Four New Yorkers Accepted Into U.S. Open Junior Main Draw

Three New York-area girls have been invited to compete in the U.S. Open Junior Championships main draw, set for Sept. 1-8 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., including 18-year-old Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y. who trains at the John McEnroe Training Academy; and two 17-year-olds, Katrine Isabel Steffensen of Scarsdale, N.Y. and Louisa Chirico of Harrison, N.Y., the 2013 Wimbledon and French Open junior semifinalist who trains at the home of the U.S. Open at the USTA Training Center–East. In May, Loeb advanced to the second round of the 2013 French Open Junior Championships at Roland Garros.

Also accepted into the main draw on the boys side is 17-year-old Noah Rubin of Rockville Centre, N.Y. who will return for his second U.S. Open Junior Main Draw appearance. Rubin, who trains at the John McEnroe Training Academy, advanced to the third round of the 2013 French Open Boy’s Junior event in May. 

Former world number one junior Taylor Townsend of Chicago and 15-year-old Stefan Kozlov of Pembroke Pines, Fla., the youngest player in the top 20 of the world junior rankings, were also accepted to play in the U.S. Open Junior Championships. Townsend, currently ranked number five in the world junior rankings, will play in her third junior Grand Slam in 2013 after reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the French Open. She made history in 2012 by finishing the year as the world’s top-ranked junior–the first American girl to hold that distinction in 30 years–before turning pro this year. Kozlov reached the junior quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Kozlov played his first ATP-level main draw match in July in Newport, R.I., pushing then-number 113 Michal Przysiezny to three sets, nearly winning in a second-set tiebreak.

Overall, the girls’ field features 19 of the top 20 juniors in the world, including top-ranked Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who won both junior singles titles at Wimbledon–where she defeated Townsend in the finals–and at the French Open. The boys field features 16 of the top 20 juniors in the world, including 2013 Wimbledon junior champion Gianluigi Quinzi of Italy and French Open junior champion Christian Garin of Chile.

Previous U.S. Open girls champions include Coco Vandeweghe (2008), Victoria Azarenka (2005), Marion Bartoli (2001), Lindsay Davenport (1992), Jennifer Capriati (1989) and Zina Garrison (1981). Past U.S. Open boys champions include Jack Sock (2010), Andy Murray (2004), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2003), Andy Roddick (2000), Stefan Edberg (1983) and Pat Cash (1982).