Spanning back-to-back weekends from late October into early November, the 123rd Annual Jim Hillman Southern California Junior Sectional Doubles Championships brought together many of the section’s top junior players for one of the season’s most prestigious events.

Hosted across Lakewood Tennis Center, El Dorado Tennis & Pickleball Center, and Marina High School, the tournament concluded on Sunday, November 2, with all championship matches held exclusively at Lakewood Tennis Center. Competitors battled in the 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s age divisions, featuring Boys’, Girls’, and Mixed doubles events. 

All divisions competed in a single-elimination format. In each age group, matches leading up to the finals were played as best-of-three sets, with a 10-point tiebreak in place of a full third set. Championship matches in the 14s, 16s, and 18s divisions played a full third set, while the 12s finals continued with a 10-point tiebreak to decide the match.

Mixed 18s

Taking home the championship in the Mixed 18s division, the No. 1 seeded duo of Trabuco Canyon’s Julia Seversen and Newbury Park’s Roshan Santhosh defeated Los Angeles’ Emery June Martin and Porter Ranch’s Kristian Sharma in a final of 2-2 [RET].

Seversen and Santhosh proved why they were awarded the top-seed, defeating all of their opponents in straight sets over the two weekends of competition. The unseeded finalist pair delivered an impressive run of their own, winning each of their matches in straight sets and upsetting the No. 2 seed in the round of 16. For Seversen, the title marks her first junior sectional doubles crown, following a runner-up finish in the Girls’ 14s in 2022. Santhosh, meanwhile, earns his second title at the event, having previously captured the Mixed 14s championship in 2022.

“It feels great. I’ve played this tournament for many years and winning with a new partner that I’ve known for so long is awesome. I feel like our games compliment each other well” shared Santhosh. “I love playing with Roshan because I feel like we have a great energy and connection on court,” added Seversen.

Girls’ 18s

In the Girls’ 18s finals, the No. 2 seeded pairing of Pacific Palisades’ Kingsley “Kiki” Wolf and Julia Seversen defeated the No. 3 seed of San Gabriel’s Isabelle Nguyen and Moorpark’s Madeline Cleary in a three-set thriller 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

En route to the final, Wolf and Seversen won all of their matches in straight sets. Nguyen and Cleary were equally strong, advancing to the final with straight-set victories of their own, highlighted by an upset over the top seed in the semifinals. With this victory, Wolf captures her first Girls’ 18s title, having finished as runner-up last year alongside her sister, Alexandra. Seversen joins elite company, claiming both the Mixed 18s and Girls’ 18s titles in the same event, a feat last achieved by Rena Lin in 2017.

“It’s great to have finally won Sectionals because I’ve reached the finals of my age group in the past. Julia is like my best friend on and off the court, so it’s great to have won it with her. I’m proud of how we played our first day as we both played four matches and Julia even had to play a singles match in Newport. It was really tiring, but we were able to get past the exhaustion and continue to win our matches,” Wolf said. “We have a really good connection on the court and showed great energy in the tournament which I think helped us,” mentioned Seversen. 

Boys’ 18s

Standing tall as the No. 1 seed, Kristian Sharma and Roshan Santhosh defeated San Diego’s Darren Wei and Newbury Park’s Kimi Basamakov 6-2, 6-1 to capture the Boys’ 18s championship.

Sharma and Santhosh cruised through their first two rounds in straight sets before surviving a grueling three-set quarterfinal filled with momentum swings and tiebreaks. They then powered through their final two matches in straight sets to secure the title. Wei and Basamakov, unseeded entering the draw, made an impressive run to the final with multiple upsets, including victories over three seeded teams, among them the No. 2 seed. The championship marks the first title for Sharma and the first Boys’ crown for Santhosh. Remarkably, Santhosh becomes the first player since San Diego’s Keegan Smith (2016) to win both the Mixed 18s and Boys’ 18s titles in the same tournament.

“First off, I’d like to dedicate this win to Lucca Zamani. He told us before this tournament that we were going to win, and after hearing that, I had no doubt. I think the bond between Roshan and I really helped us throughout this tournament. I’ve never felt so happy to play with a partner before,” Sharma said. “This win means a lot because Kristian and I have known each other for years and it feels great to be added to history. Lucca being a part of this journey helped give us the confidence we needed. I’m not sure if I’ll be playing this event next year, so winning in both divisions feels like a good way to maybe finish it,” Santhosh stated. 

Mixed 16s

In a marathon three-hour final, the No. 1 seed of San Diego duo Andreas Udall and Claire Reifeiss defeated the No. 5 seeded pair of Anaheim’s Ean Lin and Cerritos’ Valerie Machikawa 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) to claim the Mixed 16s championship.

