Newport Beach, Ca. native Ashley Kratzer defeated 33rd seeded Kelly Chen of Cerritos, Ca., 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to win the 18s national championship and earn a USTA gold ball and a wild card into the US Open.
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“It feels absolutely amazing. I was not expecting to win the whole tournament. I set a goal just to get to the semis,” Kratzer said after winning the title. “To actually win is amazing. I was playing some of my best tennis. I’m so excited to be in the US Open. It’s always been a dream of mine. I’m really looking forward to that.”
The event was televised on Tennis Channel for the first time over the weekend.
In the Girls' 18s doubles final, fifth-seeded Taylor Johnson of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Claire Liu of Thousand Oaks, Calif., captured the doubles title title. Liu and Johnson received a USTA gold ball and a wild card into the doubles main draw at the upcoming US Open in New York.
Patrick Kypson, 17, of Raleigh, North Carolina, defeaated 18-year old J.J. Wolf of Cincinnati, 6-7(1), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday at Kalamazoo to claim the gold ball and U.S. Open wild card on the men’s side.
Vasil Kirkov and Danny Thomas took the doubles title to capture the U.S. Open doubles wild card.