A Cinderella story continued in singles while the weather wreaked havoc on the doubles semifinals at the 2017 USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Championships, part of the USTA adidas Junior National Championship Series, held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

The singles final, featuring No. 4 seed Aidan Kim (Milford, Mich.) and unseeded Juncheng Shang (Naples, Fla.) is slated for 10:00 a.m. Following the completion of that contest will be the doubles final, as top seeds Cooper Williams (New York, N.Y.) and Lucas Brown (Plano, Texas) will take on either No. 2 seeds Andrew Salu (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and Learner Tien (Irvine, Calif) or No. 12 seeds Andrew Delgado (High Point, N.C.) and James Rico (Cary, N.C.). Both finals will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Kim and Shang both enter the singles final without having dropped a set through six rounds of play. On Friday, Kim got off to a sluggish start versus No. 16 seed Garen Spicka (Las Vegas, Nev.), falling behind an early break at 2-0. He was quickly able to not only work his way back into the match, but take full command, rattling off the final 12 games for the 6-2, 6-0 victory.

In the other semifinal, Shang also won the opening set 6-2 over No. 11 seed Raghav Jangbahadur (Palo Alto, Calif.). The second set was much tighter, with both players holding serve until Shang secured the crucial break for 5-4 and then served out the match with ease. The win marked the fourth upset of the tournament for Shang, who has taken down the Nos. 3, 11, 17 and 26 seeds.

The two players’ paths to the finals nearly mirror each other entirely. Kim has lost a total of 18 games to 21 surrendered by Shang. Both have been pushed to a tiebreak once this week, each ending seven points to four. Kim and Shang have also recorded three 6-0 sets over the course of the tournament. Outlined below are the round-by-round results for the two finalists.

(4)Aidan Kim’s Path to the Finals

First round – def. Alejandro Fernandez Lecaroz 6-0, 6-1

Second round – def. Francisco Montana 6-0, 6-1

Third round – def. Maxim Michaels 6-2, 6-2

Fourth round – def. (10)Nicholas Mangiapane 6-2, 6-1

Quarterfinals – def. (24)Kaylan Bigun 7-6(4), 6-1

Semifinals – def. (16)Garen Spicka 6-2, 6-0

 

Juncheng Shang’s Path to the Finals

First round – def. Owen DeMuth 6-1, 6-0

Second round – def. (17)Adhithya Ganesan 6-2, 6-1

Third round – def. (3)Lucas Brown 6-0, 7-6(4)

Fourth round – def. Xander Barber 6-2, 6-0

Quarterfinals – def. (26)James Rico 6-1, 6-2

Semifinals – def. (11)Raghav Jangbahadur 6-2, 6-4

 

No. 1 seeds Lucas Brown and Cooper Williams have lived up to their seeding, besting team after team to reach the final. They have been challenged in at least one set per match, but always managed to close the match out in straight sets. It appeared as if their semifinal encounter with the fourth-seeded pair of Thomas Faurel (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Joseph Phillips (New York, N.Y.) would be over in a flash, with Brown and Williams sprinting through the first set 6-0. However, Faurel and Phillips provided major resistance in set two, going up a break early before the top seeds got back to even and eventually nudged in front to take the frame six games to four.

The second-seeded tandem of Andrew Salu and Learner Tien were a mere two games away from booking their spot in the doubles final when severe weather settled over the National Campus once again. The first few games of the match in the semifinal contest with Andrew Delgado and James Rico were lengthy, featuring several deuces. Eventually, Salu and Tien moved in front 4-1 and would go on to take the opening set 6-2. The No. 2 seeds kept up their level of play in the second, again staking claim to a 4-1 lead, but that was as close as they’d get to the finish line on Friday. The match will resume at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning.

Also on Friday, five consolation singles champions were crowned – Thomas Griese (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.), Alan Hua (Ridgewood, N.J.), Ervin Perkowski (Lincolnshire, Ill.), No. 18 seed Stefan Regalia (Arlington, Va.), and Calvin Wellman (Boynton Beach, Fla.). The remaining consolation finals and playoff matches will be played Saturday morning.

Live scoring for both finals can be found here. For the most updated draws and match times, click here.

Below is a list of results from Friday’s main draw semifinals as well as consolation singles finals that were contested on Friday. Upsets appear in italics.

USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Championships

Day Five Results – Main Draw Semifinals & Consolation Singles Finals

 

SINGLES – SEMIFINALS

Juncheng Shang def. (11)Raghav Jangbahadur 6-2, 6-4

(4) Aidan Kim def. (16)Garen Spicka 6-2, 6-0

 

DOUBLES – SEMIFINALS

(1)Lucas Brown/Cooper Williams def. (4)Thomas Faurel/Joseph Phillips 6-0, 6-4

(2)Andrew Salu/Learner Tien lead (12)Andrew Delgado/James Rico 6-2, 4-1

 

SINGLES – CONSOLATION FINALS

North: Alan Hua def. Alex Fuchs 6-1, 6-2

South: Ervin Perkowski def. Hank Trondson 6-2, 6-1

Northwest: (18)Stefan Regalia def. Eric Suk 6-2, 6-2

Southeast: Thomas Griese def. Tygen Goldammer 6-2, 1-1, ret.

Southwest: Calvin Wellman def. Brett Keeling 6-3, 6-4