124th Annual Junior Sectionals Crown
Eight 2026 Champions

The 124th Annual USTA Southern California Junior Sectional Championships crowned its newest group of champions on Sunday, concluding two weekends of high-level competition that featured nearly 500 of the region’s top players. The tournament remains a premier event on the junior calendar, showcasing some of the section’s brightest young and upcoming talent.

All final matches took place at Lakewood Tennis Center, following early rounds hosted at El Dorado Tennis & Pickleball Center, Marina High School, Seal Beach Tennis Center, and Fountain Valley High School. Competitors battled in a single-elimination format across the 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s divisions. Matches were uniformly contested using a scoring format of two tiebreak sets, with a 10-point match tiebreak played in lieu of a full third set.

The newly minted champions etched their names into history alongside SoCal tennis greats like Venus and Serena Williams, Michael Chang, Tracy Austin, Lindsay Davenport, and Jimmy Connors, among others. Winning a sectional title sets the stage for these rising stars as they look to follow in those footsteps at the collegiate and professional levels.

Girls’ 18s

Serving as the final match of the weekend, the Girls’ 18s championship featured a showdown between the event’s top two seeds, where No. 1 seed Sophie Suh of Orange defeated No. 2 seed Brooke Kwon of Diamond Bar, 6-4, 6-0.

Suh was utterly dominant from her very first match, overpowering the top half of the draw to advance to the finals without dropping a set. Over the two weekends of play, the top seed conceded two or fewer games in half of the sets she played. Kwon proved to be a formidable opponent on the bottom half of the bracket. After an early bye, she cruised through her opening matches before surviving a come-from-behind three-set thriller in the quarterfinals. Following a semifinal walkover, Kwon’s resilient run was ultimately halted in the finale. 

The victory marks a major milestone for Suh, securing her first junior sectional singles crown in the 18s division and adding to her legacy after previously capturing the Girls’ 14s title in 2022.

In addition to the title, the win earns Suh a main draw wild card into an upcoming stop of this year’s SoCal Pro Series, while Kwon secures a wild card entry into the qualifying draw.

“It feels really good to win Sectionals and it means a lot to win because I had to work really hard throughout this tournament. I just kept reminding myself to stay confident and play my game,” Suh noted. “I’m really looking forward to playing in the [SoCal] Pro Series and at Hardcourts and am excited to be there and do my best.”

Boys’ 18s

In the Boys’ 18s final, No. 2 seed Brayden Tallakson of Irvine took down No. 5 seed Peter Jorniak of Arcadia 6-2, 6-2 to capture the championship.

Tallakson found his rhythm  early on, cruising through his first three matches in straight sets. He faced his biggest test in the quarterfinals, dropping the opening set before rallying to win a grueling three-set thriller to keep his tournament alive. After another straight-set victory in the semifinals, the Irvine native capped off his spectacular run with a statement win in the final. Jorniak provided plenty of drama of his own on the other side of the draw. Following a straight-set opening match, the Arcadia standout battled through four consecutive three-set marathons, showcasing immense resilience with multiple tiebreaks and come-from-behind victories. Along the way, Jorniak knocked off three seeded opponents, highlighted by an upset of the tournament’s No. 1 seed.

The win carries deep significance for the Tallakson family. The Boise State commit joins his brother, Avery, who captured the very same Boys’ 18s sectional title in 2023. The two are set to reunite this upcoming fall in Idaho, where Brayden will join the Broncos as an incoming freshman while Avery enters his senior season.

Like the Girls’ 18s, Tallakson receives a main draw wild card for an upcoming tournament in this summer’s SoCal Pro Series, while Jorniak earns a qualifying wild card.

“It’s an honor to win Sectionals. I’ve played this tournament my whole life,” shared Tallakson. “[Avery] is always telling me how every Boise State player has won Junior Sectionals in SoCal, so he really put the pressure on me. I’m relieved to win it and get the job done.” 

Girls’ 16s

Mirroring the finals in the 18s division, the Girls’ 16s championship featured a battle between the draw’s top two seeds, where No. 1 seed Charlotte Kim of Irvine beat No. 2 seed Savannah Schmitz of La Jolla by a score of 6-2, 6-0.

Kim’s performance was nothing short of dominant as she grew more formidable with every round. She would go on to capture the title without dropping a single set all tournament, putting on an impressive showing in her final three matches by winning a staggering 36 games while surrendering just four. On the other side of the draw, Schmitz put together an equally strong run early on. She took down her first three opponents by a combined game count of 36-6 before securing another straight-set victory in the quarterfinals. Schmitz then punched her ticket to the final after her semifinal opponent retired, though Schmitz was already firmly in control after capturing the opening set. 

This title marks a spectacular multi-year ascent for Kim at Sectionals. After finishing as the 12s runner-up two years ago, she claimed the 14s title last year and has now officially conquered the 16s division.

By reaching the finals, both players qualified for the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16 & 18 National Hard Court Championships this August in San Diego. Additionally, for securing the sectional title, Kim receives a wild card entry into the qualifying draw of an upcoming SoCal Pro Series tournament.

“It feels great to have won this year, especially after winning the 14s last year and finishing as a finalist the year before that. It just shows how my game has developed and how far I have come,” Kim mentioned. “Consistency was probably the strangest part of my game this weekend because I played a lot of tough opponents and had many long rallies, but I felt that the longer the rally went on, the more it benefited me.” 

