Local Duo Captures Girls 16s Winter National Title

January 6, 2016 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Local_Duo_Crop

The USTA Girls 16s Winter National Championships recently concluded in Scottsdale, Ariz., and a pair of New Yorkers captured the doubles title. The third seeded team of Brookyln, N.Y.’s Dasha Kourkina & Michelle Sorokko of Little Neck, N.Y. held on to defeat the second-seeded Texas duo of Samantha Gillas & Chelsea Kung, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1), to capture the Girls 16s Doubles title.

The National Winter Championships consisted of 128 singles players and 64 doubles teams in the 18s, 16s, 14s and 12s age divisions. They were played on outdoor hard courts at Scottsdale Ranch Park (18s and 16s) and the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz. (14s and 12s).

The USTA also announced that top young juniors Austen Huang of Elk Grove, Calif. and Jessica Failla of Ramona, Calif. won the USTA National Winter Championships Boys and Girls 18s Singles Titles in Scottsdale, Ariz., with each earning wild card entries into future USTA Pro Circuit events.

Huang, rated number four in December’s USTA Boys 16s national rankings and as the number 14 recruit in the Class of 2017 by TennisRecruiting.net, beat top-seeded and defending National Winter Champion William Genesen of Tulsa, Okla., 6-3, 0-6, 6-1. Failla, who is in her freshman season at USC, beat 12th-seeded Alyvia Jones, a 15-year-old from Midland, Mich., 6-3, 6-1.

Top-seeded Sara Choy and sixth seed Christian Alshon won the Girls and Boys 16s Singles Titles, respectively. Choy, a high school sophomore from Palo Alto, Calif., beat Hannah Zhao of San Diego, 6-4, 6-4, while Alshon, from Boca Raton, Fla., defeated top-seeded Carson Haskins of Ballwin, Mo., 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

A pair of sisters from Los Angeles swept the Girls 14s and 12s Singles Titles. Mae Canete won the Girls 14s Singles Title, beating Gabriella Price of Montebello, N.Y., 6-1, 6-4, while Christine Canete swept the Girls 12s Singles and Doubles Titles, beating her doubles partner–Katrina Scott of Woodland Hills., Calif.–in the singles final, 6-2, 6-2.

Ryder Jackson of Irvine, Calif. toppled Stefan Leustian of Mather, Calif., 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, to win the Boys 14s Singles Title. Nishesh Basavareddy of Carmel, Ind. won the Boys 12s Singles Championship by beating Samuel Landau of Los Angeles, 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-2. Laundau won the Boys 14s Doubles Title with Texan Andrew Chang.

Each year, more than 120,000 players compete in USTA junior tournaments. Players compete in levels of competition through earned advancement in the 10s, 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s age divisions. USTA junior tournaments help kids take their game as far as they want—high school, college or pros—or just have fun competing.

Finals results of the USTA National Winter Championships can be found below:

USTA Boys 18s Winter National Championships
Scottsdale, Ariz. ♦ Dec. 27, 2015-Jan. 2, 2016

►Singles: (8) Austen Huang, Elk Grove, Calif., d. (1) William Genesen, Tulsa, Okla., 6-3, 0-6, 6-1
►Doubles: (4) Billy Rowe, Coronado, Calif. / Keegan Smith, San Diego d. (8) Payam Ahmadi, Reston, Va. / David Horneffer, Brookfield, Wis., 6-4, 6-3

USTA Girls 18s Winter National Championships
Scottsdale, Ariz. 
♦ 
Dec. 27, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016
Singles: (9) Jessica Failla, Ramona, Calif., d. (12) Alyvia Jones, Midland, Mich., 6-3, 6-1
Doubles: (2) Ena Shibahara, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. / Annette Goulak, Oak Park, Ga. d., (1) Christina Rosca, Princeton, N.J. / Savannah Slaysman, Phoenix, 6-3, 6-1

USTA Boys 16s Winter National Championships
Scottsdale, Ariz. 
♦ Dec. 27, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016
Singles: (6) Christian Alshon, Boca Raton, Fla., d. (1) Carson Haskins, Ballwin, Mo., 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Doubles: (1) Zummy Bauer, Suwanee, Ga. / Andrew Ton, Milpitas, Calif., d. (8) Ryan Seggerman, Coronado, Calif. / Charlie Sharton, Wayland, Mass., 6-4, 7-5

USTA Girls 16s Winter National Championships
Scottsdale, Ariz. 
♦ 
Dec. 27, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016
Singles: (1) Sara Choy, Palo Alto, Calif., d. Hannah Zhao, San Diego, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles: (3) Dasha Kourkina, Brooklyn, N.Y. / Michelle Sorokko, Little Neck, N.Y., d. (2) Samantha Gillas, New Braunfels, Texas / Chelsea Kung, Fort Worth, Texas, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1)

USTA Boys 14s Winter National Championships
Tucson, Ariz. 
♦ Dec. 27, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016

Singles: (10) Ryder Jackson, Irvine, Calif., d. (1) Stefan Leustian, Mather, Calif., 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles: (4) Robert Cash, New Albany, Ohio / Joel Jose, New Albany, Ohio, d. Thomas Yu, Medina, Wash. / James Yu, Medina, Wash., 6-4, 6-4

USTA Girls’ 14s Winter National Championships
Tucson, Ariz. 
♦ 
Dec. 27, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016
Singles: (3) Mae Canete, Los Angeles, d. (4) Gabriella Price, Montebello, N.Y., 6-1, 6-4
Doubles: Amanda Chan, Pasadena, Calif. / Amy Huang, San Diego, d. (2) Gabriella Price, Montebello, N.Y. / Katie Volynets, Walnut Creek, Calif., 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

USTA Boys 12s Winter National Championships
Tucson, Ariz. 
♦ 
Dec. 27, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016
Singles: (3) Nishesh Basavareddy, Carmel, Ind., d. (1) Samuel Landau, Los Angeles, 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-2
Doubles: (3) Andrew Chang, Trophy Club, Texas / Samuel Landau, Los Angeles, d. (9) Hudson Rivera, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. / Andrew Salu, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., 6-0, 6-0

USTA Girls 12s Winter National Championships
Tucson, Ariz. 
♦ 
Dec. 27, 2015 – Jan. 2, 2016
Singles: (3) Christine Canete, Los Angeles, d. (2) Katrina Scott, Woodland Hills, Calif., 6-2, 6-2
Doubles: (2) Christine Canete, Los Angeles / Katrina Scott, Woodland Hills, Calif., d. (3) Zoe Hammond, Edmond, Okla. / Caroline Wernli, Austin, Texas, 6-2, 6-4


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
USTA NTC

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