Michael Augsberger
- Jul 14
- 4 min read

Lou debuts at 24th

The Road to THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

July 9 - UTR 15U & 18U Varsity Open presented by Yann Auzoux Tryout Camp

Jackson Lou opened his Tennis Central Junior Circuit account with a title win and debut ranking of 24th in the 18U standings. The first set of his final against Malik Turner was sensational, but he ran away in the second set to stifle the drama and claim the gold medal.

Turner, for his part, winds up at 42nd on the leaderboard. Veteran player and last year's ladies' Tour Championship qualifier Atlee Hilliard got out of the first round to increase her ranking to 36th, the only other competitor this weekend so highly rated at 18U.

But the player involved in the matches of the tournament must have been Kai Gardner, who fell behind quickly in the opener against the eventual champion but then won 5-3, 4-2 in the tightest match of the morning against Adriana Gross. Evan Willard then needed a tiebreak in the second set to defeat Gardner in the backdraw final.

At the 15U, Zahra Doriwala won her second consecutive TCJC championship and has become a favorite for the Tour Championship in just as short a timeframe. Now 22nd in the 16U rankings after this title, she is all the way up to 13th at 12U. No one could quite gain a foothold against her---she dropped just three games in two matches, including only one in the final over Spencer Weiss.

Weiss, a TCJC mainstay, has played many more tournaments and has the resume to show for it. Gaining a whopping 16 spots, he is just outside the Top 10 in the 16U rankings. On the wings of a first-round bye, Weiss defeated Caroline Peterson quickly in the semis.

Peterson and Likitha Gaddipati were the other big earners who hopped thirty or more places this weekend thanks to their opening round wins, Peterson in the most dramatic fashion by taking the tiebreak 10-4 against Niklas Nuxoll, who would go on to win the consolation bracket.

Just one tournament this weekend was played, but it still outpaced last year's Independence Weekend tally when no tournaments were scheduled. That means that this year, no rankings points were dropped in the new weekly rankings, and so little changed apart from this week's competitors' added points. We saw no changes in the Top 10s at all, with Ozenci, Ravitz, and Auzoux firmly in the drivers' seats, and Doriwala and Weiss gaining the highest new places this week at 13th and 14th.

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

7/9 UTR 15U: Zahra Doriwala

7/9 UTR 18U: Jackson Lou

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