The 2019 USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Championships, presented by adidas, concluded Saturday morning at the USTA National Campus. The highlight of the final day of action was No. 3 seed Abhishek Thorat (Lithia, Fla.) collecting his second USTA Gold Ball of the year with a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over No. 12 Maximus Dussault (Leesburg, Va.).

While perhaps not at the top of the favorites list to begin the week, Dussault entered the day with victories over three of the tournament’s top five seeds, two of which came in straight sets.  Meanwhile, Thorat had breezed through the competition in each of his matches with the exception of the quarterfinal stage, where he needed to rally back from a set down.

Nerves may have contributed to the match beginning with three straight breaks of serve, including a game that lasted 20 points on Thorat’s opening service game. Even the first hold of the contest got off to a shaky start, as Thorat tossed in a double fault with a 2-1 advantage before winning four points in a row. That would be the only comfortable hold of the opening frame for the third-seeded Thorat, who dug deep after getting behind 0-40 on his serve at 3-2 to secure a hold; however, he could not overcome another double fault at 4-3, as Dussault leveled the score. After controlling the action for most of the set, Thorat managed to quickly shake off the disappointment of letting Dussault back in, breaking at love and effectively serving out the set.

Dussault had his sights set on extending the final to three sets, sprinting out of the gates in the second frame with some inspired play for a seemingly comfortable 5-1 margin. However, losing his serve at love in the seventh game flipped the momentum, as Thorat closed the gap to 5-4 in a matter of minutes. In what would turn out to be the decisive game, Thorat saved a set point before holding for 5-5, backing that up by breaking Dussault one final time. With the championship on his racquet, Thorat played solid, commanding tennis to take home the title.

Thorat now boasts an impressive 22-match winning streak, which began after a surprising loss in the opening round of the USTA Florida Level 5 Next Generation Tennis Academy event in April. Competing in the 14s division, he rebounded to win the consolation draw before moving on to collect tournament victories at the USTA National Level 2 YellowTennisBall.com Junior Championships and the USTA National Level 3 at Amelia Island.

Abhishek Thorat’s Road to the Gold Ball

Round of 128: def. Diego Woollis 6-0, 6-0

Round of 64: def. Valentin Sorokin 6-2, 6-0

Round of 32: def. No. 17 Ian Mayew 6-1, 6-3

Round of 16: def. No. 13 Braeden Gelletich 6-1, 6-0

Quarterfinals: def. No. 6 Cassius Chinlund 2-6, 7-5, 6-0

Semifinals: def. No. 8 Roman Sancilio 6-0, 6-3

Final: def. No. 12 Maximus Dussault 6-4, 7-5

Also on Saturday, No. 4 Abhinav Chunduru (Plano, Texas) took the Bronze Ball thanks to his 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 victory against eighth-seeded Roman Sancilio (Henrico, Va.). Additionally, fifth seed A Filer (South Bend, Ind.) handled No. 6 Cassius Chinlund (Los Angeles) by a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 score line to finish fifth overall.

For complete results from the 2019 USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Championships, click here.