SoCal Juniors Rack Up Wins at May
USTA National Events

May has been nothing short of electric for USTA Southern California’s junior tennis players, who rose to the occasion and delivered standout performances on the national stage with poise, power, and passion. From Anaheim and Long Beach to Las Vegas, San Antonio, Surprise, Grand Rapids, Orinda, and beyond, SoCal juniors brought their A-game to Level 3 (L3) and Level 2 (L2) USTA National tournaments—two of the most competitive tiers on the junior circuit. Their grit, skill, and competitive fire lit up courts across the country.

Whether battling it out close to home in California, or making their mark in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Michigan, Virginia, or Oklahoma, Southern California athletes proved they belong among the nation’s best. These events weren’t just tournaments, they were critical stepping stones in the junior development journey, offering national exposure, top-tier match play, and all-important ranking points. And through it all, Team SoCal proudly represented the strength, depth, and spirit of the section.

Level 3 National Tournaments (May 3-5)

National tennis Month opened with a flurry of high-caliber matches as Level 3 events kicked off May 3-5 across the United States. Each L3 site featured a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw. Team SoCal made a commanding statement with an impressive haul: 11 titles (5 in singles and 6 in doubles), 12 runner-ups (7 in singles and 5 in doubles), and 13 third place finishes (7 in singles and 6 in doubles).

In San Antonio, West Hills’ Indra Vergne proved why he was recently chosen to represent Team USA at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals. The No. 1 seed swept the Boys’ 14s singles title with dominant performances following a first-round tiebreak, culminating in a 6-2, 6-1 victory in the final over Rewk Nagel. Teaming up with Texas’ Jason Zhao, Vergne also clinched the doubles crown, defeating Nagel and partner Levi Blumrosen in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown.

Irvine’s Charlotte Kim added to SoCal’s momentum by reaching the Girls’ 14s singles final in the same tournament, further spotlighting the region’s depth of talent in San Antonio.

The Boys’ 16s emerged as the leading force for SoCal, with a stunning sweep of titles across key locations. At Anaheim Tennis Center, under tournament director Mike Nelson, SoCal stars took center stage. Zhiyu Yuan of Chino Hills claimed the singles title as the No. 5 seed in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 over fellow SoCal standout Nile Ung of Del Mar in a highly anticipated final. Yuan also reached the doubles semifinals with Culver City’s Takuto Goh as the No. 3 seeds.

Meanwhile, Paxton Au of Manhattan Beach and La Crescenta’s Jaidyn Finley, the No. 1 doubles seeds, delivered a dominant 8-3 victory in the final to take the championship. Au also posted a strong fifth-place finish in singles, rounding out a standout weekend.

In Las Vegas, Ian Sweeny of La Jolla provided one of the most dramatic runs of the tournament held at Darling Memorial Tennis Center. The No. 5 seed captured the singles crown after a heart-pounding 6-2, 4-6, [10-5] victory over Karam Dhawan, his third match of the tournament decided by a tiebreaker. In doubles, Brea’s Advaith Surabhi and Irvine’s Kaiden Somaratne earned a runner-up finish, further adding to SoCal’s dominance in the Boys’ 16s division.

Las Vegas also played host to fierce competition in the Girls’ 14s, where top-seeded Cissy Loretta Adams of Agoura Hills advanced to the final before narrowly falling in a third-set breaker. In the battle for third, Whittier’s Gwyneth Britton edged La Jolla’s Andrea Jakovljevic in another nail-biter, 5-7, 6-1, [10-8]. What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas! These SoCal standouts made sure their impressive performances came home with them.

In doubles, La Jolla’s Alanna Sweeney and Calabasas’ Lyla Haiat fought their way to the final, ultimately finishing as runners-up to the top-seeded pair.

In the Girls’ 18s, Southern California talent took over the draw. Juny Huh of San Diego, the No. 8 seed, earned the singles title after defeating No. 5 seed and fellow SoCal standout Kingsley “Kiki” Wolf of Pacific Palisades in a competitive final. The doubles draw was even more SoCal-stacked. Cassie Blakey of Palos Verdes Estates and Stella Simpson-Morgan from Rolling Hills, the No. 2 seeds, clinched the doubles title with a tight 6-5 victory over Wolf and NorCal’s Kohana Darroch.

In the 3-4 doubles playoff, Fountain Valley’s Anna Cherico and Sage Bergeson, the No. 1 seeds, topped San Diego’s Elena Zhao and Ruby Hansen of Yorba Linda in an all-SoCal showdown, 6-3.

