New York’s Rubin Captures Junior Wimbledon Championship

July 7, 2014 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Long Island, N.Y.'s Noah Rubin defeated the sixth-seeded Stefan Kozlov in three tough sets that lasted over two hours 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to win the Boys Junior Wimbledon Championship on Sunday. The 18-year-old Rubin came to Wimbledon having played just one other junior event this season, the Junior French Open, as he had been playing Challengers and Futures. Due to the lack of junior tournaments this year, he was forced to qualify to earn a spot in the main draw of the Wimbledon Juniors. He took the challenge and breezed through qualifiers and then battled through the main draw en-route to eight total victories and the 2014 Junior Wimbledon Championship.

It was only the second-ever all-American boys’ final at Wimbledon and the first since 1977 when Van Winnitsky defeated Eliot Teltscher, with Rubin becoming the first American to win the title since 2007 when Donald Young hoisted the championship. Three of the junior boys semifinalists at Wimbledon were American, including 16-year-old Taylor Fritz of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.—the first such occurrence at a Grand Slam since the 2000 U.S. Open when Andy Roddick, Robby Ginepri and Ytai Abougzir were all in the final three.

The match featured a great deal of long baseline rallies, as both players prefer to play from the baseline and the long rallies fit both Rubin’s and Kozlov’s style of play.

“I didn't expect the court to be that packed,” said Rubin. “I actually thought nobody was going to come out to the match, but that was not the case. They were all very enthusiastic to be out there. Kind of got the crowd into it a little bit. The atmosphere out there was unbelievable.”

To open the first set, Rubin and Kozlov traded breaks, then holds, but Rubin broke again for a 3-2 lead and held serve the rest of the set to take the first 6-4.

Kozlov broke serve early in the second set for a 2-0 lead, but Rubin showed his heart as he won 12 of the next 13 points, including two breaks of serve, to go up 3-2. Kozlov, who at 16 is two years younger than Rubin, didn’t go away easily though. He broke back to even the second set at 3-3, and then up 5-4, he broke Rubin again as Rubin missed two backhands to give Kozlov both the break and the set.

"Noah did a phenomenal job of maintaining his focus and keeping his compete level high from the first match in the qualifiers to the finals against Kozlov,” said Lawrence Kleger, Noah's coach and director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. “That is what is required to win a Grand Slam, and I couldn't be any more proud of him."

The entire match was back and forth throughout, and at 3-3 in the deciding set, the championship was there for the taking. To Rubin's credit, he stepped up and took it. He broke Kozlov and then held serve to go up 5-3. One more break finished it off for Rubin and allowed the 18-year-old, who has grown up on Long Island and trains at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, to hoist the Wimbledon Trophy on Court 1 of the All-England Club.

As the two friends embraced at the net, friendship and emotion was obvious. Rubin and Kozlov are travel partners who have been friends for years. After the match, they remained on the court, graciously acknowledging each other and holding up an American flag.

With the win, Rubin becomes the first American to win a Grand Slam junior singles title in over four years, since Jack Sock defeated Denis Kudla at the 2010 U.S. Open, which also was the last all-American Grand Slam boys final. The runner-up Kozlov was playing in his second junior Grand Slam final of the year, the first being the Australian Open.

"This week and a half showed Noah to be the champion he always was and what I always believed him to be,” said Noah's father and coach Eric Rubin. “Coming through two rounds of qualifying as well as the main draw on a surface like grass that he's the least familiar with was beyond exceptional. It was truly magical. To witness such a feat, courtside, as both his dad and coach, is an honor. I'm beyond proud of him. I'm speechless. He is truly an amazing person."

USTA Player Development General Manager Patrick McEnroe added, “We couldn’t be happier for Noah, and we are incredibly proud of him, Stefan and Taylor for what they accomplished this week. To have an all-American boys’ final and three of the four semifinalists be American, as well, is a testament to the dedication and hard work put in by themselves, their coaches and their families, and they all deserve congratulations.”

 

 

 

 

Noah Rubin fields questions during his post-match press conference at Wimbledon

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Boys Wimbledon Junior Champ Noah Rubin and runner-up Stefan Kozlov at the All-England Tennis Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long Island's Noah Rubin hoists the 2014 Wimbledon Boys Junior Championship 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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