US Open Juniors Episode 2: Finalists & Champions

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 34 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This is the second in a 3-part series of interviews recorded at the 2025 US Open Junior Championships, and it's a long one! In this installment, Lisa talks with the Boys and Girls Finalists and Champions in both singles and doubles. You will hear from Boys Doubles Finalists, Ben Willwerth and Noah Johnston of the US; Boys Singles Finalist Alexander Vasilev of Bulgaria; Girls Singles Finalist Lea Nilsson of Sweden; Boys Doubles Champions Keaton Hance and Jack Kennedy of the US; Boys Singles Champion Ivan Ivanov of Bulgaria; and Girls Singles Champion and Girls Doubles Finalists Jelene Vandromme of Belgium.The interviews were conducted in the Media Garden outside the US Open Media Center. Lisa was joined by Colette Lewis of ZooTennis.com and Michael Lewis, who both cover junior tennis worldwide. After the singles finals were played, the Boys and Girls champions were both invited into Room 1 inside the Media Center for their interviews. You can find that footage, courtesy of the US Open, here and here. For the draws of each US Open Junior event:Girls Singles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-singles.html⁠Girls Doubles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.html⁠Boys Singles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.html⁠Boys Doubles: ⁠https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.htmlIn the next installment, you’ll hear from some of the parents about their journeys alongside their talented children.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 33 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This is the first in a 3-part series of interviews recorded at the 2025 US Open Junior Championships. In this installment, Lisa talks with American junior players Ronit Karki from New Jersey, Thea Frodin from Southern California, Andrew Johnson from Southern California, and Kristina Penickova from Northern California.The audio-only (per my media credential rules) interviews were conducted in the Media Garden at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, so please pardon the ambient sounds you may hear in the background!These juniors all competed in both the singles and doubles events in New York alongside the pros. They each took a different path to this tournament which should offer some insights into how a junior player can go from playing their local events to playing on the biggest stages around the world.For the draws of each US Open Junior event:Girls Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-singles.htmlGirls Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.htmlBoys Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.htmlBoys Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.htmlIn the next installment, you'll hear from additional junior players who all reached the Finals in their respective events. After that, you'll hear from some of the parents about their journeys alongside their talented children.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 32 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week’s episode, Coach Jack Newman of the Austin Tennis Academy is back to dig deeper into his recent article (click here to read) on taking one of his alternate-listed junior players to this year's Level 1 in Kalamazoo.Duey Evans shared Jack's article in our Facebook Group and I was very interested to read all the comments. They definitely covered a wide range of opinions, so I wanted to give Jack a platform to talk about the WHY behind his actions. My hope is that this episode will open the minds of coaches, players, and parents to alternative ways of developing players to their full potential. As we all know, there are so many paths through Junior Tennis, and I believe it's helpful to know your options!Jack and I also chat about the upcoming Little Mo Nationals which will once again be hosted by Austin Tennis Academy. To learn more about one of my favorite junior tournament series, visit the Little Mo website at https://mcbtennis.org/.For those interested in contacting Jack and/or Austin Tennis Academy, visit their website at https://austintennisacademy.com/. You can reach Jack via email at [email protected] always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 31 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week’s episode, Dr. Mark Kovacs is back to dive deeper into a recent social media post about the decreased fitness levels he's seeing in junior tennis players and what we can do to help our players get fit and stay injury-free.In case you're unsure as to why you should pay attention to what Mark has to say, he is a renowned performance physiologist, researcher, university professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background training and researching athletes at all levels. He serves the iTPA membership as its Executive Director. He formally directed the Sport Science, Strength & Conditioning and Coaching Education departments for USTA. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the ITPA. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles and abstracts in top journals including the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine, Sports Health, International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance, Strength & Conditioning Journal, Journal of Sports Science and Medicine among many others. He has presented workshops and keynote addresses on four continents and well over 100 presentations. Along with his academic and scientific background Dr. Kovacs is also a coach and former professional athlete. He was an All-American and NCAA doubles champion in tennis at Auburn University. After playing professionally, he completed his graduate work at Auburn University and earned his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a certified Health/Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine, a United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach and Certified Tennis Coach. This man has the bona fides!You'll hear Mark discuss the Gatorade Sweat Patch as an easy tool to measure sweat level. You can get more information and order them through the Gatorade website at https://www.gatorade.com/equipment/gx-sweat-patch/gx-sweat-patch-00052000048520. Mark and I also discuss his recent article on combating jet lag which you can find here: Click HereTo reach out to Mark directly, email him at [email protected]. You can also follow him on Instagram at https://instagram.com/drmarkkovacs. To find our podcast on periodization, go to https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/what-is-periodization-how-do-we-use-it-with-dr-mark-kovacs/.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠⁠.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 30 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Coach Hannah Keeling of Georgia Gwinnett College - the winningest college tennis program in the NAIA - joins us to discuss why junior players and their families should take a closer look at this division.Coach Keeling is a former NCAA Division II top-20 singles tennis player and earned four first-team all-conference honors in singles and doubles at Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia from 2012-15. She helped the team reach a No. 4 national ranking during the 2012-13 season. Hannah earned a bachelor’s degree in health and fitness management from Clayton State in 2015.Hannah has been director of the Stars of the Future program at Ginepri Performance Tennis located at Olde Towne Athletic Club in Marietta, Georgia, where she worked with homeschool and high-performance youth players to develop them for playing at the collegiate and professional levels. In this role, Keeling worked alongside Robbie Ginepri, a former No. 15 ranked player among the ATP Tour, and Jason Parker, a WTA/ATP coach.As a player, Keeling was the top-ranked national junior tennis player in the United Kingdom while playing for Hampshire, England. She supplemented her American collegiate career by spending several years playing in the women’s French national circuit. Hannah shares with us what she looks for in recruits and what she hopes prospective student athletes will ask her during their recruiting process. She also shares her experience coaching the Intennse League over the summer and what she is bringing back to her team from that experience.For more information on Georgia Gwinnett College or NAIA college tennis in general, feel free to reach out to Hannah directly at [email protected]. She has a wealth of information and experience to share with families considering the NAIA route. You can also follow her on Instagram at fitcourtlife.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠⁠online shop⁠⁠.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 29 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we hear from 16-year-old Sadira Ouyang and her parents, Erica and JS, about Sadira's incredible progress over the past year and their thoughts on what has led her to her first seeding at a USTA Level 1 tournament.Sadira loves tennis. Actually, Sadira LOVES tennis! Coming from a family with pretty much no tennis knowledge, she and her parents have had to figure out this junior tennis thing from scratch. Relying on other tennis parents and coaches has helped, but both Erica and JS have definitely put great effort into learning the best way to guide Sadira - and her younger brother - through youth sports. From my perspective, they are doing an incredible job so far, and the fact that ParentingAces has played a role in their journey makes me very proud.You'll hear Sadira talk about her experience playing in the Intennse League this summer, her backdraw experience at the National Clay Courts last month, and her expectations at this event. You'll also hear her parents' thoughts on their role and how they work with her coaches to help Sadira have the most positive experience possible on the court while balancing her life off the court.For more information on Intennse, visit the website at https://www.intennse.com/home. To follow the draws in the various age groups and locations for National Hardcourts, here are the links:Girls 12s⁠Girls 14sBoys 12s/14sGirls !6s/18sBoys 16s/18sAs always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠online shop⁠.