Udall and Reifeiss dominated early, winning all prior matches in straight sets and conceding two or fewer games in seven of eight sets. Lin and Machikawa fought through the bottom half of the draw with resilience, earning back-to-back three-set wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The victory marks the first junior sectional doubles title for both Udall and Reifeiss.

“We played a bunch of great matches and the competition was really strong which makes this win more special. Andreas’ big serve and insane volleys helped us a lot throughout the tournament,” Reifeiss mentioned. “Claire was great at the baseline and I was strong at the net which helped us. I think we had great team chemistry overall. Our last match is what I’m most proud of as we came back after being down two match points in the third set. That was for sure the most memorable moment,” Udall added. 

Girls’ 16s

Determining the Girls’ 16s champion, the No. 1 seed of San Diego’s Kiana Huerta and Claire Reifeiss defeated the No. 5 seeded duo of Valerie Machikawa and San Diego’s Surabhi Raghavendra 7-5, 6-2.

Huerta and Reifeiss were a force early on, taking down all of their opponents in straight sets, only conceding two games each within their first three matches. Machikawa and Raghavendra put together a strong run of their own, knocking off two seeded teams, including the No. 2 seed in a dramatic three-set semifinal comeback. The title marks Huerta’s first and caps off an outstanding weekend for Reifeiss, who also joins Rena Lin (2015) as the only players to win both the Mixed 16s and Girls 16s titles in the same year.

“It was really cool playing with Kiana because she’s such an amazing player. All of the matches we played were really tough and good quality tennis. Kiana and I are much closer now and have developed a friendship over the last two weeks playing together. It’s been a really fun experience,” Reifeiss stated. “This win means a lot because it was our first time playing together and our partnership was kind of a last minute thing,” Huerta said. 

Boys’ 16s

Featuring the top two teams in the championship of Boys’ 16s, the No. 1 seeded pair of Chino Hills’ Zhiyu Yuan and Culver City’s Takuto Goh defeated the No. 2 seed from La Jolla of Ian Sweeney and Kona Parseghian 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-2.

After winning their first three matches in straight sets, Yuan and Go outlasted the No. 5 seed in a tightly contested three-set semifinal before making it to the championship match. Sweeney and Parseghian advanced without dropping a set until the final, recording multiple wins against seeded teams. The title is Goh’s second junior sectional doubles championship, following his Boys’ 12s triumph in 2022, and the first for Yuan.

“It means a lot playing with Zhiyu. We’ve played a lot together and lost a lot together, so to win it feels really great. Zhiyu was serving pretty big which helped us as a team. I’m most proud of our semifinals and finals matches,” Goh shared. “The win feels great. Thank you to Takuto for playing with me and the staff, officials and tournament director for putting on an amazing event.” Yuan said. 

Mixed 14s

In a battle between the top two seeds, the No. 1 seed of Whittiers’ Gwyneth Britton and Porter Ranch’s Adrian Sharma defeated the No. 2 seeded team of Manhattan Beach’s Mia Sandblom and Long Beach’s Kamden Harden 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2.

Dominant throughout, Britton and Sharma won all of their matches in straight sets leading up to the finale, conceding three or less games in seven of their eight sets played. Sandblom and Harden were just as strong, also winning all of their matches in straight sets leading up to the finale and conceding just two or less games in seven of their eight sets played. For Britton, the title marks her first junior sectional doubles championship after finishing runner-up in Girls’ 14s last year. Sharma adds his second career title, having won the Boys’ 14s crown in 2024.

“It’s really an honor to win because I wasn’t planning on playing this tournament at first. I’m glad that we were able to pull through,” said Britton. “I think we had a really intense warmup on the first day and it helped set the tone, helping us accomplish what we did today. It feels great going back-to-back,” commented Sharma.

Girls’ 14s

Facing each other in mixed play, Mia Sandblom and Gwyneth Britton teamed up in Girls’ 14s, where the No.1 seeded duo defeated No. 3 seeded team of Aliso Viejo’s Lyla Qian and Irvine’s Annabelle Huang 6-0, 7-5.

A tall task for any opponent, Sandblom and Britton won every match they competed in via straight sets, not conceding a game in nearly half of their sets played. Qian and Huang battled through a strong field on their way to the finals, earning two wins over seeded opponents, including a gritty three-set quarterfinal The victory capped a stellar weekend for Britton, who became the first player since Madeline Cleary (2024) to capture both the Mixed 14s and Girls’ 14s titles in the same event.

