Sachia Vickery of Miramar, Florida, and Collin Altamirano of Sacramento, California, earned U.S. Open wild cards by winning the USTA Girls’ and Boys' 18s National Championships.
Altamirano became the only unseeded player ever to win singles title in the 71-year history of the Boys' 18s in Kalamazoo by defeating No. 14 Jared Donaldson, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. In the semifinals, Altamirano toppled top seed Gage Brymer, 6-0, 6-1.
"There's a first time for everything, right?" the 17-year-old Altamirano told ZooTennis. "I've got to root for all the seeds now."
In San Diego, Vickery defeated her doubles partner, second-seeded Alexandra Kiick 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
"It feels unbelievable. It hasn't sunken in that I'm going to be playing at the U.S. Open," Vickery said. "It's been my dream since I started playing tennis. I can't even put it into words how happy I am."
Vickery, No. 230 in the latest WTA rankings, has been as ranked high as No. 6 in the ITF World Junior rankings. Kiick, the daughter of former Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, was appearing in her second straight USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships final.