San Diego’s Alyssa Ahn wins USTA Billie Jean King
Girls’ Nationals and Earns US Open Wild Card

Southern California’s top junior tennis players turned heads nationwide with standout runs at the USTA L1 National Championships, dominating across multiple venues and age divisions. From the home courts of San Diego’s Barnes Tennis Center to the storied grounds of Kalamazoo College, they met every challenge—claiming national titles, US Open wild cards, and podium finishes. The spotlight shone brightest on the Girls’ and Boys’ 16s and 18s, where champions punched their tickets to the 2025 US Open’s main and junior draws.

Billie Jean King Girls’ Nationals

San Diego’s Alyssa Ahn, 18, turned a wildcard entry into a storybook championship run. The Stanford-bound No. 7 seed powered past Daria Budko, Alyson Shannon, and JoAnna Kennedy after a first-round bye, then rallied from a set down to defeat top seed Akasha Urhobo 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarters.

Her semifinal against Northern California’s Alexis Nguyen—another SoCal Pro Series finalist this summer—was a four-hour thriller. Ahn took the first set 6-1 before Nguyen forced a tiebreak second. Down late in the third, Ahn dug deep: “It’s never over until it’s actually over; anything can happen if I keep fighting.” Amid the pressure, she reminded herself that at the end of the day, it was just a tennis match, win or lose, a mindset that kept her calm and focused. Ultimately, she outlasted Nguyen 6-1, 6-7(1), 7-5 before a packed Court 10 crowd.

Competing for a US Open main draw wild card brought more nerves than she expected. “I would be lying if I said the pressure was easy to navigate. As I got further into the tournament, I faced a balance of reassurance as I found the peak of my game, as well as pressure that the US Open wild card and national title was now closer than ever,” she said.

On championship Sunday, the hometown favorite stepped onto Stadium Court with history on the line and never looked back. In just 65 minutes, Ahn dismantled No. 17 seed Maya Iyengar of Paradise Valley, Arizona, 6-1, 6-2, claiming the Girls’ 18s singles crown at the 107th edition of the USTA Billie Jean King Girls National Championships. She will join her future teammate and last year’s Girls’ 18s runner up Valerie Glozman in Flushing Meadows.

“It feels incredible. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s super exciting, not only to get the wild card into the US Open, which is a huge accomplishment for me, but just winning the tournament is really awesome. I’m super grateful to in this position,” Ahn said after being awarded her USTA Gold Ball.

Her victory wasn’t just a championship, it was a defining moment in Southern California tennis history. Alyssa became only the third player this century to capture both the Girls’ 16s and 18s titles in San Diego, joining Alexandra Podkolzina, who won the 16s in 2001 and 18s in 2002, and Lauren Davis, who claimed back-to-back 16s titles in 2008 and 2009 before winning the 18s crown in 2011.

Only four Southern California women have claimed the Girls’ 18s title in the last 20 years, including Torrance’s Iva Jovic in 2024, Santa Barbara’s Kayla Day in 2016, La Mesa’s Amber Liu in 2001 (also a Cardinal), and now Alyssa Ahn. Her 18s victory was the first by a  San Diego player since 1960, when future Wimbledon champion Karen (Hantze) Sussman captured her third crown. This legacy highlights just how monumental Ahn’s achievement is.

“Being put in this elite group means so much to me,” explained Ahn. “It really motivates me to continue working hard and follow in the footsteps of the legends who have won these titles previously.”

For Alyssa, who captured the Girls’ 16s title in 2022, winning at home meant everything. Each familiar bounce of the ball, every cheer from family, friends, and coaches—past, present, and future—and the comfort of courts she knows by heart became part of her winning formula. The short drive, the rare luxury of sleeping in her own bed, and the electric energy of her hometown crowd became her quiet superpowers, a reminder that greatness is forged not only in skill, but in the embrace of heart and home.

“It was a huge factor to have the home crowd, it gave me so much encouragement,” she said. “I am really comfortable here. I know these courts like the back of my hand because I train here every day. Looking up and seeing family and friends in the crowd just filled me with gratitude. I truly believe they are a big reason for my success this week. I was not only playing for myself, but I was playing for them.”

As she prepares to head to Stanford and gear up for the US Open, Alyssa carries that same grounded energy forward. “There is always a constant flow of things that can get better in my game,” she said. “I’m ready to put in the work and see the results leading up to New York and Stanford.”

When asked about her US Open first-round draw, she smiled and said, “I’m excited to play whoever I draw first round. No matter who it is, it will be a really cool experience.”

Iyengar reached the final by upsetting Carlsbad’s Julieta Pareja, 16, the No. 2 seed and top-ranked junior in the world. After Pareja took the first set and built a 3-0 lead in the second, Iyengar surged back, breaking serve three times to force a decider. She then raced to a 5-0 lead, only to watch Pareja charge back to 5-5. After trading breaks, the match came down to a tiebreak where Iyengar swept the final four points to win. Pareja finished fourth after losing to Nguyen in the playoff. Van Nuys native Maria Aytoyan, 16, was the in-feed finalist after a hard-fought battle with Kristina Penickova. San Marino’s Tianmei Wang, 18, was a singles quarterfinalist.

