All Glory, Vir and Honor

The Road to THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

Aug 5 - UTR - Anguilla Service Trips Classic 12U & 16U

Aug 5 - USTA - 14U BG Waterfall

Aug 6 - USTA - 18U BG Waterfall

Persistence makes perfect, perhaps. And it didn't even take Likitha Gaddipati all that long. In her third tournament, after taking big swings at the older players and missing, she won her first TCJC event at the 12U Anguilla Service Trips Classic by upsetting Abir Kedar 4-1, 5-3 in a tight de facto final.

Now those extra points earned at the higher-aged tournaments really have paid off for the new champion. At 29th overall on the 12U tour, she is sixth among the girls, tied with Stella Dybczakova for the last spot in the Tour Championship on September 9-10.

The biggest winners of the weekend, however, were those who finished atop the larger USTA draws, including Arnav Nadikatla, victorious in two straight weekend tournaments now. Adding to the Tennis Curator Classic last week, he faced down Cooper Hessen and Ethan Estrada en route to the Boys' 14U Waterfall championship. For the girls, another familiar, dominant face emerged---Shritha Adapala marched closer to a Tour Championship berth by routing her deep-draw opponents, though she had to dig deep just to edge Sophia Darin in the quarterfinal, match of the tournament, at 7-5.

Meanwhile, it was Ryan Leung and semifinalist James Woo who put on the finest display, a 7-5 quarterfinal, while Kevin Chen and Janak Vasisht put on similar summer fireworks in their consolation final, with Chen taking the marginal extra points.

At the 18U, Robi MacNamara faced his stiffest test against Kevin Yan in the opening round before marching to victory for his first TCJC championship in his first attempt. It places him 14th and within striking distance for Tour Championship qualification. The girls' champion, similarly authoritative, lost just one game in three matches. Honor Saxe debuts higher in the race to the Tour Championship as the second-placed 18U girl on tour, tied on points with Robi at 14th overall.

Vir Mattu, as his name suggests, put on a manly display against Steven Herrle in his debut, winning the 16U UTR event. However, Herrle, whose previous exploits and Tour Championship experience have brought him now as high as 68th on the large 14U tour, put up a stunning defense to grab three games against the heavy favorite that will surely increase his stock further.

And don't forget about doubles, often the most exciting play at these tournaments. With the rankings points counting the same as singles, Shiloh Auzoux took the opportunity to further distance himself from his 10U competitors. Teaming with Zaki Rajkumar, he took down the pair of Siena Auzoux (his closest chaser at 10U) and Lara Dabney (firmly in a 10U Tour Championship spot) to win the 12U doubles title on Saturday.

By far the most ambitious climber this week was the 14U girls champion, Adapala. Her Tour Championship victory last year combined with this recent success means she enters the Top 10 at 12U, 14U, and 16U, and takes second place on the 12U tour.

While it's predictable that Nadikatla, alongside her, now qualifies for multiple Tour Championships as well, the surprising new cavalry charge comes from Diego Levi. His semifinal performance puts him 10th on the 18U tour, just three spots outside the qualification criteria.

Leaders Auzoux, Solomon Ravitz, and Jon Ozenci, the latter two idle, maintain their No. 1 rankings another week.

Remember the newly added feature to the rankings: the Plus / Minus, which will tell you how far up or down the player has moved within the last week.

Champions

8/5 UTR 12U: Lithika Gaddipati

8/5 UTR 12U Doubles: Zaki Rajkumar and Shiloh Auzoux

8/5 UTR 16U: Vir Mattu

8/5 USTA 14U Gents: Arnav Nadikatla

8/5 USTA 14U Ladies: Shritha Adapala

8/6 USTA 18U Gents: Robi MacNamara

8/6 USTA 18U Ladies: Honor Saxe

The full tables now look like this.

Each weekend this spring and summer, Tennis Central is bringing you USTA and UTR tournaments at Holton-Arms School. Earn points for advancing through each round, just like on the pro tours, and qualify for the TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP at season's end.

Bigger events offer more points, with the TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP offering the most, as well as prizes.

Check here for updates each week to the Tennis Central Tour Rankings, a 52-week points system based on the pro tours, as well as recaps of all the action and photos.

2023 Tour Schedule

March

Mar 18: USTA L7 Boys and Girls 12U

Mar 19: USTA L7 Boys and Girls 14U

April

Apr 8: UTR 14U - Sweet Spotter Open

Apr 16: USTA L7 Boys and Girls 12U

Apr 16: USTA L7 Boys and Girls 14U

Apr 23: UTR 14U and 16U - Potomac Spring Tennis Festival Open

Apr 29: 15U UTR - Teen World Open Classic

Apr 30: 12U UTR - Anguilla Service Trips Open

Apr 30: 10U Green Dot UTR - Anguilla Service Trips Open