All-American boys' final set at French Open

June 5, 2015 07:35 AM

By Sally Milano, USTA.com

An American is guaranteed to win the boys' championship at the 2015 French Open. No. 2 seed Taylor Fritz and No. 13 Tommy Paul will square off in the boys' final after winning their semifinal matches Friday.

This is the first time two American boys will play each other for the title in Paris.

Fritz easily defeated No. 4 Corentin Denolly of France, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the final, while Paul (pictured above) moved on by upsetting fellow American and No. 6 seed Michael Mmoh, 6-4, 6-3. The two teenagers will square off for the title Saturday in Paris.

The winner will become just the sixth American to win the French Open boys' singles title since the junior tournament began in 1947. The others are Bjorn Fratangelo (2011), John McEnroe (1977), Cliff Richey (1964), Butch Buchholz (1958) and Ham Richardson (1951).

Currently ranked third in the ITF World Junior Rankings, 17-year-old Fritz, from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., has had a strong year in 2015, winning the boys' 18s title at the Easter Bowl, reaching the final at the ITF Junior Masters and advancing to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. His results in 2014 included reaching the semifinals at junior Wimbledon and the round of 16 at the US Open.

Paul, 18, from Boca Raton, Fla., is playing in his first junior tournament of the year at Roland Garros after spending the first part of 2015 competing in pro circuit events, including winning two tournaments on clay over the last few weeks in Spain and Italy. He is playing in his third junior Grand Slam tournament overall, with his other two appearances taking place at the US Open, where he lost in the first round the last two years.

The last remaining American in the girls' draw, No. 4 CiCi Bellis, lost in her semifinal match to No. 16 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, 6-2, 6-1.

Paul has the chance to become the first American to sweep the French Open boys’ singles and doubles titles, as he and William Blumberg advanced to the boys’ doubles final, defeating Argentines Franco Capalbo and Geronimo Espin Busleiman, 7-5, 6-2, in the semifinals. The fourth-seeded American duo will face Spaniards Alvaro Lopez San Martin and Jaume Munar in the final.

In girls' doubles, the No. 6-seeded American team of Caroline Dolehide and Katerina Stewart advanced to the final Friday with a 6-1, 7-6 win over No. 5 Usue Arconada of the United States and Nadia Podoroska of Argentina. Dolehide and Stewart will face the top-seeded Czech duo of Miriam Kolodziejova-Marketa Vondrousova for the championship.

 

 

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