Mika Stojsavljevic is the U.S. Open Junior girls’ singles champion, becoming the first British player to win the tournament since Heather Watson in 2009.
Stojsavljevic beat No. 7 seed Wakana Sonobe 6-4, 6-4 with a hugely assured display.
She was backed by the power and accuracy of her first serve, winning 91 per cent of points played behind it, and bullying Sonobe, who she had previously beaten at last year’s Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior tournaments.
Stojsavljevic, 15, reached the final while dropping just one set. Her run included a victory over Emerson Jones of Australia, the No. 2 junior in the world, and she beat American Iva Jovic in three sets to reach the final.
Jovic, 16, shocked world No. 42 Magda Linette of Poland in the singles main draw, and came agonisingly close to knocking out Russian No. 29 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova as well. She also comfortably beat Stojsavljevic in their previous meeting in Florida, but the Briton held her nerve after Jovic recovered from losing the first set 6-0.
Stojsavljevic, born in Hammersmith, mainly developed as a player at Ealing Lawn Tennis Club in west London. She is coached by Katie O’Brien at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) National Tennis Academy in Loughborough.
GO DEEPER
The best up-and-coming women’s tennis players to watch in 2024 and beyond
(Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Jannik Sinner has had an interesting upbringing as far as his exploits in tennis are concerned. Early on in his childhood, the Italian star did a bit of skiing
American captain Bob Bryan has been ribbed by tennis fans for a selection gamble that backfired massively as Australia reached the Davis Cup semi-finals for the
Serena Williams and her sister, Venus Williams, burst onto the scene as teenagers-both being 14-year-old. Breaking numerous glass ceilings over the years, the t
WACO, Texas – Corey Craig claimed his first career ITA All-American honor by reaching the third round of the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship. The Semin