Despite nearly suffering a total washout on the opening day of play, by Sunday evening all scheduled matches had been completed at the 2021 USTA National Doubles Championships, part of the adidas Junior National Championship Series. Highlighting the event was the eight duos taking home a Gold Ball following winning their divisional draw.

The victorious tandems included top-seeded James Weber (Marietta, Ga.) and A Filer (South Bend, Ind.) in the boys’ 14s, No. 2 seeds James Lian (Parsippany, N.J.) and Jason Shuler (Scarsdale, N.Y.) in the boys’ 16s, second-seeded Jelani Sarr (Pooler, Ga.) and Lincoln Battle (Raleigh, N.C.) in the boys’ 18s, No. 1 seeds Helena Lynn (Bethlehem, Pa.) and Kayla Chung (Philadelphia) in the girls’ 14s, fifth seeds Jesscia MacCallum (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Sophia Webster (El Segundo, Calif.) in the girls’ 16s, and Susanna Maltby (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Maddy Zampardo (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) in the girls’ 18s.

Since its inaugural year in 2003, the USTA National Doubles Championships has been the only USTA national junior competition devoted solely to doubles.

Gold Ball Match Results

Boys’ 14s: No. 1 Weber/Filer def. No. 2 Baez/Ubri 7-6(5), 6-3

Boys’ 16s: No. 2 Lian/Shuler def. Jaen/Lamb 7-5, 6-1

Boys’ 18s: No. 2 Sarr/Battle def. No. 7 Vakili/Silva 6-3, 6-3

Girls’ 14s: No. 1 Lynn/Chung def. No. 7 Martinez/Ackman 6-1, 6-3

Girls’ 16s: No. 5 MacCallum/Webster def. No. 3 Raidt/Yli-Piipari 7-5, 6-1

Girls’ 18s: No. 5 Maltby/Zampardo def. No. 2 Chan/Matsuno 6-3, 6-4

Weber and Filer lived up to their top billing to cruise through the boys’ 14s draw, dropping just three games in their first two matches. They were challenged by unseeded Sunshine State tandem Katsiyianis (Parkland) and Satterfield (Tampa) in the quarterfinals, coming through 6-4, 6-4, before downing another home state pairing in No. 5 seeds Nathan Germino (Valrico) and Benjamin Saltman (Winter Haven) 6-1, 6-4.

Their run against teams from the state of Florida did not stop in the championship match, with No. 2 seeds Alexander Baez (Weston) and Yubel Ubri (Hollywood) serving as the final hurdle to clear. The opening frame lasted almost an hour, being extended into a tiebreak before Weber and Filer rattled off the final three points to take it 7-6 (5). In the second sets, the score remained tight until the No. 1 seeds secured the crucial break for a 5-3 advantage to serve out the victory.

For Lian and Shuler, they capitalized on a wide open boys’ 16s draw, where they were the only seeded pairing to reach the semifinal stage. Even that was in doubt in the quarterfinals, as after two easy wins they were down a set to No. 5 seeds Kennedy (Atlanta) and Fralick (Peachtree City, Ga.); however, Lian and Shuler fought their way through a tricky second set and ran away with the third for a 5-7, 7-6, 6-2 triumph.

They were also pushed to a decisive third in the semifinals, giving up a lead versus the unseeded duo of Fuchs (Los Altos, Calif.) and Antonescu (Mountain View, Calif.) before bouncing back to record a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 result. With the Gold Ball on the line, it looked as if Lian and Shuler would once again need to rally from dropping the opening frame when the unseeded team of Jaen and Lamb claimed four of five games for a 5-3 advantage. The No. 2 seeds dug in from there, losing just six more points the rest of the set to earn it seven games to five and then going on to win the final six games of the match.

