Aug. 15, 2009
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – After dropping his first set of the tournament, Vanderbilt incoming freshman Ryan Lipman rallied to win the remaining two sets of his semifinal match and advanced to the finals of the Boys’ 18 Singles draw at the USTA Boys’ National Championships on Saturday.
A Nashville native, Lipman, the No. 8 seed, dropped the opening set to No. 13 Raymond Sarmiento, 4-6, before winning the second and third set 6-3, 6-3. The win was Lipman’s sixth of the tournament.
With the win, Lipman will now face No. 2 seed Chase Buchanan in the finals at 12:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. Buchanan was a freshman at Ohio State last year and has yet to drop a set in the tournament. Buchanan advanced to the finals with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Mousheg Hovhannisyan.
The USTA Boys’ National Championships is considered the most prestigious junior tournament for U.S. citizens. The tournament began with 192 players and Lipman is one of two remaining. Whoever wins the main draw will receive a wild card into the main draw of the 2009 U.S. Open, which begins August 31. By advancing to the finals, Lipman has already earned a spot in the U.S. Open singles qualifying draw.