Saud Alhogbani “doubles” up
Robin Montgomery secures first national title
Usue Arconada scores a major win in Stockton
Andrew Fenty and Brandon Perez reach Austrian finals
Five JTCC players earned silverware on two continents on the same day in four different tournaments.
Saud Alhogbani – USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Champion
Fourteen-year-old Saud Alhogbani claimed two national titles on the same afternoon winning the USTA National Boys’ 14s Singles and Doubles Clay Court Championships in Fort Lauderdale, FL on Sunday.
Alhogbani, who was the #11 seed, did not drop a set in seven matches. His run included a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win over #4 seed Jack Anthrop in the round of 16 and a dominating performance in the finals as he defeated Jonah Braswell 6-1, 6-1.
The 2016 Saudi Arabian Athlete of the Year was back on court within two hours of his singles triumph to compete for the doubles crown. Alhogbani partnered Nishesh Basavareddy to a three-set victory, 6-7(3), 6-0, 6-3, over the #5 seeds Grant Durham and Isaac Smith.
Alhogbani’s two previous national titles were in 2015 when he won the USTA National Boys’ 12 Singles Clay Court and Hard Court Championships. He also made history earlier in 2017 when he became the youngest player ever to represent Saudi Arabia in the Davis Cup competing in ties against Cambodia, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Bahrain.
“All of the players represented JTCC superbly both on and off the court,” said JTCC Senior Coach Ben Cappuccitti who accompanied the Boys’ 14s group to Fort Lauderdale. “Saud competed like a champion all week and fully deserved his two titles.”
JTCC’s Robin Montgomery also played for a national title on Sunday winning the USTA National Girls’ 14s Doubles Championships in Plantation, FL with Katrina Scott beating the #7 seeds Mia Kintiroglou and Tara Malik, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Robin Montgomery & Katrina Scott – USTA Girls’ 14s National Clay Court Doubles Champions
The victory marked 12-year-old Montgomery’s first national title after she had come close in 2016 finishing as runner up and in 3rd place at the USTA National Girls’ 12 Singles Clay Court and Hard Court Championships, respectively.
“Robin is fully deserving of this win given the total commitment she has towards achieving her goals,” said JTCC’s Ali Agnamba, who has coached Montgomery since she was five years old. “This is a significant milestone, and she will use it as a springboard to be a serious challenger for next month’s Girls’ 14s Hard Court title.”
Usue Arconada serving on her way to victory in Stockton (credit – Ray Giubilo)
Eighteen-year-old Usue Arconada won her biggest pro doubles title at the ITF $60,000 event in Stockton, CA on Sunday with partner Sofia Kenin. The American pair put together a series of superb performances as they beat three of the top four seeded teams in succession finishing with a 4-6, 6-1 (10-5) finals victory over #3 seeds Australian Tammi Patterson and South African Chanel Simmonds.
Arconada has made excellent progress on the ITF circuit during 2017 following the memorable conclusion to her junior career in 2016 when she won the Girls’ Doubles at Wimbledon. She is currently #218 and #271 on the WTA Singles and Doubles world rankings compared to #345 and #528, respectively, at the start of the year.
“Usue has really applied herself well to the challenge of competing with professionals this year,” said JTCC Senior Director of High Performance Frank Salazar. “She has put herself in a good position to earn a place in the US Open Qualifying Draw.”
Andrew Fenty & Brandon Perez – City of Wels Junior Grand Prix ITF Grade 1 Doubles Finalists
JTCC duo Andrew Fenty and Brandon Perez battled hard in the finals of the City of Wels Junior Grand Prix ITF Grade 1 tournament on red clay in Austria on Sunday. The two lost narrowly to the Brazilian #3 seeds, Matheus Pucinelli de Almedia and Igor Gimenz, 6-3, 6-7(8), 10-8.
The 17-year-olds defeated the top-seeded French team, Hugo Gastan and Clement Tabur, 3-6, 7-6(4), 10-8 in the quarterfinals, and Fenty reached the singles semifinals ousting four opponents before losing 7-5, 7-5 to #1 seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina.
“The experience gained by competing in Europe cannot be underestimated”, said JTCC Senior Coach Asaf Yamin. “Andrew and Brandon acquitted themselves extremely well in challenging conditions which will serve them as they return to the ITF junior hard court circuit in the US for the remainder of the summer.”