Boys’ 16s 

Taking home the title in the Boys’ 16s division, No. 5 seed Garran Mckay of Irvine toppled No. 2 seed Mayurchandra Bharath 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Mckay roared through his side of the draw, winning all of his matches in straight sets alongside one walkover. En route to the final, Mckay dismantled multiple seeded opponents, conceding three games or fewer in every single match leading up to the championship. Bharath put together an equally commanding start to his tournament, capturing his first three matches in straight sets. He was pushed to the limit in the quarterfinals, where he rallied from a set down to claim a three-set victory. Bharath rebounded with another efficient straight-set win in the semifinals before ultimately falling to Mckay in the tight two-set final.

The championship represents the first Junior Sectionals title for Mckay, adding a major milestone to his junior career.

The performance qualifies both finalists for the USTA Boys’ 16 & 18 National Championships this August in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Additionally, Mckay earned a qualifying wild card into an upcoming stop on the SoCal Pro Series.

“This win feels great. I have always known myself to be someone that loses in the first round, but I have started to mature in tournaments and this is one of the first big events where I have made it to the top,” emphasized Mckay. 

Girls’ 14s 

A consistent performance from No. 4 seed Lindy Zhou of Glendale earned her the Girls’ 14s title, defeating No. 5 seed Emanuela Trenet of San Diego 6-4, 6-1.

Zhou was efficient in the early rounds, winning all of her opening matches in straight sets and holding her opponents to three games or fewer in six of those eight sets. Her toughest match came in the semifinals, where she faced the tournament’s No. 1 seed, bouncing back after losing the second set to win in a deciding tiebreak. Trenet took a direct path through the other side of the draw, winning her first three rounds in straight sets while yielding no more than two games per match. After receiving a walkover in the quarterfinals, she defeated the No. 2 seed in a three-set semifinal battle before matching up with Zhou.

Zhou’s victory marks another prestigious milestone in her rapid ascent. After winning the Girls’ 12s singles championship just last year, she extended her multi-year sectional winning streak across age groups to secure the 14s title this weekend.

“I’m really proud of myself for winning this tournament 14s after winning last year in the 12s,” said Zhou. “I feel like my mental game was the strongest part of my play in this tournament.” 

Boys’ 14s 

Thousand Oaks native London Slaton, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, upset No. 1 seed Daksh Bhardwaj of San Diego 6-3, 6-4 to win the Boys’ 14s final.

Slaton was formidable across the draw, winning every round without dropping a set. He handled pressure well in tight moments, winning critical tiebreak sets in both his quarterfinal and semifinal matches, which included a straight-set victory over the draw’s No. 2 seed. Bhardwaj opened his tournament with a pair of decisive wins, conceding only a single game over his first two matches. While he advanced through his next three rounds in straight sets, the top seed had to win a close tiebreak set in each match along the way before facing Slaton in the final.

The triumph marks Slaton’s first major regional singles title, building upon his previous experience as a finalist in the Boys’ 12s doubles division.

“It feels good to have won and I am happy because I felt I was playing well this whole tournament and was making all my shots,” shared Slaton. “My serve was definitely the strongest part of my game this tournament because I was getting a lot of free points off of it which helped me win.” 

Girls’ 12s 

No. 1 seed Alara Buyukuncu of Irvine lived up to her billing in the Girls’ 12s division, defeating No. 5 seed Kira Elliott of Los Angeles 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

Buyukuncu was clinical across both weekends of competition, completing her entire run to the title without dropping a single set. Following an opening-round bye, she held her opponents to three games or fewer in nine of the ten sets she played. Elliott, who also had a first-round bye, opened with a straight-set victory before winning a close three-set match in the round of 16. She regained her rhythm to win the quarterfinals and semifinals in straight sets before meeting Buyukuncu.

For the Irvine native, the victory secures her first Junior Sectionals singles championship on the heels of reaching the doubles final at the USTA Easter Bowl this past spring.

“I’m very honored to win this tournament. All of the players here were amazing and it was a great experience,” Buyukuncu stated. “I think the strongest part of my game was my mentality because I had to dig deep through all the matches because they were all tough.” 

Boys’ 12s 

The Boys’ 12s championship provided the closest match of finals Sunday, as No. 2 seed Henrik Khemiy of Studio City edged past No. 1 seed YiSen Shi of Irvine 6-3, 5-7, 10-8.

Khemiy played excellent tennis leading up to Sunday, winning every round in straight sets and recording a 6-0 shutout in four of his five match appearances. Shi matched that pace on his side of the bracket, earning four consecutive straight-set wins alongside one walkover to set up the final.

The win marks the first Junior Singles Sectionals title for the Studio City resident, capping off a breakout season that included a doubles runner-up finish at the USTA Level 3 tournament in April.

“Winning means a lot because I won Junior Doubles Sectionals last year and this is my last 12s tournament and I really wanted to end on a good note,” Khemiy added. “I had to dig deep in this last tiebreak because I was up 9-4, and then [Shi] started coming back and it became  9-8. I felt like he had the next point won until I hit a great passing shot. It felt so great to make that.” 

Links to Full Draws

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

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For a past listing of SoCal Junior Sectionals champions, click here!