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 28 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, father-son duo, Ethan and Eyal Yurconi, share their journey through junior tennis.Being the Coach-Parent of a young player is definitely a challenge, but Eyal and Ethan seem to have found a great balance that works for their family. Being a former top junior and college player himself, Eyal had the lived tennis experience but lacked the coaching knowledge to help his son develop. He educated himself, earned coaching certifications, and continues to learn through platforms such as ours.Ethan, at age 12, wants to pursue tennis at the highest levels. He also has interests off the court and continually seeks ways to schedule time for all aspects of his life, including academics. To that end, the family decided to look into alternatives to their neighborhood brick-and-mortar school. Eyal did his research and found Sora Schools.Sora's mission is to deliver a transformative learning experience that empowers middle and high school students to thrive in the modern world. By blending live, interactive classes with independent, flexible focus time, Sora creates a unique environment where students can engage deeply with their learning, pursue their passions, and grow alongside like-minded peers. Their approach prioritizes academic excellence, social development, and real-world preparation, fostering a dynamic and inclusive community where every student is inspired to achieve their unique goals.Eyal and Ethan share more about their family's experience with Sora as well as their tennis journey to date. Eyal has graciously offered to answer any of your questions, so please feel free to reach out to him at [email protected] always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our ⁠online shop⁠.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 27 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, coaches Pierre Arnold and Todd Widom are back for some real talk around what it takes for junior tennis players - and their families - to develop to their full potential.Long-time listeners of this pod are all too familiar with Todd Widom and his approach to developing and training players. Todd's developmental coach was Argentinian Pierre Arnold who instilled in Todd and all his players a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence. Pierre is an integral part of Todd's coaching system and recently spent 6 months as the Volunteer Assistant Coach of the Brown University Men's Tennis Team. Both coaches share what they've learned from Pierre's college coaching experience and how they're integrating those lessons into their work with junior players.To contact Todd or to get information on his training, you can reach him at [email protected]. If you aren’t already, be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram as well. And check out his newly-redesigned website at https://twtennis.com/.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 26 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Swupnil Sahai of SwingVision is back to share with us the latest - and upcoming - developments in this game-changing platform.Not only is SwingVision changing the way we record and review matches, but it now includes a way for any player to access its extensive professional coaches marketplace to have those matches and/or lessons analyzed with in-app commentary and notes. Imagine playing a tournament match which you've recorded with SwingVision then submitting that match to a globally-recognized coach for feedback with notations and suggestions for improving in your next match. Not only that, your own coach can register FOR FREE with SwingVision to be able to offer you the same type of in-app analysis, giving you access to real-time coaching whether or not your coach is actually on site at the tourney. For more, visit https://swing.vision/coaching/marketplace.The Coach Reviews are just one new development for SwingVision. You'll have to watch/listen to the episode to hear more!For more information on SwingVision and downloading the app on your iOS or Android phone, go to https://swing.vision/. If your facility in interested in bringing the SwingVision Electronic Line Coaching to your courts, you can reach out to Swupnil directly at [email protected]. For the discounted bundle Swupnil mentions in the podcast, visit https://swing.tennis/c/parentingaces20. This discount code will give you $20 off your first year of Pro, a free Swing Stick ($100 value), and a 60-Day money back guarantee.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone

Welcome to Season 14 Episode 25 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa chats with former Wimbledon Junior Finalist, Jordan Cox, live from the Intennse Arena in Atlanta.Jordan Cox began playing tennis at 8 years old and quickly started competing in junior events across the country & around the world. Some key junior tournament highlights include winning the singles & doubles (w Evan King) titles at the Boys 14 USTA Winter Nationals, winning the singles title at the Boys 16 USTA Hard Courts at Kalamazoo, placing 3rd at the Boys 18 USTA Hard Courts at Kalamazoo, and reaching the finals of the Boy's Singles draw at Wimbledon.After a successful junior career, Jordan decided to forgo college and NCAA tennis to play professionally. He earned singles and doubles titles at the 10-15k level reaching a career high ATP singles ranking of 449 and doubles ranking of 605.The grind of professional tennis eventually proved too much so Jordan stopped after 4 years. Unsure of what to do next, he found himself playing college tennis for Coach Chase Hodges and the Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies. He earned his Bachelors in business marketing while competing on the championship winning team 3 years running.Currently, Jordan is an actor and resides in the Atlanta area with his wife, Valeria. He's acting on TV shows & movies while still staying in the game he loves as a coach at Harp Performance Academy under Jim Harp.You can find Jordan's acting resume on his IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6338980/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1. You can also follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jordanmcoxxy/.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/⁠⁠⁠⁠.If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone