Juniors Claim 2021 New England Sectional Championships
WESTBOROUGH, MA - Following a year off from New England Summer Junior Sectionals due the pandemic, 256 of New England’s best juniors competed in this year’s event from June 19-22 at four sites throughout Massachusetts.
USTA New England’s most prestigious junior tournament of the year was broken up by age division: The 18s were played at Forest Park in Springfield, the 16s were hosted by Longfellow Wayland and were played at Brandeis University and Regis College, the 14s were played at the Manchester Athletic Club and the 12s were played at Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center.
Winners are listed below:
Girls’ 18s - Ava Esposito, Branford, CT
The No. 5-seeded 15-year-old Ava Esposito defeated No. 6 Olivia Almy in Tuesday’s final, 7-6(2), 6-3. The Branford, CT resident needed three sets in both her quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, as she defeated No. 4 Sophie Diop, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 and No. 7 Anna Nguyen, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 respectively. This is Esposito’s second New England Sectional Championship - she won the Girls’ 12s title in 2018.
Boys’ 18s - Alex Finelstein, Raynham, MA
Alex Finkelstein is off to Columbia University in the fall, but before he begins his NCAA career, he dethroned top seed and 2019 Boys’ 16s Sectionals Champion, Alexander Visser. The straight-set finals victory was on par for Finkelstein, who failed to drop a set all tournament.
Girls’ 16s - Mariana Shulman, Woburn, MA
The 2021 Girls’ 16s final was a rematch of the 2019 14s championship, which featured Mariana Shulman and Oziera Ahmad. In 2019, Ahmad got the better of Shulman in straight sets, but this year the tables were turned. No. 4 Shulman defeated top-seeded Ahmad, 6-0, 6-2 to claim her first Sectionals title.
Boys’ 16s - Coleman Merce, Westport, CT
Unseeded Coleman Merce is this year’s Boys’ 16s Champion. Merce’s draw opened up big time when top seed and potential second-round opponent, Bobby Cooper, pulled out minutes before his first match due to injury. Merce took full advantage and defeated Joel McCandless, George cutone and Lochlan Seth before getting the better of Alek Karagozyan in the finals.
Girls’ 14s - Georgia Kulevich, Marblehead, MA
Georgia Kulevich capped off her impressive run through the Girls’ 14s bracket by knocking off top seeded Karolina Lincer, 6-1, 6-2 in the finals. The No. 2 seeded Kulevich dominated the field, winning her previous matches by scores of 6-0, 6-0; 6-1, 6-0; 7-5, 6-1; and 6-1, 6-1.
Boys’ 14s - Troy Kudrjavtsev, Westport, CT
Troy Kudrjavtsev also knocked out the No. 1 seed in the Boys’ 14s division to claim his first Sectionals title. No 2 seeded Kudrjavtsev didn’t face a seeded opponent until the finals, where he defeated Lukas Phimvongsa, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Girls’ 12s - Nancy Lee, Belmont, MA
Top-seeded Nancy Lee rolled through the Girls’ 12s draw. She dropped just six games over her first three matches and defeated Camilla Castracani in the semis before taking down No. 2 seeded Elana Zaretsky in the championship.
Boys’ 12s - Marti Sarquella, Acton, MA
No. 4 seed Marti Sarquella powered past No. 2 Macksimus Malhotra in the semis and No. 3 Tanner Oberg in the finals to claim the Boys’ 12s championship. Sarquella did not drop a set all tournament.
For full draws and additional Sectionals coverage, see links below:
Day 4 winner photos (all ages)
Day 4 photos (all ages)
Day 3 photos (16s)
Day 2 photos (18s)
Day 1 photos (16s)
Related Articles
-
![Visit the The Power of Questions page]( "Coach talking to a group of tennis players in front of a court.")
The Power of QuestionsOctober 02, 2026At my first team meeting at the University of Denver, I put the team into groups of three and asked them to list the essential features of a healthy relationship between two players. These nine players came back with fifty-two unique ideas. 52! I was good for 10 or 15, but not 52. What struck me was how much they already knew, the wisdom that the question uncovered. Their collective knowledge had been there all along, in a room full of college students I had assumed I needed to teach. But no one had ever asked them this question. Read More -
![Visit the Sharon Murphy Spotlight page]( "Sharon Murphy standing on the court holding a racquet.")
Sharon Murphy SpotlightAugust 18, 2026"This is stupid." That was the verdict from a group of kids at a summer club in Glastonbury, CT, the first time Sharon Murphy laid caution tape across the length of the court, creating six 36-foot courts on one full-size tennis court. The kids wanted to know why. Why couldn't they just play with the yellow ball? Read More -
![Visit the Gravity is Undefeated page]( "Gravity is undefeated.")
Gravity is UndefeatedAugust 18, 2026When I was 34, I heard Stan Smith give a lecture on the role of the head in posture and balance. Being a young, all-knowing coach at the time, I thought it was obvious. Of course posture and balance matter. Seven years later, I had an epiphany. I finally saw what true posture and balance actually look like. It is not obvious. Not even close. I had to pay attention. Close attention. And in my experience, it is the root cause of most technical errors coaches are trying to solve. But once you see it, posture and balance become an essential part of your technical lens. Read More
Sign up for our Newsletter
Download the USTA App
