Rajesh, Navarro win USTA Clay Court Championships

Neel Rajesh and Emma Navarro won the 18s singles titles at last week’s USTA Boys’ and Girls’ National Clay Court Championships, emerging from draws of 224 top juniors to claim their trophies. Both 17-year-olds can now look forward to competing in the 2018 US Open Junior Championships, as their victories earned them wild-card entries into the upcoming showpiece.

Rajesh, of Oyster Bay, N.Y., defeated defending champion Axel Nefve, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, in the singles final at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in southern Florida. Coached by Nick Brebenel, Rajesh has a career-high ITF ranking of No. 760. He reached the last 32 in this spring’s Easter Bowl after gaining entry through qualifying and fell in the second round of qualifying for the International Spring Championships. 

The girls’ 18s event was played in Navarro’s hometown of Charleston, S.C., at the LTP Tennis Club. The Easter Bowl semifinalist scored three 6-0, 6-0 victories on the week, including in the semifinals, before defeating Chelsea Kung, of Fort Worth, Texas, 6-2, 6-2, in the singles final.

Navarro (pictured above, at the 2017 Orange Bowl), who is coached by Jerry Albrikes and Peter Ayers, also took home the doubles trophy at the event, teaming with Chloe Beck of Watkinsville, Ga., to defeat Carly Briggs and Alana Wolfberg in the final. She did not drop a set in 13 matches (seven singles, six doubles) throughout the tournament. 

In addition to their US Open junior wild-card entries, Rajesh and Navarro will each receive a wild card into a future USTA Pro Circuit event. 

Logan Zapp, of Fleming Island, Fla., and Allura Zamarripa, of Saint Helena, Calif., won the boys’ and girls’ 16s singles titles, each also earning a wild card into a future USTA Pro Circuit event. 

Like Navarro, Zapp swept both the singles and doubles titles in his age division. In the boys’ 12s event, Rudy Quan, of Sacramento, Calif., also achieved that feat.

Singles and doubles finals results from all four age groups can be found below. For complete tournament results, click here.

USTA Boys’ 18s National Clay Court Championships

Delray Beach, Fla., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: (33) Neel Rajesh (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) d. (8) Axel Nefve (Boca Raton, Fla.) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7)

Doubles: (2) Robert Cash (New Albany, Ohio) / JJ Mercer (Huntington, W.V.) d. (4) Blake Croyder (Marietta, Ga.) / Bradley Frye (Overland Park, Kan.), 6-3, 6-3

USTA Girls’ 18s National Clay Court Championships

Charleston, S.C., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: (5) Emma Navarro (Charleston, S.C.) d. (6) Chelsea Kung (Fort Worth, Texas), 6-2, 6-2

Doubles: (1) Chloe Beck (Watkinsville, Ga.) / Navarro d. (11) Carly Briggs (Calhoun, Ga.) / Alana Wolfberg (Orlando, Fla.), 6-0, 6-0

USTA Boys’ 16s National Clay Court Championships

Delray Beach, Fla., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: (4) Logan Zapp (Fleming Island, Fla.) d. (2) Ryan Fishback (Geneva, N.Y.), 6-0, 6-2

Doubles: (9) Alexander Bernard (Bonita Springs, Fla.) / Zapp d. (3) Jeremie Casabon (Flourtown, Pa.) / Hunter Heck (Saint Paul, Minn.), 6-2, 6-4

USTA Girls’ 16s National Clay Court Championships

Memphis, Tenn., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: (8) Allura Zamarripa (Saint Helena, Calif.) d. (1) Valencia Xu (Livingston, N.J.), 6-4, 6-3                 

Doubles: (15) Elise Wagle (Niskayuna, N.Y.) / Xu d. (10) Ava Catanzarie (Pittsburgh) / Sydni Ratliff (Gahanna, Ohio), 6-4, 1-6, 6-4

USTA Boys’ 14s National Clay Court Championships

Fort Lauderdale, Fla., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: (3) Nicholas Heng (Madison, Ala.) d. (2) John Kim (Sunnyvale, Calif.), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

Doubles: (1) Lucas Brown (Plano, Texas) / Aidan Kim (Milford, Mich.) d. (2) Jackson Armistead (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) / John Lasanajak (Lawrenceville, Ga.), 7-5, 6-2

USTA Girls’ 14s National Clay Court Championships

Plantation, Fla., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: Clervie Ngounoue (Washington, D.C.) d. (1) Vivian Ovrootsky (San Jose, Calif.), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

Doubles: (1) Qavia Lopez (Grand Rapids, Mich.) / Madison Smith (Bountiful, Utah) d. Tsehay Driscoll (La Canada Flintridge, Calif.) / Katherine Hui (San Diego), 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(6)

USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Championships

Orlando, Fla., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: (1) Rudy Quan (Sacramento, Calif.) d. (6) Lucas Coriaty (Long Beach, Calif.), 6-1, 6-1

Doubles: (11) Maxwell Exsted (Savage, Minn.) / Quan d. (8) Andrew Salu (Sarasota, Fla.) / Adam Sun (Glendale, Ariz.), 6-2, 7-5

USTA Girls’ 12s National Clay Court Championships

Boca Raton, Fla., July 15-22, 2018

Singles: (14) Mia Slama (Boca Raton, Fla.) d. (4) Alexia Harmon (Las Vegas), 6-4, 5-7, 6-2

Doubles: (1) Brooklyn Olson (Bradenton, Fla.) / Natalia Perez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) d. (2) Ashton Bowers (Bloomington, Ill.) / Elisabeth Dunac (University Park, Md.), 6-3, 6-3