Seventh-seeded Alyssa Ahn of San Diego and 17th seeded Maya Iyengar of Paradise Valley, Ariz., will play Sunday for the singles title of the USTA Billie Jean Girls’ 18s National Championships.
Both won entertaining three-set semifinal matches on Saturday at Barnes Tennis Center.
Iyengar pulled off the upset of the day as she ousted second-seeded Julieta Pareja of Carlsbad 3-6, 6-4 7-6 (3) in two hours and 45 minutes before a large vocal crowd on Stadium Court.
After winning the first set, according to a tournament news release, Pareja, the number-one ranked junior in the world, took a 3-0 second-set lead and looked to be on her way to a straight-set victory.
However, the tide began to turn as Iyengar broke Pareja’s serve three times and won six of the next seven games to even the match at one set all.
Iyengar continued her high-level of play and dominated the third set, winning the first five games to establish a commanding 5-0 lead. Pareja was far from finished as she mounted a furious rally and won the next five games to even the deciding set at 5-5.
After the players exchanged service breaks, a third-set tiebreak would decide the outcome. At 3-3 in the tiebreaker, Iyengar swept the final four points to close out the match and advance to Sunday’s 18s singles championship.
In the other Girls’ 18s singles semifinal, Ahn hung on for a thrilling 6-1, 6-7 (1), 7-5 win in three hours over fifth-seeded Alexis Nguyen of El Dorado Hills before a large crowd on Court No. 10.
The final begins at 1 p.m. Sunday at 1 p.m.
Earlier in the day, 17th seeded Hannah Ayrault of Atlanta captured the Girls’ 16s singles title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over fourth-seeded Paige Wygodzki of Huntington, N.Y., in one-hour and 44 minutes on Stadium Court.
“It feels great. I’m overwhelmed. I wanted to win this tournament really, really bad. It’s been my main goal,” Ayrault said after the match.
Brooke Kwon, the 33rd seed from Diamond Bar finished with the USTA bronze ball as she edged 17th seeded Yilin Chen of San Diego 7-5, 7-6 (2) in the Girls’ 16s third-place singles match.
All Stadium Court matches on Sunday will be live-streamed on Cracked Racquets.
Nearly 400 of the top junior tennis players in the country, aged 16 and 18 and under, have competed at the national championships. In addition, wild cards for direct entry into the 2025 US Open will be awarded to the tournament’s top finishers.
Admission is free and there is no charge for parking at Barnes Tennis Center.
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