The ITF J300 in Salinas, Ecuador is heating up, and American juniors are making their presence felt in a big way. With three U.S. girls and two U.S. boys still in the hunt for singles titles, it’s been a strong showing for Team USA as the tournament heads into the semifinals.
Antonius Keeps Rolling, Sets Up Familiar Clash
Top seed Michael Antonius continues to ride a wave of momentum. After sweeping both the singles and doubles titles last week at the J300 in Colombia, Antonius was tested in the quarterfinals but found a way through.
He dropped the first set to Japan’s Koki Nara before regrouping for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win. That sets up a rematch with Canadian No. 3 seed Xavier Massotte - the same opponent Antonius dismantled 6-3, 6-0 just a week ago.
Massotte earned his spot in the semis with a gritty 6-4, 7-5 win over Germany’s Christopher Thies. It’s a matchup with some recent history and a lot of intrigue. Can Antonius repeat his dominant performance, or will Massotte flip the script this time around?
On the other side of the draw, unseeded American Navneet Raghuram is putting together a breakout run. He rallied from a rough opening set to defeat Japan’s Takahiro Kawaguchi 1-6, 6-0, 6-4 and reach his first J300 semifinal. He’ll now take on Ecuador’s own Lucas Yunez, the No. 8 seed, who pulled off a notable upset over No. 2 seed Mathys Domenc of France, 7-6(6), 6-1.
Saffar, Preston Set Up All-American Semifinal
In the girls’ draw, the U.S. is guaranteed at least one finalist. No. 6 seed Yael Saffar delivered a statement win, taking down Brazil’s No. 2 seed Pietra Rivoli 6-3, 6-1. Saffar will now face fellow American Janae Preston, the No. 3 seed, who dispatched Lani Chang 6-3, 6-2.
Preston skipped last week’s J300 in Colombia but is fresh off a title run in Costa Rica. She’s playing with confidence and purpose - and now runs into a red-hot Saffar in what should be a high-quality semifinal.
The only thing standing in the way of an all-American final is Slovakia’s Sona Depesova. She edged past qualifier Kathryn Cragg in a three-set thriller, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), and will now face No. 7 seed Sarah Ye. Ye handled her business against Great Britain’s Daniella Britton, winning 7-5, 6-4.
Doubles Title Defense in Sight
Antonius and Kawaguchi, the No. 2 seeds in doubles, are one win away from back-to-back titles. They’ll play for another trophy on Friday, looking to keep their partnership rolling.
Gaines Jr. Keeps Climbing in Palm Coast
Over in Florida, 16-year-old Jerrid Gaines Jr. is making headlines of his own. After earning his first ATP point earlier in the week, Gaines kept the momentum going with a 6-3, 6-3 win over France’s Charles Bertimon (VCU) to reach the quarterfinals of the M15 in Palm Coast. Next up: Argentina’s Fermin Tenti, an unseeded but dangerous opponent.
Gaines isn’t the only American still alive in the draw. Top seed Andrew Fenty (Michigan) and Ryan Colby (USC, Georgia) have also advanced to the quarterfinals. Andy Johnson, however, saw his run end at the hands of No. 5 seed Ignacio Monzon of Argentina, 6-2, 6-1.
W50 Orlando: College Stars and Pros Collide
The W50 in Orlando has been full of surprises, with just two seeds left standing heading into the quarterfinals - and a strong mix of college talent and pro veterans making deep runs.
Qualifier Sofia Cabezas (Iowa State, Tennessee) came back from a set down to beat Stanford freshman Monika Ekstrand 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. She’ll now face No. 5 seed Kayla Cross (LSU) of Canada.
Cross won’t be available for LSU’s team match against Tennessee, and neither will Tennessee’s Katrina Scott, who advanced to the quarters with a 6-3, 7-5 win over fellow American wild card Lea Ma (Georgia). Scott will now take on qualifier Martina Capurro Taborda (Oklahoma) of Argentina.
Another marquee matchup will see former USC All-American Eryn Cayetano take on former Cal standout Haley Giavara. Cayetano scored a big win over No. 2 seed Maria Carle (Georgia) of Argentina, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, while Giavara beat Japan’s Ena Koike 7-5, 6-2.
The final quarterfinal is an all-American battle between No. 7 seed Mary Stoiana (Texas A&M) and Kayla Day.
Cleveland Challenger: American Surge Continues
The ATP Challenger 75 in Cleveland has been a showcase for American men’s tennis. Seven of the eight quarterfinalists are from the U.S., including three qualifiers.
Daniel Milavsky (Harvard) will take on Joshua Sheehy (Abilene Christian), who’s playing in his first Challenger quarterfinal. Another qualifier, Quinn Vandecasteele (Oregon), will face Croatia’s Borno Gojo (Wake Forest). Meanwhile, No. 7 seed Stefan Kozlov is set to battle Keegan Smith (UCLA).
Defending champion Colton Smith (Arizona), the No. 2 seed, is still alive and will face qualifier Stefan Dostanic (USC, Wake Forest) in a rematch from last year’s second round. Smith won that one 6-4, 6-4, and had to dig deep in his opener this week, saving a match point in a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Cannon Kingsley (Ohio State).
UTR Pro Tennis Tour: Early Season Results
The UTR Pro Tennis Tour wrapped up its first month of 2026 with tournaments across the country. Here’s a look at the winners from the men’s and women’s events:
Men’s Champions:
- Knoxville, TN (Dec 27): Aleksa Ciric def.
Asahi Harazaki 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
- Waco, TX (Dec 29): Cooper Woestendick def.
Chad Kissell 6-3, 6-3
- Athens, GA (Jan 4): Noah Johnston def.
Sacha Palta 7-5, 7-6(4)
- Newport Beach, CA (Jan 5): Maciej Rajski def.
Hugo Hashimoto 6-2, 6-4
- South Bend, IN (Jan 5): Sebastian Dominko def.
Perry Gregg 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-5
- Stillwater, OK (Jan 12): Nicolas Kobelt def.
Charlie Valentine 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
- Philadelphia, PA (Jan 12): Aram Noroozian def.
Benjamin George 6-4, 6-3
- Chapel Hill, NC (Jan 12): Roan Jones def.
Ian Mayew 5-7, 7-6(7), 6-2
- Bonita Springs, FL (Jan 19): Tomas Compagnucci def.
Joao Vitor Goncalves Ceolin 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)
- Newport Beach, CA (Jan 19): Maciej Rajski def.
Rishvanth Krishna 6-3, 6-0
- Newport Beach, CA (Jan 26): Hugo Hashimoto def.
George Hakopian 6-0, 3-0 ret.
Women’s Champions:
- Boca Raton, FL (Dec 28): Ekaterina Khayrutdinova def.
Ema Burgic 6-1, ret.
- Waco, TX (Dec 29): Dalayna Hewitt def.
Alina Shcherbinina 6-0, 6-3
- Athens, GA (Jan 5): Aysegul Mert def.
Deniz Dilek 6-3, 6-4
- Newport Beach, CA (Jan 5): Hanna Chang def.
Veronika Miroshnichenko 7-5, 6-2
- South Bend, IN (Jan 5): Bianca Molnar def.
Ellie Coleman 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
- Stillwater, OK (Jan 12): Alina Shcherbinina def.
Martina Okalova 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
- Boca Raton, FL (Jan 12): Katerina Mandelikova def.
Victoria Bervid 6-1, 6-2
- Newport Beach, CA (Jan 19): Veron