championship, and she also won the NCAA doubles title with Stanford teammate Mallory Burdette to become just the third woman in NCAA Tournament history to win both titles in the same year. For her efforts, Gibbs was named the 2012 Campbell/ITA National Women's College Player of the Year.

Click here for a photo gallery highlighting these players' achievements, as well as other top moments from junior and collegiate competition in 2012.
 

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