Gauff leads Team USA to
World Junior title
E.J. Crawford | August 12, 2017

The U.S. girls are world champions once again.
Team USA won a record seventh ITF World Junior Tennis girls’ championship, the 14-and-under equivalent of Fed Cup, defeating defending champion Ukraine, 2-1, in Saturday’s final in Prostejov, Czech Republic.
Thirteen-year-old Cori "CoCo" Gauff of Delray Beach, Fla., paced the U.S. girls throughout the competition. She posted a 6-0 record in singles and 3-1 mark in doubles that included a sweep of her singles and doubles matches in the final.
With the tie versus Ukraine knotted, 1-1, after the singles, Gauff teamed with 14-year-old Charlotte Owensby of Boca Raton, Fla., to defeat Lyubov Kostenko and Dasha Lopatetskaya, 6-2, 6-4, and secure the title for Team USA.
The U.S. also won the World Junior Tennis championship in 1992, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013.
ADVERTISEMENT
The U.S. squad of Gauff, Owensby and 14-year-old Gabriella Price, also of Boca Raton, went undefeated in three round-robin matches – defeating China, Venezuela and France – before topping Australia in the quarterfinals and Russia in the semifinals. Overall, Price went 2-2 in singles in the competition, and Owensby went 1-1 in singles and 3-2 in doubles.
Also Saturday, the U.S. boys defeated Brazil to secure fifth place in the boys’ competition. The American team of Martin Damm (13, Bradenton, Fla.), Toby Kodat (14, Bradenton, Fla.) and Alexander Bernard (13, Bonita Springs, Fla.) went undefeated in round-robin play – with victories over Australia, Czech Republic and Italy – but fell to Spain, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.
The Americans rebounded to defeat Russia and Brazil to finish with a 5-1 record in the competition and wrap up their fifth-place showing.
Here are the complete results:
Girls
Round Robin
USA def. China, 2-1
Singles:
Cori Gauff def. Sijia Wei (CHN) 6-2, 6-0
Gabriella Price def. Xin Xin Yao (CHN) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles:
Wei/Yao (CHN) def. Gauff/Owensby 2-6, 7-5, 10-7
USA def. Venezuela, 2-1
Singles:
Cori Gauff def. Estefania Gonzalez (VEN) 6-0, 6-1
Charlotte Owensby def. Nicole Discenza (VEN) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles:
Gonzalez/Marruffo (VEN) def. Owensby/Price 7-6(5), 3-6, 10-6
USA def. France 2-1
Singles:
Cori Gauff def. Flavie Brugnone (FRA) 7-5, 6-0
Elsa Jacquemot (FRA) def. Gabriella Price 6-1, 7-6 (4)
Doubles:
Gauff/Owensby def. Brugnone/Leclercq (FRA) 6-0, 6-0
Quarterfinals
USA def. Australia 2-0
Singles:
Cori Gauff def. Annerly Poulos (AUS) 6-2 6-2
Gabriella Price def. Charlotte Kempanaeres-Pocz (AUS) 6-4 2-6 6-0
Doubles: Not Played
Semifinals
USA def. Russia 2-1
Singles:
Cori Gauff def. Maria Timofeeva (RUS) 5-7 7-5 6-1
Polina Kudermotova (RUS) defeated Charlotte Owensby 7-6(2) 7-6(0)
Doubles:
Gauff/Owensby defeated Kudermotova/Timofeeva (RUS) 6-4 6-4
Final
USA def. Ukraine 2-1
Singles:
Cori Gauff def. Dasha Lopatetskaya (UKR) 6-4 6-0
Lyubov Kostenko (UKR) def. Gabriella Price 6-3 6-3
Doubles:
Gauff/Owensby defeated Kostenko/ Lopatetskaya (UKR) 6-2 6-
Boys
Round Robin
USA def. Australia, 3-0
Singles:
Toby Kodat def. Edward Vo (AUS) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Martin Damm def. Phillip Sekulic (AUS) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles
Damm/Kodat def. Hoole/Vo (AUS) 6-3. 7-6(4)
USA def. Czech Republic, 3-0
Singles:
Toby Kodat def. Adam Jurajda (CZE) 6-4, 6-2
Alexander Bernard def. Lukas Hauge (CZE) 7-6(4), 6-4
Doubles
Damm/Kodat def. Hauge/Siniakov (CZE) 6-2, 7-5
USA def. Italy 2-1
Singles:
Luka Nardi (ITA) def. Martin Damm 6-3, 6-1
Alexander Bernard def. Giorgino Tabacco (ITA) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
Damm/Kodat def. Nardi/Tabacco (ITA) 6-2, 7-5
Quarterfinals
Spain def. USA 2-1
Singles:
Alcarez Garfia (ESP) def. Toby Kodat 6-2, 6-2
Alexander Bernard def. Ricon Yague (ESP) 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
Doubles:
Gardia/Yague (ESP) def. Damm/Kodat 6-0, 6-7 (4), 10-8
5th-8th Place Playoff
USA def. Russia 2-1
Singles:
Martin Damm def. Robert Korelov (RUS) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2
Alexander Bernard def. Mikhail Gorokhov (RUS) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
Gorokhov/Korelov (RUS) def. Damm/Kodat 7-6(5), 6-4
5th Place Match
USA def. Brazil, 2-0
Singles:
Toby Kodat def. Pedro Boscardin (BRA) 6-3 6-3
Martin Damm def. Gabriel Generoso (BRA) 6-4 6-7 7-5