Seventeen-year-old Marcel Latak crafted a memorable run through the US Open boys’ singles draw, capping it Saturday with an unforgettable victory for the trophy.
The American upset top seed Guto Miguel 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(13), saving three championship points en route to the biggest win of his career.
"I'm pretty stoked about how today went down for the singles. I mean, I just told myself to go for it," Latak said. "I was up most of the breaker in the third set, so dropping those match points honestly wasn't anything new. I've dropped so many this tournament before I closed them out. No, but I'm really happy that I went for it. Even when I was down in a tie-break too when I saved those championship points.
Latak led the final-set tie-break 7/2 and later 9/6. Despite letting slip those leads, the home favourite ultimately found a way, hitting a final backhand winner before falling to the court in celebration.
Latak did not lose a set en route to the final, defeating sixth seed Ziga Sesko in the first round, 10th seed Dimitar Kisimov in the third round, fourth seed Keaton Hance in the quarter-finals and second seed Jamie Mackenzie in the semi-finals.
Altogether, Latak eliminated five of the Top 10 seeds in the field — including four of the top six — and did so with the loss of just one set. He is the first American to win the US Open boys’ singles title since Taylor Fritz in 2015. The other Americans who claimed the trophy this century are Andy Roddick (2000) and Jack Sock (2010).
Miguel, a 17-year-old Brazilian who won a set in the main draw of this year’s ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro against Vilius Gaubas, won the Roland Garros boys’ singles crown earlier this year. The No. 1 junior in the world defeated Wimbledon champion Jordan Lee in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.
"Obviously he's an incredible player. He's No. 1 in the world for a reason," Latak said. "It definitely took a lot of thinking in the second set to kind of figure out what he likes, doesn't like, what I'm doing better than him essentially. But mostly it was mental, to be honest."
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