The Road to THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
On Ryder Cup weekend it was fitting for Tennis Central Junior Circuit to host two team-format tournaments. And the kids played with the legendary teamwork typical of Europe, not the US.
College teams play both doubles and singles on the same day in various point-formats. That's what these 12U players did in round robin groups of three teams, typically three singles matches and one doubles. For the girls, Blue defeated Red by winning doubles 4-1 and by virtue of Siena Auzoux's tight 6-4 win over Selah Lee that decided the championship. Teammates Kamsiyonna Udejiofor and Valentina Rosales joined her in the celebrations.
Boys' Red Team needed a tiebreak match to decide the championship against Blue. Morgan Heyliger won over Kevin Chiu 7-6 (10-8) to send the tie to overtime, where Chiu and Deniz Ozenci snuck past Heyliger and Tiago Eozenou 10-6. Blue would fall to Orange to go to 0-2, and Red clinched after its rampant 5-1 victory over Orange. That meant Ozenci, Chiu, Roger Ye, and Zain Beg lifted the cup.
And just as the Ryder Cup went to singles on championship Sunday, so did the 16U events here. Tyler Wang had to contend with Sumaer Sarangal for the title in the boys' division; the match finished 6-3, but Alexey Solovyov ousted Sarangal for the silver medal in a tight 6-4 set.
Serena Provinse got closest to girls' champion Chloe West, but West won in two sets 4-2, 4-0. That makes West a first-time TCJC tour winner. Provinse defeated Caroline Peterson for the silver. That gained her four places, now sitting just outside the Top 10 on the 16U tour but now firmly in second on the 14U tour, while champions Wang and West debut 47th and 58th having played just one event.
Deniz Ozenci made up thirty points in the race against Shiloh Auzoux for first in the 12U, the former winning the team title and the latter taking second place in the same event. The gap is now 54 points between them. Meanwhile, Siena Auzoux moved up to fourth, and Alex Yu, having played the team format, moves into the Top 10.
The 10U tour had three big movers. Shannon Bu grabbed a spot in the Top 10. Roger Ye is knocking on the door after a second tour victory in a row---he won on September 17---placing 12th after a huge 19-spot jump. But Udejiofor, win the girls' team win, now sits in 6th overall.
2024 Points Change
A change to the points applied to higher-level tournaments from lower levels should reflect ages and skills better from now on. It used to be that all points were halved when applied to a higher age group's rankings. Now, the points are halved each step up the ladder, not just once.
So a player can no longer earn 80 points at 10U and count them as 40 at 16U. They would be halved at 12U (40 points), again at 14U (20 points), then again at 16U (10 points). It provides the incentive without disrupting the older players' earnings too much.
However, a younger player earning points in an older tournament, much as Arnav Nadikatla did in this Tour Championship edition, is still a sure way to rise faster in those rankings.
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
12U Girls Team: Kamsiyonna Udejiofor, Valentina Rosales, Siena Auzoux
12U Boys Team: Deniz Ozenci, Kevin Chiu, Roger Ye, and Zain Beg
16U Girls: Chloe West
16U Boys: Tyler Wang
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.
October
Oct 15: USTA 10U Coed Green & Orange
Oct 21: USTA 10U Coed Green & Orange
Oct 22: 16U UTR - Yann Auzoux Open
Oct 28: 12U & 16U UTR - Halloween Open
November
Nov 19: 16U UTR - Tenniscentral.us Cup
December
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