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.

2015 ITF World Junior Rankings

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has released the first edition of its' 2015 World Junior Rankings this week.  After the removal of the no longer eligible 1996 born players, the United States is left with fourteen boys and fourteen girls in the Top 100, the most of any nation.  Russia has the next highest total, with twenty-one players, followed by Australia with fourteen.  Stefan Kozlov and Catherine Cartan Bellis lead the USA's contingent.

Joining the 3rd ranked Kozlov, who was as highest as No.2, in the Top 10 Boys club are Taylor Harry Fritz (5) and Michael Mmoh (8).  Former World Junior No.2, Francis Tiafoe, Alex Rybakov, and Reilly Opelka round up the Top 25.  Other players inside the Top 50 include Henrik Wiersholm, William Blumberg, Tommy Paul, and Sameer Kumar.

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.