“This victory means a lot because Gwyneth and I have been playing together since we were around 12 years old. It’s really fun to have won a great tournament,” Sandblom shared. “Mia is one of my best friends which made this so much fun. Winning mixed and now girls feels great. I played with some amazing partners who were some of the best I’ve ever had, so I’m really grateful to have played and won with them,” Britton mentioned. 

Boys’ 14s

Crowning a champion in the Boys’ 14s division, the No. 1 seed of Rancho Santa Fe’s Yi He Gao and Goleta’s Ciaran Tober-Bridges defeated the No. 2 seed of Adrian Sharma and Santa Monica’s Lucas Rogers 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Leading up to the finale, Gao and Tober-Bridges were impressive, having not dropped a set in any of their three matches. After cruising through their first two matches, Sharma and Rogers rallied from a set down in both the quarterfinals and semifinals to post consecutive three-set wins over seeded opponents. For both Gao and Tober-Bridges, this marks their first time winning a Junior Sectional Doubles title. 

“This victory feels great because last year I was unable to make it past the first round, so it shows how much I’ve improved and how hard I’ve worked,” said Tober-Bridges. “This is only our third time playing together, so it feels pretty great winning. I’m really proud of this final because we lost the second set and had to bounce back to win the third,” shared Gao. 

Mixed 12s

In the Mixed 12s championship, the No. 2 seeded tandem of Rancho Palos Verdes’ Lucy Jiang and Santa Monica’s Roman Gabriel defeated the No. 1 seeded team of Encino’s Skylar Mandell and Los Angeles’ Imangali Kanat 6-1, 6-2.

After a dominant opening-round win, Jiang and Gabriel were tested in back-to-back three-set matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals, coming from a set down each time. Mandell and Kanat also reached the final impressively, winning their first two matches in straight sets before rallying from a set down in the semifinals. The victory marks the first  Junior Sectional Doubles championship for both Jiang and Gabriel.

“It was a really great experience playing with Roman, especially because I had never met him before this tournament. It feels great and I am really happy to have won both mixed and girls,” Jiang mentioned. “I’m really proud of our semifinals match because we were down 6-2, 4-1 and came back,” Gabriel added. 

Girls’ 12s

Teaming up after facing off in mixed play, Skylar Mandell and Lucy Jiang, the No. 1 seed, captured the Girls’ 12s title with a 4-6, 6-3, 10-4 win over the No. 2 seed and San Diego’s Kate Zhang and Emanuela Trenet.

Mandell and Jiang controlled their early rounds with straight-set wins, while Zhang and Trenet battled through two three-set matches to reach the final. The win gives both Mandell and Jiang their second Junior Sectional Doubles titles, with Mandell having won Mixed 12s last year. Jiang joins Madeline Cleary (2023) as the most recent player to win both the Mixed 12s and Girls’ 12s titles in the same event.

“It feels really nice to have won because Lucy and I are great friends and it was fun to play doubles together. I’m really happy that I got to win gender doubles this year after winning mixed doubles last year,” Mandell stated. “I’m really happy that Skylar played with me because we’re really good friends and this tournament was a great learning experience. I think being really aggressive at the net helped us a lot throughout the tournament,” commented Jiang. 

Boys’ 12s

Rounding out the winners, the No. 1 seed of Studio City’s Henrik Khemly and Newbury Park’s Reed Kuai defeated No. 2 seeded pair of Irvine’s Benedict Zhong and Palm Desert’s Benjamin Foreman in a in a competitive Boys’ 12s final, 6-4, 1-6, 10-2.

Leading up to the championship, Khemly and Kuai won all three of their matches in straight sets, conceding three or less games in all six of their sets played. After winning their first two matches in straight sets where they only dropped a single game in their four sets played, Zhong and Foreman pulled out a come from behind three-set victory in the semifinals. This win marks the first championship for both Khemly and Kuai. 

“It feels really nice to win alongside one of my best friends. It’s a moment I’ll remember for a long time,” Foreman said. “It feels great to win. I think our aggressive volley playing helped us a lot throughout the tournament. Winning the match point of the finals was my favorite moment,” stated Zhong.

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Among the standout storylines of the weekend, the female representatives from each Mixed Doubles championship team also captured the Girls’ Doubles title in their respective divisions: Seversen (18s), Reifeiss (16s), Britton (14s), and Jiang (12s).

Links to Full Draws

> MIXED 18s
> GIRLS’ 18s
> BOYS’ 18s
> MIXED 16s
> GIRLS’ 16s
> BOYS’ 16s
> MIXED 14s
> GIRLS’ 14s
> BOYS’ 14s
> MIXED 12s
> GIRLS’ 12s
> BOYS’ 12s