Two of the top five seeds in 18s were eliminated on Tuesday, but all five in 16s advanced to Wednesday’s Round of 16 in straight sets. Bjorn Fratangelo, Pittsburgh, Pa., who is seeded fourth in boys’ 18s, lost the first set, 6-0, then retired with an injury at 3-1 in the second, giving Clay Thompson (31), Venice Beach, Calif., the win. “I’ve been hearing that he’d been struggling with his back all tournament,” said Thompson. “He won Easter Bowl, Clay Courts; I don’t know how he plays so much tennis. “I was expecting him to be a little tired, for sure, but not really injured. I guess I was kinda fortunate because he’s such a great player. It’s too bad for it to end like that because I really wanted to play him again because last time we had a great match.” The other upset was Marcos Giron (25), Thousand Oaks, Calif., over fifth-seeded Sekou Coker Bangoura (5), Bradenton, Fla., 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-5. In the other 18s matches, Jordan Cox (1), Bradenton, Fla., defeated Mousheg Hovhannisyan (17), North Hollywood, Calif., 6-2, 6-2, and Denis Kudla (2), Arlington, Va., beat local favorite, Greg Andrews (30), Richland, Mich., 7-6(1), 6-3. “I thought it was a pretty tough match,” said Kudla. “I felt like I was really relying on my fitness. I had to play every single point and every point was pretty long. I definitely tried to stay in there as long as I could. “That’s exactly what I did and I was fortunate to win.” Jack Sock (3), Lincoln, Neb., defeated unseeded Zachary Leslie, San Diego, 7-5, 6-1. In 16s, Shane Vinsant (1), Keller, Texas, defeated John Harrison Richmond (18), Pawleys Island, S.C., 6-2, 6-1; Mitchell Krueger (2), Aledo, Texas, beat Mac Styslinger (31), Birmingham, Ala., 6-2, 6-2; and Nolan Paige (3), Fairfield, Conn., won over Harrison Adams (19), New Braunfels, Texas, 7-5, 7-5. Michael Redlicki (4), Hawthorn Woods, Ill., defeated Nicholas Hu (30), Palo Alto, Calif., 6-4, 6-2. “After having a successful Clay Court, I was hoping to be a higher seed because I was No. 2 in the country afterwards,” said Redlicki. “But seeding doesn’t really matter. It matters on who comes out more prepared for a match. “I could have easily lost that match because the guy had the ability (to beat me) but I was just more ready, more focused.” Gordon Watson (5), Naples, Fla., defeated Eric Rubin (24), Lido Beach, N.Y., 6-4, 6-2.

Source: USTA Nationals Staff