Eastern at the 2024 US Open

Even before the 2024 US Open officially kicked off, the efforts of a former Eastern junior sent the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Center into a frenzy.

In the third round of the qualifying event before the official start of the tournament, Greenwich, Connecticut’s Eliot Spizzirri battled the 2023 US Open boys’ singles champion Joao Fonseca over three sets and two hours and 37 minutes, ultimately emerging victorious, 7-6(8), 6-7(5), 6-4, to advance to the main draw of the Grand Slam for the very first time. Fonseca—ranked 179 spots higher in the rankings—was in the midst of a breakout year; he’d collected wins over top players Arthur Fils and Cristian Garin earlier in the season and became the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals of an ATP 500 tournament since Alexander Zverev achieved the feat in 2014.

Spizzirri wasn’t the only former Eastern junior who caused a stir at the final major of the year. New York City native Aleksandar Kovacevic—the world No. 76—took a set off recent Cincinnati finalist Frances Tiafoe in their first-round clash inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. (During that match, Kovacevic also went “around the net” to produce one of the shots of the tournament.) Even though he ultimately lost to the No. 20 seed and eventual semifinalist, Kovacevic still found himself in the second week of his hometown slam, reaching the semifinals of the mixed doubles tournament with partner Tyra Caterina Grant.