January’s Standouts in American Tennis: Rising Juniors, Collegiate Shifts, and Pro Circuit Breakthroughs
The first month of the tennis calendar is always a whirlwind, and January 2026 didn’t disappoint. From the junior ranks to the college courts and the pro tour, American players made their presence felt across the globe.
Whether it was a 14-year-old qualifier making waves in South America or seismic shifts in the college rankings, there was no shortage of storylines to track. Here’s a deep dive into the top performances and key developments from the past month.
Junior Tennis: Kathryn Cragg Makes Her Presence Known
At just 14 years old, Kathryn Cragg is already turning heads. Competing at the ITF J300 in Salinas, Ecuador, Cragg came in as a qualifier and promptly took down the tournament’s top seed, Sofia Meabe of Argentina, in a gritty 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback. That win earned her a spot in the quarterfinals and marked one of the standout junior performances of the month.
Cragg also qualified for the J300 in Colombia the week prior, where she again faced the top seed early-this time falling to Welles Newman 6-3, 6-0 in the second round. Still, back-to-back main draws and a top-seed upset are impressive feats for a player her age.
She’s not alone in representing the U.S. well in Ecuador. Five American girls reached the quarterfinals, including No. 7 seed Sarah Ye and No. 3 seed Janae Preston, who’s set to face fellow American Lani Chang. No. 6 seed Yael Saffar will take on No. 2 seed Pietra Rivoli of Brazil, who’s fresh off a straight-set win over last week’s J300 Colombia champion, Olivia Traynor.
On the boys’ side, unseeded Navneet Raghuram made noise by steamrolling No. 4 seed Dan Brand 6-1, 6-1 to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals. Top seed Michael Antonius also advanced, though his second-round score has yet to be posted.
College Tennis: New Faces at the Top of the Rankings
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its first Division I singles and doubles rankings of 2026, and there’s a new No. 1 in men’s singles: SMU’s Trevor Svajda. Svajda climbs past Columbia’s Michael Zheng, the two-time defending NCAA singles champion. While Zheng bested Svajda in the November final, he’s played sparingly since then, opening the door for Svajda to take over the top spot.
The men’s team rankings also saw a shake-up. Virginia now sits atop the Coaches Poll, jumping past Wake Forest after the Demon Deacons were handed a loss by Ohio State.
The Buckeyes, who received five first-place votes to Virginia’s seven, now sit second. Wake Forest drops to third.
Men’s Division I Team Top 10 (Feb. 4, 2026):
- Virginia [7 first-place votes]
- Ohio State [5]
- Wake Forest [1]
- Stanford
- TCU
- Mississippi State
- Texas
- Texas A&M
- Central Florida
- Oklahoma
Men’s Division I Singles Top 10: 1.
Trevor Svajda, SMU
2.
Dylan Dietrich, Virginia
3.
Michael Zheng, Columbia
4.
Jay Friend, Arizona
5.
Duncan Chan, TCU
6.
Petar Jovanovic, Mississippi State
7.
Paul Inchauspe, Princeton
8.
Max Dahlin, Michigan
9.
Matthew Forbes, Michigan State
10.
Sebastian Gorzny, Texas
Men’s Division I Doubles Top 5: 1.
Brandon Carpico / Nikita Filin, Ohio State
2.
Mans Dahlberg / Dylan Dietrich, Virginia
3.
DK Suresh / Andrew Delgado, Wake Forest
4.
Manfredi Graziani / Aaron Sandler, Penn
5.
Max Dahlin / Bjorn Swenson, Michigan
On the women’s side, Reese Brantmeier of North Carolina holds firm at No. 1 in singles, despite the trend of NCAA finalists occupying top spots elsewhere. Brantmeier continues to be a force, anchoring UNC’s lineup with consistency and poise.
In doubles, Oklahoma’s Roisin Gilheany and Gloriana Nahum leap to No. 1 after their NCAA semifinal run, edging out the NCAA champion duo of Tori Osuigwe and Gabby Broadfoot from NC State, who now sit second.
Women’s Division I Singles Top 10: 1.
Reese Brantmeier, North Carolina
2.
Carmen Herea, Texas
3.
Luciana Perry, Ohio State
4.
Aysegul Mert, Georgia
5.
Valerie Glozman, Stanford
6.
Savannah Dada-Mascoll, Appalachian State
7.
Ange Oby Kajuru, North Carolina
8.
Emily Welker, Ole Miss
9.
Piper Charney, Michigan
10.
Berta Passola Folch, Cal
Women’s Division I Doubles Top 5: 1.
Roisin Gilheany / Gloriana Nahum, Oklahoma
2.
Gabriella Broadfoot / Victoria Osuigwe, NC State
3.
Sophia Webster / Celia-Belle Mohr, Vanderbilt
4.
Melodie Collard / Vivian Yang, Virginia
5.
Ange Oby Kajuru / Susanna Maltby, North Carolina
Pro Circuit: Teenagers Breaking Through
The USTA Pro Circuit saw a pair of 16-year-olds take big steps in their development this month. Jerrid Gaines Jr. earned his first ATP point at the M15 in Palm Coast, Florida, taking down No. 8 seed and former Ole Miss standout John Hallquist Lithen 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Gaines had qualified for two M15s previously-one in November and another just last week in Naples-but this marked his first main draw win. A milestone moment for the young American.
Andy Johnson, also 16, joined Gaines in the second round after a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Argentina’s Fernando Cavallo.
Meanwhile, over at the W50 in Orlando, Stanford freshman Monika Ekstrand made a splash of her own. The 18-year-old wildcard stunned top seed Whitney Osuigwe in a pair of tiebreak sets, winning 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in a two-and-a-half-hour battle.
Osuigwe, ranked No. 152 in the world, came in as the favorite, but Ekstrand-currently ranked No. 355-showed poise beyond her years to pull off the upset. Half of the seeded players in Orlando were bounced in the opening round, and Ekstrand’s win was among the most impressive.
Final Thoughts
From the junior circuit to college courts and the pro tour, January was a showcase of American tennis talent across the board. Whether it’s a middle schooler making waves in Ecuador, a college star climbing to No. 1, or a teenager earning their first ATP point, these are the kinds of performances that shape the future of the sport. If this month is any indication, the pipeline is strong-and the next generation is already making their move.