[MONTREAL, QC] August 12, 2024 – Canada’s top young tennis talents spent last week competing at the U18 Fischer Outdoor Junior Nationals at the Ontario Racquet Club (ORC), with champions crowned over the weekend.
The girls’ event saw top-seeded Scarlett Nicholson (ON) claim the national title after defeating three seeded players on her way to the trophy. In the final, Nicholson secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 3 seed Brooke Feth (ON). Nicholson won all her matches in straight sets, with her toughest challenge being the semi-final, which she won 6-4, 6-3. This marks Nicholson’s third singles national title, having previously won the U14 championships in 2019 and the U12 in 2018. No. 5-seeded Lily Rochon, also from Ontario, finished third, losing to the eventual champion in the semi-finals. Meghna Anand from Nova Scotia also stood out by finishing in fifth place, losing only one singles match throughout the tournament.
In doubles, Amy Lu and Katherine Zhang clinched the title in a decisive tiebreaker. Both from Ontario, they took advantage of a victory by withdrawal against the top seeds, then won the final 2-6, 6-4, 10-6 against a Quebec pairing, No. 2 seeds Clémence Mercier and Neda Rahimkhan. The runners up were aiming for their second title together, after winning the U16 indoor doubles championship in 2023.
Meanwhile, top-seeded Mikael Arsenault from Ontario dominated the boys’ division. He won all his matches in straight sets, conceding no more than five games until the final, where he lost one set in a tiebreak but won the other two 6-1, 6-2 against fellow Ontarian Eric Crivei. The champion secured his third singles title at the Canadian junior championships, following his win in the U12 indoors and outdoors championships in 2019. Alberta’s second-seeded Adam Farag Cao, also an NTC athlete, took third place, losing to finalist Eric Crivei in the semi-finals. The consolation final was won by Ontarian Praneel Pichika, who had only one singles loss during his run.
In doubles, Ontario brothers Lucas and Zackary Kimelman captured the title with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory in the final, despite being unseeded in the tournament, against the No. 3 seeds Benjamin Azar and Brayden William, also from Ontario.
Next week, the Canadian U12 championships will be held in Laval at the Carrefour Multisports, while the U16 championships will take place in Toronto at the Granite Club. The Canadian U14 championships will be held the following week in Laval, at the Carrefour Multisports.
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth, development and promotion of tennis in Canada and a vision to be a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier National Bank Open presented by Rogers WTA and ATP Tour events, four professional ATP and ITF sanctioned events and financially supports four other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our website at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
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