The combination of a home court advantage and solid play propelled the American juniors to a strong showing at the 2014 U.S. Open. It also helped that the boys had 17 entrants and the girls 19 in the 64 player draws.
For the boys, seven players advanced out of the first round. The following ten players lost their only match: Dennis Uspensky, Logan Smith, Walker Duncan, Aron Hitzik, Sameer Kumar, Deton Baughman, Tommy Paul, Michael Mmoh, Eduardo Nava, and John McNally.
Only two of the remaining seven players dropped their second round matches: Reilly Opelka, and Alex Rybakov.
In the third round, three players exited the tournament with 2-1 records: Taylor Harry-Fritz, Henrik Wiersholm, and Jared Donaldson.
Stefan Kozlov was ousted in the fourth round (quarterfinals) with a 3-1 record. Frances Tiafoe was defeated in the semifinals with a 4-1 record.
Overall, the group won 15 matches and lost 17. Although none of the players advanced to the finals, they had one player in the semis, two in the quarters, and five in the round of sixteen.
The results for the girls were similar.
Nine players advanced out of the first round with ten players dropping their only match: Katrine Steffenson, Ingrid Neel, Sofia Kenin, Claire Lu, Brooke Austin, Jessica Ho, Madison Bourguignon, Dasha Ivanova, Kylie McKenzie, and Ena Shibahara.
Five of the remaining nine players were defeated in the second round with 1-1 records: C.C. Bellis, Michaela Gordon, Francesca Delorenzo, Kelly Chen, and Usue Maitane Arconada.
Only one of the remaining four players exited in the third round: Raveena Kingsley. She had a 2-1 record.
In the fourth round (quarterfinals), Tornado Alicia Black was defeated. She won three matches before losing.
Katerina Stewart and Carolyn Dolehide were ousted in the semifinals. Both were 4-1.
Overall, the group won 18 matches and lost 19. Despite the fact that none of the players advanced to the finals, two players were in the semifinals, three were in the quarterfinals, and four were in the round of sixteen.
Does this strong showing bode well for American tennis in the future?
These American juniors are some of the top players in the world. A majority of them will test their skills on the pro tour and some will end up in the top 100. That is the good news.
The most recent group of juniors to enter the pro ranks (Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Alison Riske, et. al.) are demonstrating how difficult it is to become an elite player. The current group of juniors are likely to face even greater challenges.
If anything, the 2014 U.S. Open demonstrated how tough it is for young players to become an elite player and continue to play at that level.