By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday August 13, 2023
Learnier Tien, 17, and Clervie Ngounoue, 17, have earned main draw wild cards into this year’s US Open, thanks to their titles at the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s National Championships.
Tien, from Irvine, defeated Trevor Svajda 6-0, 6-4, 6-4 in the final at Kalamazoo, while Ngounoue, this year’s Wimbledon Girls Singles champion, defeated Katherine Hui, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Tien is the first boy to win back to back USTA 18s titles since Jack Sock in 2010-11.
He lost to Miomir Kecmanovic in four sets at the US Open last year.
Tien, who reached a career-high junior ranking of No.4, played the Boys final at the Australian Open, then reached the semifinals of the Boys’ event at Roland-Garros this year.
Ngounoue, a former junior No.1 (currently No.1) will make her Grand Slam main draw debut in Flushing Meadows.