Two Americans to Battle for French Open Boys Singles Title

June 5, 2015 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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Seventeen-year-old Taylor Fritz of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. and 18-year-old Tommy Paul of Lumberton, N.J. will play each other Saturday for the French Open Boys Singles title in Paris, the first-ever all-American boys singles final at Roland Garros, dating back to 1947.

Fritz, seeded second in the French Open boys draw and ranked third in the world among juniors, will also be the number one-ranked junior in the world when the International Tennis Federation’s 18-and-under rankings come out Monday, becoming the first American to hold the ITF’s number one boys ranking since Donald Young in 2005. Fritz’s 6-1, 6-2 victory over number four Corentin Denolly of France in Friday’s semifinals will allow him to leapfrog current number one Orlando Luz of Brazil and number two Andrey Rublev of Russia.

The 13th-seeded Paul, a University of Georgia recruit who won his first two professional titles at ITF Men’s Futures events in Spain and Italy, respectively in the weeks leading up to the French Open, beat the sixth-seeded Michael Mmoh of Bradenton, Fla. 6-4, 6-3, in the other semifinals match to set up the second all-American boys singles final in the last four junior Grand Slams. This was also the second time in the last four junior Slams that three of the boys semifinalists were American, after Fritz, Noah Rubin and Stefan Kozlov reached the boys semifinals at Wimbledon last year (Rubin defeated Kozlov in the final).

Former American French Open boys’ singles champions are: Bjorn Fratangelo (2011), John McEnroe (1977), Cliff Richey (1964), Butch Buchholz (1958) and Ham Richardson (1951).

Paul can also become the first American to sweep the French Open boys singles and doubles titles, as he and William Blumberg (17, Greenwich, Conn.) advanced to the boys doubles final. The American team of Caroline Dolehide (16, Hinsdale, Ill.) & Katerina Stewart (17, Miami) will play for the French Open girls doubles title, as well.


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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