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 January 2018.
Chopra wins two at Winter Nationals as Southern has four champions
Marietta, GA's Keshav Chopra won the Boys' 16s singles and doubles crown at the 2017 USTA National Winter Championships, played at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL.
Chopra, seeded No. 8, didn't lose a set in singles and defeated Harsh Parikh 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
Seeded No. 5 in doubles, Chopra teamd with Coy Simon, of Charleston, SC, to down Scott Sculley, of Hilton Head Island, SC, and Matthew Mu of La Jolla, CA.
In the Boys' 18s doubles, Philip Jordan, of Spartanburg, SC, and Andres Martin, of Flowery Branch, GA, won the championship. They were seeded No. 11.
Lilov continues hot streak
Raleigh, NC's Victor Lilov won the Boys' 14s Junior Interational Bolton over American Evan Wen in the final 6-3, 0-6, 6-3. Libov, who was seeded seventh, plays under the Bulgarian flag.
Libov and Wen, seeded second, reached the doubles final but lost to the top seeds.
Min Advances to Dayton Beach final
Former Atlanta metro area native Grace Min reached the final of the DME Sports Women's Pro Tennis Championships but fell in three sets to win Anhelina Kalinina, 20, of Ukraine.
Min, 23, talked about her play in the $25k event in Daytona Beach, FL.
“I played about as well as I could in the first set, mixing up my shots, coming in when I needed to and playing aggressively,” said Min. “In the second set, she (Kalinina) really raised her level and we had a really tight second set and then she ran away with the third. But, I am happy to have five really solid matches in (this week). I played some of my best tennis in the first set and hopefully I can replicate that for a longer period of time and for a full match as I continue in the season. This was a tough week with the conditions, so I know I don’t have to play under the perfect conditions and I can find a way (to win).”