2015 Review: American Teenagers (ATP)

This is a follow up to the 10 American Teenagers to Watch in 2015 (ATP).  So how did they do?  Continue reading to find out.
   

Jared Donaldson © LangTennis

Jared Donaldson 

Age: 19 (09 Oct 1996)
Height: 6-3

Plays: Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand)

2015 Year End ATP Ranking: 135

2014 Year End ATP Ranking: 260

Career High ATP Ranking: 133 (11/02/15)

2015 Highlights: The year of firsts for the lanky Rhode Island teenager.  Donaldson continued his momentum from 2014 and rose 125 spots to finish inside the ATP 150 for the first time.  He captured his first challenger title at the $50K Maui, won his first ATP tour level match at the Memphis Open, won his first masters match in Cincinnati and beating American veteran Tim Smyczek for the first time after losing three straight matches the year before.  Jared went 4-7 at the ATP tour level and 29-15 at the challenger level in 2015.

Winston-Salem Open Sunday Recap: Jared Donaldson vs Sam Groth

The 2015 Winston-Salem Open first round match between 18 year old American wildcard, Jared Donaldson, and World No.54 Sam Groth of Australia was a roller coaster ride.  The encounter lasted almost three hours with the big serving Aussie triumphing in three tiebreaks.

Evening match on Stadium Court

Some of my readers are aware that I have been following Donaldson's career for a long time since he was a 16 year old playing juniors in South America.  I have watched him countless times on the streams, but this was my first time witnessing his match in person.  Even though it was not the outcome I had hoped for, it was an entertaining battle filled with some great shot-making and theatrical moments.

ATP Winston-Salem Open: Saturday Part II

This is Part II of the Winston-Salem Open Saturday coverage.  ICYMI Part I.

Saw the beginning of Mischa Zverev and Sanam Singh match but didn't stay long because Court 5 had no place to sit (standing room only).  Per the qualifying draw, Mischa retired trailing 6-4 3-1.

Sanam Singh and Mischa Zverev getting ready for their match

Sanam Singh

ATP Winston-Salem Open Qualies - Saturday Part I

It has been a while since my last post, slacking I know.  Yesterday, I made my annual trip to the ATP 250 event in Winston-Salem.  If you recall, it is at the same facility as the Winston-Salem futures held earlier this summer.  But unlike the lower tournament, this event is much better organized, has bigger crowd and higher profile players. World No.11 and WC recipient, Gilles Simon of France is the top seed and 18 year old Croatian Borna Coric rounds out the Top 8 with an ATP ranking of 38.  The other three wildcards went to former World No.2 Tommy Haas of Germany, 2nd seed Kevin Anderson (RSA), and 18 year old American Jared Donaldson.  For full draw.

Map of the tournament

Qualifying Saturday is the best day of the tournament in my opinion.  Both Qualifying Round 1 and 2 are played on the same day so spectators get their money's worth.  However, because there are so many matches going on at the same time, five to be exact, it is tough to watch everything.  So I made a list of what I wanted to see beforehand.

February Rankings: Serena Claimed 19th Slam Title, New Career High For Keys and Donaldson

 ATP - Top 15 Americans

Notable Changes

•  Steve Johnson takes over the No. 2 spot from Sam Querrey.
• Jared Donaldson makes his debut on the Top 15 List at No. 15 with the aid of his maiden challenger title at the $50K Maui over fellow first-time American finalist Nicolas Meister (former UCLA Bruin).
• Ryan Harrison is back on the list at No. 11 with the Happy Valley Challenger title run.
• Alex Kuznetsov and Jarmere Jenkins are bumped off the list despite minimal changes from the January ATP rankings.

Decent Start to the 2015 American Campaign

Not a bad start to the new season from the American bunch highlighted by Venus Williams' victory in Auckland and the Hopman Final.  The ATP performance may not be as good as the WTA's, but there were some nice results at the lower tour events including a surprising start for Ryan Harrison and strong showings by the teenagers on the futures tour.

In the first week of the 2015 season, Venus Williams claimed her 46th title at the ASB Classic in Auckland.  The 34 year old upended fellow former World No.1, Caroline Wozniacki, 2-6 6-3 6-3.  With the victory, Williams is back up at No.18 on the WTA tour ranking.  Also in New Zealand, 21 year old Lauren Davis reached her first career semifinal coming back from 1st set deficient each time.  She defeated fellow Americans, Shelby Rogers and Sloane Stephens, as well as Pole Urszula Radwanska before falling to Williams.  CoCo Vandeweghe also made the quarterfinals.

Get to Know Rising American: Deiton Baughman (Q&A)

Picture Courtesy of Deiton Baughman

Learn more about one of Just Drop the Ball's 10 American teenagers to watch in 2015, Deiton Baughman.  Deiton turned pro last February and is coached by his dad, Brad.  He trains at the USTA facility in his hometown, Carson, California.  The 18 year old competed mostly on the ITF Pro Circuit last season. See what he had to say about the challenges players faced, his goals, and more!

Questions and Answers

Can you tell us a little bit about your game style? 

I play pretty aggressive, but with margin. I hit pretty big off both sides and try to dictate as much as possible from the middle of the court.

Favorite shot? Part of the game you look to improve upon?

Favorite shot is definitely my Backhand. I pride myself on that shot. There is no "one" part of my game I'm looking to improve rather looking to improve every part of my game.

10 American Teenagers to Watch in 2015 (ATP)

The 2014 season was a good year for the American boys with multiple players reaching the finals of Junior Grand Slams, Grade A, and G1 tournaments and claiming a fair share of the titles. Several players extended their success into the pro circuit and will look to continue testing themselves against the pros in 2015.  Below are my list of 10 American prospects to watch out for in the upcoming season.
   

Jared Donaldson 

Age: 18 (09 Oct 1996)
Height: 6-3

Plays: Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand)

2014 Year End ATP Ranking: 260

Career High ATP Ranking: 257 (17/11/2014)

2014 Highlights: The 2013 Kalamazoo Boys finalist won three straight futures titles in 2014 (1 Clay, 2 Hard) in Turkey and USA, respectively.  Donaldson qualified for his first ATP main draw at the Citi Open in Washington D.C. this past summer.  He also reached the quarterfinals of 100K Sacramento Challenger and semifinals of the 50K Challenger in Napa Valley.  The lanky 18 year old received a wildcard into the US Open and debuted against World No.24 Gael Monfils.  He jumped 471 ranking spots to 260 and with a small fraction of points (35) to defend until June, he looks to continue the climb.  If the Taylor Dent's pupil can improve his serve percentage and learn to control his temper, there's no reason he can't go far.