American Roundup: Ann Li shines in Monterrey

Last week, many Americans made deep runs in Challenger, ITF, and WTA tournaments. Here are the ones who made the biggest impact on the WTA and ATP Tours last week:

1

Semifinalist—Monterrey, WTA 250

You may have heard of Ann Li back in the Australian Open when she reached the third round. The 20-year-old has continued to improve, making it to the semifinals at the Monterrey Open. Along the way, she defeated every opponent in straight sets, including the third seed Saisai Zhang. She eventually lost to Viktorija Golubic.

2

Champion—Cleveland, ATP Challenger 80

Bjorn Fratangelo has finally proven his potential by winning the ATP Challenger 80 title in Cleveland. Besides dropping one set in the semifinal against Aleksandar Kovacevic, the American did not falter on his run to the title, beating fellow American Jenson Brooksby in the final. This is also the 27-year-olds first Challenger title since winning Fairfield in October 2018.

3

Doubles Champion—Monterrey, WTA 250

Teaming up with fellow American Asia Muhammad, Caroline Dolehide took home the Monterrey Open doubles trophy. Defeating Saisai Zheng and Heather Watson in the final, this is the 22-year-old's first WTA doubles title, previously only winning ITF tournaments.

4

Finalist—Cleveland, ATP Challenger 80

Unlike fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo, Jenson Brooksby did not take home the Cleveland Challenger title. However, the American was on a nine-match win streak before the loss, winning the Potchefstroom 2 Challenger title in February. Based on his recent play, Brooksby is only getting started in 2021.

5

Finalist—Tunisia, ITF W15

Sticking mostly to ITF tournaments, Anastasia Nefedova made a splash at the W15 event in Tunisia. Reaching the finals, the 23-year-old almost won the title, but could not defeat Czech player Monika Kilnarova.