It was an even more treacherous path to the Gold Ball for boys’ 18s No. 2 seeds Sarr and Battle, who twice were mere points from defeat over the course of the weekend. Back-to-back wins in straight sets put them in the last eight, where they trailed the fifth-seeded tandem of Kapasi (Houston) and Hernandez (Hinsdale, Ill.) by a set but maintained their composure for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The third-seeded Peach State duo of Thomas Kennedy (Atlanta) and Robert Bauer (Suwanee) had them even more on the ropes, not only winning set one 6-4 but also staying right with Sarr and Battle for the remained of the match. Sets two and three would both be decided in tiebreaks, with the No. 2 seeds outlasting Kennedy and Bauer 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(1). Having staved off elimination twice, Sarr and Battle were determined to make the final a smoother experience, as they defeated No. 7 seeds Kian Vakili (Longwood, Fla.) and Ethan Silva (Harlingen, Texas) 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour of play.

Pennsylvania pairing and girls’ 14s No. 1 seeds Lynn and Chung looked poised to breeze their way through the field, losing only five games in their first two rounds. That quickly changed in the quarterfinals when a marathon first set slipped from their grasp, instead going to No. 8 seeds Hamilton (Bentonville, Ark.) and Appling (Crestwood, Ky.) by the slimmest of margins – seven points to five in the tiebreak. Lynn and Chung turned the tables immediate for a 6-0 second frame, but the final set remained up for grabs until the final point, where the top-seeded team prevailed 6-4.

The unseeded duo of Bergeson (Bountiful, Utah) and Turley (Scottsdale, Az.) also provided a stern test in the semifinals, again extending the first set to a tiebreak; however, Lynn and Chung managed to take that tiebreak, seven points to five, and then put away the match in another tight set, 7-5. It was a much more straightforward matchup in the final against No. 7 seeds Alba Martinez (Weston, Fla.) and Alex Ackman (Winter Garden, Fla.), with Lynn and Chung coming through 6-1, 6-3 for the Gold Ball.

Girls’ 16s No. 5 seeds MacCallum and Webster put together one of the most complete performances for the weekend, dropping just one set in their five match victories to claim the division. Three consecutive results in straight sets put them into the semifinals, where they met top seeds Arina Oreshchenkova (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) and Taylor Goetz (Greenlawn, N.Y.). A close opening frame was eventually taken by the No. 1 seeds by a 6-4 margin, but MacCallum and Webster responded in resounding fashion, giving away just three more games in their 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 triumph.

The Gold Ball contest saw MacCallum and Webster needing to topple another higher seeded team in No. 3 seeds Conley Raidt (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Saray Yli-Piipari (Braselton, Ga.). A back-and-forth first set, featuring five breaks of serve, wrapped up in just under one hour when Webster served it out for 7-5. From there, it was all MacCallum and Webster, as they emphatically closed out the match 7-5, 6-1.

Girls’ 18s champions Maltby and Zampardo were made to earn their Gold Ball, as they defeated the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds along the way, both in straight sets. Being placed in the top half of the draw meant a potential meeting with the top-seeded pairing of Alice Xu (Chantilly, Va.) and Stephanie Yakoff (Fort Lee, N.J.), which took place in the quarterfinals; Maltby and Zampardo pulled off the upset 6-3, 6-4 after being extended to three sets in the previous round.

Unseeded Tankimovich (Granada Hills, Calif.) and Pate (Daniel Island, S.C.) proved to be a surprising test in the semifinals, pushing Maltby and Zampardo to a third set but unable to stay close in the end, with the score line settling at 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. That set up the championship clash with No. 2 seeds Jo-Yee Chan (Sugar Hill, Ga.) and Akari Matsuno (Hoffman Estates, Ill.), in which Maltby and Zampardo broke serve five times in their 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Capturing a Bronze Ball on Sunday were Germino and Saltman (boys’ 14), Giuseppe Cerasuolo (Bayside, N.Y.) and Joshua Mandelbaum (Livingston, N.J.) out of the boys’ 16s, Andrew and James Delgado from High Point, N.C. in the boys’ 18s, Elizabeth Ionescu (York, Pa.) and Elle Warren (Canton, Ohio) from the girls’ 14s, Caroline Hinshaw and Clara Owen from Dayton, Ohio in the girls’ 16s, and Tankimovich and Pate (girls’ 18s).

For complete results from the 2021 USTA National Doubles Championships, click here.