In the Boys’ 18s, Newport Coast’s Alexander Park partnered with NorCal’s George Santalov to take down the top seeds and secure the doubles championship. Meanwhile, Justin Yuan of Long Beach reached the singles final in Tucson before falling to Zachary Cohen in straight sets.

Among the younger age groups, San Diego’s Daniel Gardality and Lucas Celechovsky captured the Boys’ 14s doubles title, defeating Beverly Hills twins Behleu and Tifuh Fomukong. Behleu also placed third in singles, capping a strong weekend. Long Beach’s Kamden Harden pushed Lucas Celechovsky to the brink in one of the tournament’s most thrilling matches, 7-6(10), 2-6, [8-10].

William Zhou of Glendale stormed through the Boys’ 12s draw, winning the title in commanding fashion, 6-3, 6-1. On the girls’ side, Irvine’s Alara Buyukuncu partnered with Florida’s Mia Ingco to take the Girls’ 12s doubles championship.

In Tempe, Arizona at the Kiwanis Recreation Center, the Girls’ 16s draw featured a dominant SoCal showing. Yorba Linda’s Sophia Dumitrascu reached the final, with Irvine’s Katelyn John and La Jolla’s Savannah Schmitz right behind in third and fourth, respectively.

Across the board, SoCal athletes proved their mettle. From deep playoff runs to championship finishes, these junior stars not only earned valuable ranking points, but they also demonstrated why Southern California continues to be one of the strongest and most competitive sections in the country.

Below are the top Southern California finishers from the L3 weekend:

GIRLS 12s

– Lindy Zhou: Girls’ 12s Singles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Alara Buyukuncu: Girls’ 12s Singles 5th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Lucy Jiang: Girls’ 12s Singles 6th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Alara Buyukuncu/Mia Ingco (Florida): Girls’ 12s Doubles Champions: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Lucy Jiang/Lindy Zhou: Girls’ 12s Doubles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV

GIRLS 14s

– Cissy Loretta Adams: Girls’ 14s Singles Finalist: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Charlotte Kim: Girls’ 14s Singles Finalist: L3 San Antonio, TX
– Gwyneth Britton: Girls’ 14s Singles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Andrea Jakovljevic: Girls’ 14s Singles 4th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Kareena Cross: Girls’ 14s Singles 5th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Alanna Sweeney/Lyla Haiat: Girls’ 14s Doubles Finalists: L3 Las Vegas, NV

GIRLS 16s

– Sophia Dumitrascu: Girls’ 16s Singles Finalist: L3 Tempe, AZ
– Katelyn John: Girls’ 16s Singles 3rd Place: L3 Tempe, AZ
– Savannah Schmitz: Girls’ 16s Singles 4th place: L3 Tempe, AZ
– Surabhi Raghavendra: Girls’ 16s Singles 5th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Kiana Huerta/Elly York (Southwest): Girls’ 16s Doubles Finalists: L3 Tempe, AZ
– Isidora Jelicic/Amara Ama (NorCal): Girls’ 16s Doubles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Amy Duong/Damahria Clark: Girls’ 16s Doubles 4th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV

GIRLS 18s

– Juny Huh: Girls’ 18s Singles Champion: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Kingsley “Kiki” Wolf: Girls’ 18s Singles Finalist: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Tanvi Pandey: Girls’ 18s Singles 5th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Ania Zabost: Girls’ 18s Singles 5th place: L3 Tucson, AZ
– Anna Cherico: Girls’ 18s Singles 6th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Cassie Blakey/Stella Simpson-Morgan: Girls’ 18s Doubles Champions: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Kingsley “Kiki” Wolf/Kohana Darroch (NorCal): Girls’ 18s Doubles Finalists: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Anna Cherico/Sage Bergeson (Intermountain): Girls’ 18s Doubles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Ania Zabost/Lyric Wilson: Girls’ 18s Doubles 3rd place: L3 Tucson, AZ
– Elena Zhao/Ruby Hansen: Girls’ 18s Doubles 4th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV

BOYS 12s

– William Zhou: Boys’ 12s Singles Champion: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Fu-Lin Damon Ko: Boys’ 12s Singles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Reed Kuai: Boys’ 12s Singles 4th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Wylan Huang/Pavel Abadzhev: Boys’ 12s Doubles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Fu-Lin Damon Ko/Jesse Goldman (Southwest): Boys’ 12s Doubles 4th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV

