Latak has not dropped a set at the U.S. Open juniors, using aggressive, first-strike tennis and a strong first serve to upset higher seeds; top seed Guto Miguel advances after a tougher route and a physically draining quarterfinal.
Marcel Latak reached the US Open boys final without dropping a set, beating No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie 6-3, 7-6(2).
Latak’s game this week: heavy first-serve percentage (71% in the semifinal), six aces in that match, and a first-strike strategy.
Latak will be the underdog in the final but says being underestimated removes pressure and lets him play freely.
Seventeen-year-old Marcel Latak reached the US Open junior boys final after a straight-set semifinal win over No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie of Germany, 6-3, 7-6(2). Latak has moved through the draw without dropping a set, knocking off several top seeds en route to the title match.
Latak combined a high first-serve percentage with aggressive, first-strike tennis. He landed 71 percent of his first serves in the semifinal and produced six aces to blunt Mackenzie's power. Mackenzie managed one break in the second set, but Latak immediately recovered it and forced a tiebreak. Latak started the breaker fast, winning the first four points and closing it out 7-6(2).
Latak described his path to the final as surprising to himself. He said the shock isn't reaching the final but how he's won: "If I'd split every match and got to the finals, yeah, but to think how I've won these matches, haven't really had to dig them out." He framed his status as an underdog as an advantage: "No one thinks I'm going to do well, so I can just take that pressure off myself and just go for it, every single match."
Latak and Miguel have met before, three years earlier in a Wimbledon 14-and-under match played on indoor hard courts, a contest Miguel won. Latak noted the similarity between Miguel's game and Mackenzie's, underlining the tactical challenge he will face in the final.
Latak is the fourth different American boy to reach a junior Grand Slam singles final this year, joining other junior slam finalists mentioned in tournament coverage. The tournament has produced high drama across rounds, with several matches decided in tiebreaks and long battles that tested players' endurance.
Other items flagged by the coverage
Expect a tactical contrast: Latak's aggressive first-strike style and reliable first serve versus Miguel's experience, ability to grind through extended matches, and proven resilience under pressure. Conditioning and the ability to start fast—especially in tiebreak or critical games—appear likely to be decisive.
©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--Flushing Meadows, NY--Although the women's final between the world's No. 1 and No. 2 players was on the horizon, most of the buzz on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center an hour before that championship match was about the boys final.For nearly three hours, unsee
Ben Shelton was unable to end the major drought for American men in the US Open singles final this afternoon on Arthur Ashe, with the 2022 NCAA champion falling to Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2. So the streak of no American man winning a slam singles title, last done by Andy R
©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--Flushing Meadows NY--Marcel Latak had no trouble exceeding his own expectations at this U.S. Open.That’s because he had none.The 17-year-old Chicago native who has verbally committed to Stanford for 2027, is thrilled to be in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open boys singles draw, b
©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--Flushing Meadows NY--The second day of the US Open Junior Championships were full of surprises, with Americans on both sides of the ledger: those who pulled off the unexpected, and those who were upset victims.Unseeded Marcel Latak has had an eventful ten days: winning his first J
©Colette Lewis and Michael Lewis 2026--Flushing Meadows NY--Marcel Latak and Melije Clarke, two unseeded 17-year-olds from the United States, are relatively inexperienced at the highest level of the World Tennis junior circuit compared to the other competitors this week at the US Open Junior Championships. But that has
Coimbra (Portugal), Istanbul (Turkiye), and Athens (Greece) will host the 2027 World Cup games, World Aquatics announced today. The series of tournaments begins in Coimbra with […] The post World Cup Final Eight to take place in Athens appeared first on Total Waterpolo .
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.
