Hurricane Black Takes On Carson Branstine in BNP Paribas Showdown’s Featured Junior Match
Continuing the tradition of featuring top junior players, the BNP Paribas Showdown will once again present two of the world’s best players on the junior circuit when Tyra Hurricane Black squares off against Carson Branstine in an opening match presented by HEAD Penn Racquet Sports as part of World Tennis Day at Madison Square Garden on March 8.
The future pro stars take to the court to kick off the annual BNP Paribas Showdown featuring the colorful Gael Monfils, world No. 4 Stan Wawrinka, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and 21-time Grand Slam Champion Serena Williams.
Born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida, 14 year old, Tyra Hurricane Black is currently ranked No. 86 on the ITF World Junior Ranking. She won three ITF junior titles in 2015 and reached the finals in the recent 52nd Coffee Bowl in San Jose, Costa Rica. Additionally, Black helped lead the US team to the finals of the 2015 ITF World Junior Tennis Competition in the Czech Republic. Her older sister, Alicia Black is a former top-5 world-ranked junior now playing on the pro circuit.
Branstine, who started playing tennis at seven years old, is 15 and hails from Orange County, California. She is currently No. 184 on the ITF World Junior Ranking and holds 26 career singles titles. She has played in the 2015 US Open Junior Slam and was a member of the USA Team National Junior Team. Additionally, Branstine played on the 18s national team where she went undefeated and was a finalist in the 2015 Plantation ITF.
Black and Branstine add to a considerable list of exceptional juniors who have taken to the Madison Square Garden tennis court at the BNP Paribas Showdown including the likes of Francis Tiafoe, who turned pro in May 2015 and is said to be one of the prominent young up and coming stars, as well as Sloane Stephens who is ranked No. 26 on the WTA Tour and just represented the United States at the Fed Cup in Hawaii.
Previous junior matches featured:
2008: Denis Kudla (15 years old) vs Junior Ore (15)
2009: Stephens (15) vs Gail Brodsky (17)
2010: Nicole Gibbs (16) vs Sachia Vickery (14)
2015: Tiafoe (16) vs Reilly Opelka (16)
2016: Cori “Coco” Gauff (10) vs Gabriella Price (11)
Tickets start at $35.00 and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets.
