Friday is semifinals day and top matchups are featured for the 4 remaining singles matches, 2 of these scheduled for night play. Tickets are sold out for tonight and the Saturday final. Only 1 semifinal doubles match remains to be played today. Tomorrow`s action will be the four finals, 2 in night play.
The 2025 boys semifinal is an all USA affair. At the top of the draw is unseeded and 104th ranked Ryan COZAD who took out top seed Dante PAGANI of Argentina in the first round and eliminated the tough Calvin BAIERL in the QF by a comfortable 6-3, 6-3. COZAD is still alive in the doubles draw as well. Next is qualifier and 206 ranked Michael ANTONIUS who made the SF by beating the talented 7th seed Puerto Rican Yannik Alvarez by 7-6, 6-4. Like the energizer bunny, ANTONIUS keeps going and going, and hopes to emulate last year’s champion Ian MAYEW who also came in from the qualy. The third boys semifinalist is the popular Yubel UBRI, unseeded and ranked 119 who dispatched a tough Lachlan GASKELL in 3 sets 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Like the Gladiator, UBRI “wins the crowd” with his enthusiasm but had cramps last night that hopefully will not affect his play. Eighth seeded and 65 ranked Jack SATTERFIELD took the last place in the SF draw by turning back wild card Keaton HANCE in 3 tough sets 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. SATTERFIELD twisted his ankle in this match and hopefully will not be affected by this in his upcoming SF performance.
In the girls draw top seed and 17th ranked Kaitlyn ROLLS of USA easily dispatched 201 ranked Ligaya MURRAY by 6-1, 6-2. ROLLS is an experienced player who does not get rattled and will now face off against unseeded and 123 ranked Ava RODRIGUEZ of USA. A very talented player, RODRIGUEZ beat Lucy OYEBOG ATANG, an American with roots in Cameroun, by 6-3, 6-3 and has been flying under the radar up to this point. The 4th seed German Mariella THAMM ranked 71 has taken her place in the SF by defeating her doubles partner, 5th seed Julieta PAREJA ranked 75 in a tough 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 slugfest. Somebody had to win and it was THAMM. The final spot in the girls SF has been taken by second seed Capucine JAUFFRET ranked 62. JAUFFRET beat Carrie Ann HOO of USA ranked 240 in a grueling 3 and a half hour marathon featuring long rallies and moonballs where HOO seemed to return everything.
In boys doubles Ryan COZAD and Gavin GOODE took their place in the SF in a straight set win by 6-4, 6-3. The other SF slot was taken by the Danish players Christian GRONFELDT and August POULSEN in a 3 set thriller, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4. All of these players are so strong and talented that it is difficult to distinguish winning teams from the defeated. Play here is a real tossup.
The last match of the night was the girls SF match featuring a local player, Lucia GALLEGOS and her partner Ireland O’BRIEN squaring off against the second seeded duo of Julieta PAREJA and Mariella THAMM. It was a good match, one which the crowd thoroughly enjoyed and was only the second time a Costa Rican player has made the girls doubles semifinal. PAREJA/THAMM prevailed 6-4,7-5. The other girls doubles SF match will be played today, featuring no. 1 singles seed ROLLS playing with Leena FRIEDMAN of USA, and no. 2 seed JAUFFRET, partnering with Alyssa JAMES of Jamaica.
