December 14U Boys Tennis Rankings

Kypson makes the 14U rankings as a 7^th-grader. He has an overall 66-33 record, with wins at the USTA Glen Cove Regional and July's USTA National Open. He is 10-11 against other top-prospects and has a terrific 17-5 record against 5-star players. Kypson is generally regarded as the best player his age in the southeast.

The Floridian won his most recent tournament, the USTA National Open in November. He beat four top-100 players without even dropping a set, including a 7-6(5); 6-4 victory over Aleks Huryn in the final. On clay, del Corral recovered after a Round of 32 loss, and came in third at July's USTA National Clay Court Championships. At the USTA National Open in February, del Corral won two, three-set matches on his way to a third-place finish. 

 
Most recently, McNally won the USTA Midwest Fall Closed Championships in November. He won six matches to take the title, and didn't lose a single game until the second set of the quarterfinals. In the championship, McNally beat JJ Wolf 7-5; 6-2. Interestingly, McNally defeated Wolf again a couple of weeks prior in the finals of the Cincinnati USTA regional. The two players then partnered and won the doubles at the same event. The most impressive victory that McNally has to date is his championship at the Nike Junior Tour National Masters. In an event where only top talent is invited, the 8^th-grader beat four highly-ranked players in succession, including Mwendwa Mbithi 6-2; 6-3 in the final. 
 

Along with his singles prowess, Ponwith is active on the doubles tour with his friend and partner, Jake Devine. The two have had tremendous success together, making runs at last week's Orange Bowl, November's Evert American ITF, and the Atlanta ITF in October. Ponwith is one win shy of 80 for his career. In February's USTA National Open, Ponwith finished in third, before taking third at the Easter Bowl in April. After losing a quarterfinal match to William Blumberg, Ponwith bounced back with a 6-0; 6-1 win against Ryan Dickerson and 6-2; 6-1 over Abhin Sharma.
 

Mbithi has over double the number of wins than defeats in his career (98-44). He lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Orlando Luz (Brazil) at the Eddie err International, but beat del Corral 6-0; 4-6; 6-1 in the Round of 32 and finished second at the Nike Junior Tour Masters. Mbithi doesn't just win on hard-courts; he excels on clay as well. At July's USTA National Clay Court Championships, Mbithi finished in third place, beating Matthew Gamble 6-2; 6-4.

Ross' run in Bradenton, FL at the Eddie Herr International was tremendous. After two routine victories, he gutted-out epic matches against Kypson and Connor Hance. Ross beat Kypson 6-3; 6-7(9); 7-5 and Hance 2-6; 7-6(2); 6-4. Ross' overall record of 91-49 reflects his strenuous tournament schedule and tennis talents. At the Nike Junior Tour National Masters, Ross lost a quarterfinal match to McNally, but won two straight after that against Sam Riffice and Zeke Clark to finish third.

Zhu's overall win total has eclipsed the 100 mark, totaling 105 against just 49 losses. At the Eddie Herr International a few weeks ago, Zhu did not drop a set in five matches before losing the final to Orlando Luz (Brazil). This amazing stretch included a 6-3; 6-1 victory over Ross in the semifinals. He finished third at the Nike Junior Tour Masters in September after losing his first match to del Corral. Lastly, at the USTA National Championships in August, Zhu lost to Connor Hance in the quarterfinals, but showed resiliency in beating Lane Leschly and del Corral (6-1; 6-1) to place third.

The Californian doesn't get to number three on our rankings by beating average players and winning non-spotlight tournaments. Hance placed third at the USTA National Open in February, but came back in May and July to win the next two National Opens. In August at the National Championships, he finished third, beating top talent like Zhu and Mbithi. At the ultra-competitive Nike Junior Tour Masters in September, Hance was defeated by Mbithi in the semifinals, but rebounded to take third, beating del Corral 6-1; 7-6(4).

Tiafoe takes the second spot for one main reason- he rarely loses. His overall record of 91-26 is one of the best on the circuit. Out of College Park, MD, Tiafoe uses cat-like quickness and athleticism to cover the court exceptionally well. While he may be somewhat disappointed in his results from last week's Orange Bowl (Round of 64) and last month's Eddie Herr International (quarterfinals), Tiafoe has a resume to be proud of. He won the USTA National Winter Championships last December in both singles and doubles. Tiafoe beat Michael Genender 7-6(4); 6-2 in the finals and partnered with Chase Colton to win doubles. Tiafoe will be returning this month to defend his crowns.
 

Blumberg takes the top spot in our rankings this month because of his consistent tournament results. He continues to make deep runs in the major tournaments on the schedule. The Greenwich native is 89-22 overall with numerous titles like the South Carolina ITF in November. Blumberg won the singles at the event beating Henrik Wiersholm in the final 6-4; 2-6; 7-5 and the doubles, with partner Thomas Mayronne. He was also victories at the Atlanta ITF, USTA Waco ITF, and Midtown Eastern Designated Closed Championships, all this fall. Blumberg's most impressive victories were in April at the USTA National Spring Championship. The righty won the singles beating top-15 players like Taylor Fritz, Nathan Ponwith, Anudeep Kodali, and Kyle Seelig along the way. In doubles, Blumberg partnered with Brian Tsao to be the last team out of 64 left standing.