BOYS 14s

– Indra Vergne: Boys’ 14s Singles Champion: L3 San Antonio, TX
– Kamden Harden: Boys’ 14s Singles Finalist: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Behleu Fomukong: Boys’ 14s Singles 3rd place L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Ryan Xu: Boys’ 14s Singles 6th place: L3 San Antonio, TX
– Daniel Gardality/Lucas Celechovsky (Intermountain): Boys’ 14s Doubles Champions: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Indra Vergne/Jason Zhao (Texas): Boys’ 14s Doubles Champions: L3 San Antonio, TX
– Behleu Fomukong/Tifuh Fomukong: Boys’ 14s Doubles Finalists: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Beau Bronson Foster/Kamden Harden: Boys’ 14s Doubles 4th place: L3 Las Vegas, NV

BOYS 16s

– Zhiyu Yuan: Boys’ 16s Singles Champion: L3 Anaheim, CA
– Ian Sweeney: Boys’ 16s Singles Champion: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Nile Ung: Boys’ 16s Singles Finalist: L3 Anaheim, CA
– Nikhil Bommaiah: Boys’ 16s Singles 3rd place: L3 Anaheim, CA
– Paxton Au: Boys’ 16s Singles 5th place: L3 Anaheim, CA
– Maximiliano Roca: Boys’ 16s Singles 6th place: L3 Anaheim, CA
– Paxton Au/Jaidyn Finley: Boys’ 16s Doubles Champions: L3 Anaheim, CA
– Advaith Surabhi/Kaiden Somaratne: Boys’ 16s Doubles Finalists: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Chance Rozpedski/Parker Hulse (PNW): Boys’ 16s Doubles 3rd place: L3 Anaheim, CA
– Kensho Ford/Keito Ishida (NorCal): Boys’ 16s Doubles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Zhiyu Yuan/Takuto Goh: Boys’ 16s Doubles 4th place: L3 Anaheim, CA

BOYS 18s

– Justin Yuan: Boys’ 18s Singles Finalist: L3 Tucson, AZ
– Aditya Pandey: Boys’ 18s Singles 3rd place: L3 Las Vegas, NV
– Alexander Park/George Santalov (NorCal): Boys’ 18s Doubles Champions: L3 Las Vegas, NV

Level 2 National Tournaments (May 18-20)

Just two weeks after their impressive showing at Level 3s, juniors from across Southern California kept the momentum rolling at the USTA Level 2 National Tournaments, held May 18–20. Once again, SoCal athletes delivered standout performances on courts across the country.

In Long Beach, matches took place at El Dorado Park Tennis Center under the leadership of Seal Beach-based tournament director Mitch Bridge. The 12s divisions were stacked with Southern California talent, and both singles finals featured all-SoCal matchups. Aliso Viejo’s Lyla Qian and Newport Beach’s Thomas Gamble captured the Girls’ and Boys’ 12s singles titles, respectively, while Cerritos’ Nicole Handjono and Tarzana’s Matthew Kolomeyer finished as runners-up. Gamble and Kolomeyer later joined forces to secure the Boys’ 12s doubles title, and Handjono teamed up with NorCal’s Savannah Hwang to take the Girls’ 12s doubles crown. Additional impressive doubles efforts came from Laguna Beach’s Kade Grover and Ojai’s Rio Faulkner, as well as Rancho Palos Verdes’ Lerong Yao and Kansas native Emma Graves, both pairs earning finalist honors.

Kiki Wolf continued her hot streak, taking the Girls’ 16s singles title at the Gainey Athletic Complex in Michigan and finishing as a doubles finalist.

Madeline “Mady” Cleary of Moorpark delivered a standout performance at the Edmond Center Court, advancing all the way to the finals in Edmond. In a thrilling championship match, she went toe-to-toe with No. 2 seed Enya Hamilton, ultimately falling just short in a nail-biting super tiebreaker, 6-3, 2-6, [8-10].

Despite the narrow loss, Madys strong showing throughout the tournament earned her enough points to rise to the No. 1 national ranking in the Girls’ 14s, a major milestone in her junior career. Her grit, composure, and consistency on court continue to shine on the national stage.

In Surprise, Arizona, Palos Verdes Estates native Christian Rohrberg edged out Los Angeles’ Kensho Ford in a thrilling Boys’ 14s singles final, 7-6(3), 4-6, [10-2]. Thousand Oaks’ James Borchard and Diamond Bar’s Andy Wu went the distance in doubles, capturing the Boys’ 14s title with an 8-4 victory in the final. Manhattan Beach’s Mia Sandbloom clinched the Girls’ 14s doubles title alongside her partner Gwyneth Britton and also earned a fifth-place finish in singles. Meanwhile, Indra Vergne impressed in Virginia Beach with third-place finishes in both singles and doubles.

