NEW YORKSports from all walks of life are fascinating, perhaps especially young talents like the Russian tennis player Mirra Andreeva, who is just 18 years old but has already advanced to the Grand Slam semifinals and is ranked No. 5 in the U.S. Open, which starts on Sunday.
Just last month, OrJo o Fonseca, a Brazilian who turned 19 on Thursday, became the youngest man to advance to the third round at Wimbledon since 2011. The 19-year-old Californian OrLearner Tien, who faces Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows on Sunday night, has already defeated four top-10 opponents.
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OrVicky Mboko, an 18-year-old Canadian, defeated Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Sofia Kenin to win the Montreal hard-court title this month, becoming her the second-youngest woman to defeat four Grand Slam champions in a single tournament.
Andreeva, Fonseca, Tien, and Mboko are among a number of young tennis players who are making waves this season. They may be prepared to follow in the footsteps of players like Emma Raducanu, who won the 2021 U.S. Open at the age of 18, or Gauff, who won the 2023 U.S. Open at the age of 19 and this year’s French Open at the age of 21.
Teens to watch at the U.S. Open include Andreeva, Fonseca, Tien, and Mboko.
Simply pay attention to what has already been expressed.
According to former top-five player James Blake, many tennis insiders think Fonseca will be among the players vying for Slams in a year or two if he can escape the commotion and external pressure.
Gauff’s opinion of Mboko: I do believe that he has a very promising future.
Expectations grow when amazing results come early. This implies that the load may feel heavy when less than ideal outcomes occur.
Andreeva is the youngest of the top five females since Sharapova, Maria
People wonder what happened if Andreeva, who is as gifted and shrewd as she is on and off the court, goes from reaching the French Open final four in 2024 to losing to a player ranked 361st in 2025, or from making it to the fourth round at the All England Club two years ago to losing there in the first round a year ago.
After losing in Roland-Garros in June, Andreeva may have used the term “learn” in her answers to four of the first six questions. That is, I shall get knowledge from this.
After that, she made it to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.
This makes sense since, if there is one thing that everyone seems to notice about Andreeva—from her coach to her opponents to her doubles partner, Diana Shnaider—it is not just that she consistently strives for improvement, but also that she succeeds in doing so.
Mboko, who finished 2024 ranked No. 350, is seeded at the US Open.
The same could be said about Mboko, who rose from No. 85 to No. 24 and a seeding at Flushing Meadows, where she will face two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova on Monday, after her journey to her first WTA victory in front of boisterous home crowds.
It’s not like, “Oh, let’s see,” anymore. Let’s keep an eye on this child. Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion and Andreeva’s coach, stated, “Now it’s like, OK, you have to be there and we have to be able to maintain your level.” The pressure from some media that she will become the next No. 1 is also the hardest thing. Grand Slam victories are in her future, and so on.”
Andreeva is the youngest woman to be rated in the top five since Maria Sharapova in 2004. She won Masters championships at Indian Wells and Dubai this year. Despite winning matches at Wimbledon and the French Open, Mboko finished the previous year ranked 350th and had never participated in a major.
According to Mboko’s coach and former player Nathalie Tauziat, she has confidence in herself.
Other US Open teenagers include Iva Jovi, Jakub Mensik, and Maya Joint.
Australia’s 19-year-old Maya Joint made her debut in the top 50 after winning a grass-court event by preserving four championship points. Czech-born Jakub Mensik, who turns 20 on September 6, defeated Djokovic in the Miami Open final and is ranked 16th in New York.Iva Jovii, a 17-year-old Californian, has won three of her four Slam appearances.
“When you see young, talented teens making big waves on the professional level, it can bridge the gap between inspiration and reality,” Jovi remarked. Basically, it’s: Why not me?
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Since 2002, Howard Fendrich has written about tennis for the AP. http://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich is where you can find his stories. See also: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis for more AP tennis
