Southern players and organizations are constantly making their mark in the world of tennis. Here's a list of recent awards, achievements and news in August 2017.
Kypson wins at the 'Zoo', to play US Open
Seventeen-year-old Patrick Kypson survived a tough test from Ohio State sophomore JJ Wolf Sunday to capture the boys' 18s singles title at the USTA National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Kypson (pictured above), from Greenville, N.C., battled for nearly four hours and came back from two-sets-to-one down to defeat Wolf, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the five-set final.
With the victory, Kypson earned a wild card to compete in the US Open men's singles draw. He also became the first player since Alex Bogomolov in 2001 to win both the 16s and 18s singles titles at Kalamazoo. Kypson won the Boys' 16s title in 2015.
Wolf received a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament for finishing runner-up. The 18-year-old from Cincinnati, who has been out of action since the NCAA Championships in May with a stress fracture in his foot, had an impressive run to the final, upsetting top-seeded Sam Riffice, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, in the quarterfinals.
Kypson joins Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Michael Chang, Donald Young and Jack Sock on the list of Kalamazoo champions. The 2017 Wimbledon boys' semifinalist, who is currently ranked No. 19 in the world junior rankings, has worked with Ivan Lendl over the past several years through USTA Player Development.
In doubles play, top seeds Vasil Kirkov of Tampa, Fla., and Danny Thomas of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, claimed a wild card into the men's doubles draw at the US Open by defeating Kypson and Oliver Crawford of Spartanburg, S.C., 7-6 (1), 6-2, in the boys' 18s doubles championship.
South Carolinians honored for sportsmanship
Avery Durham, of Hilton Head Island, SC, and Anna Ross, of Mt. Pleasant, SC, were given Sportsmanship Awards at the USTA National Doubles Championship. The tournament was played at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL. The girls competed in the 16s.