Rounding out the SoCal highlights, Arcadia’s Peter Jorniak was a finalist in Boys’ 16s singles in Edmond, Oklahoma, and San Diego’s Darren Wei and Andrew Beceiro brought home the Boys’ 18s doubles championship in Orinda.

Below are the top Southern California finishers from the L2 weekend:

GIRLS 12s

– Lyla Qian: Girls’ 12s Singles Champion: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Nicole Handjono: Girls’ 12s Singles Finalist: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Cordelia Skye: Girls’ 12s Singles 4th place: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Lerong Yao: Girls’ 12s Singles 6th place: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Lindy Zhou: Girls’ 12s Singles Consolation Winner: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Nicole Handjono/Savannah Hwang (NorCal): Girls’ 12s Doubles Champions: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Lerong Yao/Emma Graves (Missouri Valley): Girls’ 12s Doubles Finalists: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Ryan Wilson/Nandika Singamala (Northern California): Girls’ 12s Doubles 4th place: L2 Long Beach, CA

GIRLS 14s

– Mia Sandbloom: Girls’ 14s Singles 5th place: L2 Surprise, AZ
– Mia Sandbloom/Gwyneth Britton: Girls’ 14s Doubles Champions: L2 Surprise, AZ
– Madelyne Naslund/Katelyn John: Girls’ 14s Doubles 4th place: L2 Surprise, AZ

GIRLS 16s

– Madeline “Mady” Cleary: Girls’ 16s Singles Finalist: L2 Grand Rapids, MI
– Kingsley “Kiki” Wolf: Girls’ 16s Singles Champion: L2 Edmond, OK
– Kingsley “Kiki” Wolf/Sylvana Jalbert (Mid-Atlantic): Girls’ 16s Doubles Finalists: L2 Grand Rapids, MI

GIRLS 18s

– Anya Arora: Girls’ 18s Singles 3rd place: Surprise, AZ

BOYS 12s

– Thomas Gamble: Boys’ 12s Singles Champion: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Matthew Kolomeyer: Boys’ 12s Singles Finalist: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Paolo Huerta: Boys’ 12s Singles 4th place: L2 Long Beach, CA
– William Zhou: Boys’ 12s Singles Consolation Winner: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Matthew Kolomeyer/Thomas Gamble: Boys’ 12s Doubles Champions: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Kade Grover/Rio Faulkner: Boys’ 12s Doubles Finalists: L2 Long Beach, CA
– Eli Villaroman/Luca Rodriguez: Boys’ 12s Doubles 3rd place: L2 Long Beach, CA

BOYS 14s

– Christian Rohrberg: Boys’ 14s Singles Champion: L2 Surprise, AZ
– Kensho Ford: Boys’ 14s Singles Finalist: L2 Surprise, AZ
– Ryan Valencia: Boys’ 14s Singles 4th place: L2 Surprise, AZ
– Indra Vergne: Boys’ 14s Singles 3rd place: L2 Virginia Beach, VA
– James Borchard/Andy Wu: Boys’ 14s Doubles Finalists: L2 Surprise, AZ
– Indra Vergne/Siddhant Dua (Southern): Boys’ 14s Doubles 3rd place: L2 Virginia Beach, VA
– Jasper Chen/Alexander Anderson (NorCal): Boys’ 14s Doubles 4th place: L2 Surprise, AZ

BOYS 16s

– Peter Jorniak: Boys’ 16s Singles Finalist: L2 Edmond, OK
– Aiden Zadeh: Boys’ 16s Singles 3rd place: L2 Edmond, OK

BOYS 18s

– Benjamin Berger: Boys’ 18s Singles 4th Place: L2 Orinda, CA
– David Wu: Boys’ 18s Singles 5th Place: L2 Orinda, CA
– Darren Wei/Andrew Beceiro: Boys’ 18s Doubles Champions: L2 Orinda, CA

* For players not from the USTA Southern California section, their USTA section is specified in parentheses in the results sections. 

Congratulations to all our SoCal juniors who competed with heart and excellence. With the USTA National Clay Court and Hard Court Championships fast approaching, SoCal’s junior stars are clearly peaking at the right time. Congratulations to all the players who represented Southern California with heart, hustle, and pride! Be sure to check back for more updates throughout the summer as tournament season heats up.