Junior Competition News: September 2022

RATINGS

TRANSITIONING TO ITF WORLD TENNIS NUMBER

As you may have noticed, the ITF's new World Tennis Number (WTN) has officially launched in the United States! WTN is a rating on a 40-1 scale, with 40 being a beginner player and one being an elite professional. WTN is one of the most advanced and accurate rating systems in the world. Over the next few months, you will begin to see it implemented as a tool that the Midwest will use in junior tournaments for things such as player selections, seeding and grouping. You can find more information about WTN and how it works here. Check out our newsletter next month for additional details on how we'll be using it in the Midwest section!

REGISTER TODAY

JUNIOR TOURNAMENT PARENT WEBINAR SERIES

Our parent webinar series is getting ready to kick off! In September and October, we will host a series of three webinars that will cover all things junior tennis competition, from how to get started all the way up to the collegiate tennis pathway. We have some great speakers lined up, so be sure to register with the links below!

Getting Started in USTA Junior Competition
September 28, 12-1 pm EST
Register here.

Navigating the USTA Junior Competition Pathway
October 19, 12-1 pm EST
Register here.

The Road to Collegiate Tennis

October 26, 12-1 pm EST
Register here.

A TITLE IX ANNIVERSARY WEBINAR: BOOSTING CONFIDENCE IN COMPETITION

Between the ages of eight and 14, girls’ confidence levels decline by 30 percent. A lack of confidence on the court not only affects short-term results but can erode a girl’s long-term passion for the game of tennis. As the anniversary year of Title IX comes to a close, sign up for this webinar next month designed specifically for girl tennis players! Register here.

PLAYER NEWS

US OPEN A SUCCESS FOR JUNIORS

So much excitement surrounded this year’s US Open, especially for Midwest fans. We had several juniors represent the Midwest Section – some whom just began their US Open journeys, and others who were named champions!

Among the young athletes who competed for #TeamMidwest this year were Ozan Baris, Nishesh Basavareddy, Reese Brantmeier, Nicholas Godsick, Aidan Kim and Eleana Yu. In addition to junior matches, Brantmeier, Godsick and Yu all competed in Men’s and Women’s Main Draw events. Brantmeier and Clervie Ngounou (Mid-Atlantic Section) made it to the second round of Women’s Doubles, which is a terrific achievement for this year’s National Hard Courts G18s Doubles Champions! Godsick and Ethan Quinn (Northern California Section) also made it to the second round in Men’s Doubles. Yu played Women’s Singles in an All-American match against Alison Riske-Amritraj.

Let’s hear it now for our 2022 US Open Junior Boys’ Doubles Champions, Midwest pair Nishesh Basavareddy and Ozan Baris! These two put on a show and won their entire division; a phenomenal moment for USTA Midwest junior competitive tennis.

Congratulations to all of our players on their success at this year’s US Open. We are very proud of how much they achieved, and look forward to seeing them in future Grand Slam events.

WHEELCHAIR TENNIS DEBUTS IN KALAMAZOO

Tennis is moving forward. "This time, at one of the country's most prestigious national junior tennis championships: Competitive wheelchair matches were played for the first time in the nearly eight decades of the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan." Read more on USTA.com.