Tournament Summary
Fritz Tops Paul to Earn US Open Boys Title; Galfi Defeats Kenin to Claim Girls Championship
by
Colette Lewis, 18 September 2015
Share: | |
| | |
|
|
Top seed Taylor Fritz came through in his last opportunity to win a junior slam in yet another boys major dominated by Americans, while No. 2 seed Dalma Galfi of Hungary became the first from her country to take home the winner's trophy at the US Open Junior Championships last week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The tournament began with excellent weather, but by the second round, record heat and suffocating humidity had reappeared in New York. By the end of the tournament, rain was a factor, with both doubles finals and the boys singles final experiencing significant delays.
Fritz emerged from his rain-interrupted final with a 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory over No. 5 seed Tommy Paul, avenging his loss to Paul in the French Open boys final back in June.
Fritz had breezed through the draw, winning his first five matches in straight sets, while Paul had survived two close calls: against 15-year-old Canadian phenom Felix Auger Aliassime 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a highly anticipated second round match, and against No. 4 seed Seong-chan Hong of Korea in the quarterfinals, where he saved a match point in the second set of his 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory.
Neither had any difficulty in the semifinals, with Paul defeating qualifier Alex De Minaur of Australia, who had upset No. 2 seed Michael Mmoh in the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-0, and Fritz powering past No. 11 seed Yunseong Chung of Korea 6-2, 6-3, hitting at least five serves over 130 mph on the Court 17 radar clock, including one at 138.
When the final began on Sunday afternoon, also on Court 17, Fritz picked up where he had left off, building a 6-2, 3-1 lead over Paul before rain caused a three-hour delay.
When play resumed under the lights, with the men's final just beginning on Arthur Ashe, Fritz no longer had the advantage his serve had provided him earlier.
After Paul saved a match point serving at 3-5 down in the second set, he completely eliminated his unforced errors and no amount of pace from Fritz, who prides himself on ending points quickly, could rattle him.
Fritz only got two of eight first serves in when serving for the match at 6-2, 5-4, and Paul was too steady in the long rallies that followed Fritz's second serves.