Penickova and Woodland Hills’ Thea Frodin, 16, teamed as the No. 2 seeds to win the Girls’ 18s doubles title, each earning USTA Gold Balls and main draw women’s doubles wild cards into both the US Open and Junior US Open. Frodin credited her long-standing friendship with Penickova as the key ingredient to their success. “Playing together was a lot of fun. We can read each other during points pretty well. We knew what was at stake, and I think it just made us more motivated to give it everything.”

After taking the first set 6-4, they staged a stunning comeback in the second, erasing a 5-1 deficit to seize the momentum and close out a thrilling 6-4, 7-5 victory on Stadium Court over unseeded Aya Manning and Catherine Rennard.

“I wasn’t thinking too much ahead,” Frodin said. “I was just happy with the way we changed the momentum and didn’t give up. On the last point, I just told myself to trust my shot and not hold back.”

While her preparation is similar for singles and doubles, she spends extra time strategizing with her partner. The US Open wild card, she says, is both a milestone and a motivator. “These opportunities can be life-changing,” she said. “Winning Nationals gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance knowing I’m one step closer to the big stages.”

Growing up competing locally, representing Southern California makes the achievement sweeter. “I’ve been playing in this area since the start, and it’s always nice to have hometown support,” she said. “It feels amazing to be able to represent SoCal, and to feel at home when I play these big tournaments.”

In the Girls’ 16s division, Diamond Bar’s Brooke Kwon, 16, claimed third place in an all-SoCal battle with San Diego’s Yilin Chen, 15, who finished fourth. 15-year-old Julia Seversen of Trabuco Canyon took fifth as the in-feed consolation winner, defeating Daniela del Mastro 6-2, 3-6, [10-3]. Carlsbad’s Kiana Smith, 15, and Moorpark’s Madeline Cleary, 14, both advanced to the singles quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Santa Monica’s Raina Kim, 16, partnered with 16s singles champion Hannah Ayraul to reach the doubles final.

Nats at the Zoo

At the legendary Boys’ 16s Nationals in Kalamazoo, Rancho Palos Verdes’ Andrew Johnson, the No. 2 seed, put together a dominant run that felt almost untouchable. He powered into the singles final without dropping a set, winning an astounding 70 of 92 games along the way.

Johnson credited his mindset for that consistency. “I came into the tournament prepared for anything — whether it was seed upsets, cramps, or rain delays. Because of that, I didn’t really feel many nerves for most of the week. I also made a point to stay very focused and positive on court. With those three things combined, I felt free out there and wasn’t worrying too much, which allowed me to play my best tennis.”

In the championship match, Johnson came out firing, taking the first set against No. 5 seed Marcel Latak of Illinois. But in a gripping battle that swung on just a handful of points, Johnson was edged out 6-2, 5-7, 5-7, narrowly missing the USTA Gold Ball. His week also included a doubles runner-up finish with Mason Vaughan of Texas.

Despite the loss, Johnson’s performance earned him wild cards into the Junior ITF J300 College Park main draw and the qualifying draw of a Men’s USTA M15. “My goal is to play my heart out,” he said. “I’ve been working really hard, so I want to perform well and keep a positive attitude throughout these upcoming tournaments.”

Representing his home section is a powerful motivator. “SoCal is the place I call home, and I’ve shared so many precious moments here,” he said. “It’s an honor to represent Southern California, and it motivates me to give it my all every time I compete.”

Torrance’s Keaton Hance, 17, placed fourth in Boys’ 18s, earning wild cards for Junior US Open qualifying and a Men’s USTA M15 draw. Los Angeles’ Nischal Spurling, 18, won the Wes Richards Feed-In Sportsmanship Award and finished sixth, while Newbury Park’s Roshan Santhosh, 16, reached the quarterfinals.

Southern California Juniors in the South

In Peachtree Corners, Georgia, top-seeded Danielle Han, 12, of Laguna Niguel stormed into the Girls’ 12s single semifinal, winning her first four matches in straight sets. She rallied from a set down to beat Cataleya Brown 3-6, 6-3, [10-7] in the quarterfinals before falling to Anna Victoria Sandru, placing fourth. 

In Mobile, Alabama, Tarzana’s Matthew Kolomeyer, 12, and Newport Beach’s Thomas Gamble, 11, reached the Boys’ 12s doubles semifinal as the No. 4 seeds before finishing fourth; Kolomeyer also made the singles quarterfinals. In the Boys’ 14s doubles, Los Angeles’ Kensho Ford, 14, and Florida’s Luke Jones reached the quarterfinals.

—

To view final singles and doubles draws for each age division, click the links below:

— USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships
— USTA Boys’ 16s & 18s National Championships
— USTA Girls’ 14s National Championships
— USTA Boys’ 14s & 12s National Championships
— USTA Girls’ 12s National Championships