Eastern at the 2025 US Open

“It was a crazy tiebreak, and we were playing from behind the entire time,” Kennedy recalled. “Ben and Noah were playing some great points. Keaton and I kept telling each other that we have to stay the course, stay positive and [keep up the] energy. We just kept pumping each other up, saying ‘One point at a time.’ We both knew that they were going to feel the moment, and if we stuck with them, then we would have our chance. As match point was happening and the ball went over our heads, I think our hearts stopped for a split second. But then it sailed long, and we were super relieved and filled with excitement.”

The result capped off a busy US Open for the Long Islander. Kennedy also competed in the men’s qualifying event and the boys’ singles draw—where as the No. 9 seed he reached the third round, ultimately losing to eventual semifinalist Luis Guto Miguel of Brazil. Over the course of his singles campaign he got to compete inside Louis Armstrong Stadium twice, a rare opportunity not often bestowed upon juniors over the course of the fortnight.

Kennedy wasn’t the only Eastern-based player putting on a backyard show. Juniors Michael Antonius (with partner Matisse Farzam of USTA New England), Dominick Mosejczuk (with partner Jamie Mackenzie of Germany) and Ronit Karki (with partner Jack Satterfield of USTA Florida) all reached the late stages of the boys’ doubles event; Antonius and Farzam ultimately lost to Kennedy and Hance, while Mosejczuk and Mackenzie nearly reached the championship match, falling to Johnston and Willwerth in a match tiebreak in the semifinals.

Elsewhere, former Eastern junior Cooper Williams reached the second round of the men’s doubles draw with Duke University teammate Theodore Winegar. The athletes earned a wild card into the event based on results at the American Collegiate Player Wild Card Playoffs in June. And world No. 129 and Greenwich, Connecticut native Eliot Spizzirri—who last year scored one of the most dramatic wins of the tournament in the final round of qualies—recorded his best-ever finish at a Grand Slam, reaching the second round for the first time. (He also took a set off of No. 32 seed Luciano Darderi in a closely-contested battle to determine who would face eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in Round 3.)