Eight Players Win New England Junior Sectionals Titles

WELLESLEY, MA - 256 players, 8 divisions, 5 sites – New England’s top junior players competed from June 21-24 for the ultimate prize in New England tennis. Blistering heat, rain and wind all came into play over the four-day Junior Sectionals event at Babson College, Brandeis University, Milton Academy, Roxbury Latin and Longfellow Wellesley, but ultimately eight champions prevailed, proving to be the best in New England. 

Olivia Lin earned her third consecutive Junior Sectionals title, winning the Girls’ 16s division over defending champion, Elana Zaretsky, 6-3, 6-2. The top-seeded Lin did not lose a set throughout the five-round tournament, clinching the victory on Monday on her 14th birthday. She captured the Girls’ 12s title in 2023 and Girls’ 14s in 2024.

Lin was just one of three 14-year-olds to capture girls’ titles, as Priscilla Sirichantho, a rising freshman, took home the crown in the 18s division. The No. 3 seed Sirichantho outright dominated, winning every match in straights with her opponents failing to take more than three games in any set against her. She defeated two-time Sectional Champion, Leah Zheng, 6-1, 6-3, in the final. 

Alana Berry, also 14, took out defending Girls’ 12s Champion, Heidi Wang, in the Girls’ 14s final to earn her first Sectional Title. Berry, the top seed, ran through the draw in straight sets, including victories against the Nos. 6, 3 and 4 seeds. 

Annie Tan, the No. 2 seed in the Girls’ 12s division, rolled through her draw en route to a title. Tan conceded just two or fewer games in every set throughout the tournament and did not lose a game until round three. She got the best of the No. 1 seed, Valentina Arlati, 6-0, 6-2, in the final.   

On the boys’ side, four new champions were crowned: Jackson Mountford, Noah Richer, Luca de Calice and Ayan Ghael.

Mountford, the No. 3 seed in the 18s, defeated No. 2 Omar Rhazali, 6-4, 6-2, in the final. In the semis, Mountford squared off against Michael Lorenzetti, who defeated him in this year’s Connecticut High School Singles Championship. This time around, Mountford took down Lorenzetti, 6-3, 6-3. 

In 2023, Noah Richer finished second in the Boys’ 14s division, and two years later, he captured his first Sectional Championship in Boys’ 16s. The top seed squared off against Maine High School Individual State Champion, Matthew Morneault, in the semis, in a match that lasted nearly four hours and was suspended due to heat with Richer leading 5-4 in the third. Richer ultimately finished off Morneault  ​​7-6(7-2), 1-6, 6-4 to advance to the finals against No. 3 Jacob Pletka, who hadn’t dropped a set to that point. Richer defeated Pletka, 6-2, 6-0 to seal the victory. 

No. 1 seed Luca de Calice cruised through the Boys’ 14s field to take home the title. He knocked out  No. 3 seed Tony Xu in the semis, 6-1, 6-0, and No. 7 seed William Kim in the finals, 6-2, 6-4.

Ayan Ghael, the top seed in the Boys’ 12s division, took down Nos. 5, 4 and 2 in the quarters, semis and finals respectively, to bring home the crown. Ghael defeated Preston Leon, 6-1, 6-3, in the championship match. 

Boys’ and Girls’ 18s Champions have earned an automatic entry into the National Championships in August in Kalamazoo, MI and San Diego, CA, respectively. Boys’ and Girls’ 16s winners earned a bid into the Battle of the Sections in July, while the 14s and 12s champs will compete in the Northeast Team Cup in July. 

For full tournament results, click here. 

To view photos and videos from the event, you can view the resources below: 

Day 1 photos (BG 14s, 16s)

Day 2 photos (BG 18s)

Day 3 photos (quarters, semis, finals)

Champions photos

Event highlights (part 1)

Event highlights (part 2)