August 10, 2025
SAN DIEGO - Tennis dreams can come true when they include a serious work ethic, abundant speed, extraordinary consistency, mental toughness, and an analytic approach to the game.
In front of a standing-room-only crowd, San Diegan Alyssa Ahn handily defeated Maya Iyengar from Paradise Hills, Ariz. in two sets on Sunday afternoon at Barnes Tennis Center, 6-1, 6-2, at the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championship.
The championship match was Ahn’s seventh in seven days. Had she experienced just one not-so-good day, her chances at a championship would have all but disappeared. Instead, she rallied (pun intended) through several matches, including three three setters and two tiebreakers, while defeating the No. 1 and No. 5 seeds along the way.
Ahn’s game peaked at the right time. During the final, she played nearly flawless tennis and controlled the match from first to final point.
“I think she brought her best for last,” said Michael Ahn, Alyssa’s father, who shared that he was “ecstatic” about the win.
“It feels incredible. It hasn’t really hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Alyssa, after being awarded the gold ball for winning the national championship. “It's super exciting, not only to get the wild card into the US Open, which is a huge accomplishment for me, but just winning the tournament is really awesome. I’m super grateful to be in this position.”
Watch Ahn play just one match and you get a sense that she is a fierce competitor. Watch Ahn play several matches and you realize that she has an arsenal of tools at her disposal that she brings to bear on an as-needed basis. The variety in her game may be as important as any other aspect (and there’s a lot to love): her competitors have a hard time strategizing against her because she has so many weapons, and she does not deploy them in equal measure.
Take, for instance, her drop shot. She deployed it well during her semifinal match on Saturday but used it only once during the final.
“She’s good at adapting to the players,” said Alexis Ahn, Alyssa’s identical twin sister.
During the final, Ahn routinely made Inyemar play one more ball (did we mention that Ahn can really cover the court?). She was also able to handle Iyengar’s powerful flat serve, routinely returning it with enough punch to get the point started and break Inyemar’s serve four times during the match. Add to that recipe her winners off of both the forehand and backhand, and, well, she didn’t really need the dropper, a lower percentage shot than the others.
With the championship, Ahn earned a wildcard bid into the main draw of the U.S. Open Grand Slam Tournament in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Go Alyssa, go! The first round of women’s singles begins August 24.
After the U.S Open, Alyssa is headed to Stanford and her sister is headed to UCLA. Heading to different schools will mean that the sisters will be apart for the first time. “We’ve never been apart and we do everything together,” said Alexis. “We went to the same school, had a lot of classes together, so it’s going to be really weird but we’re both excited for our journeys.”
What adventures they’ll have.
Semifinal Matches
August 9, 2025
Alyssa Ahn won a grueling four-hour semi-final match in the USTA Billie Jean King 18s National Tennis Tournament today to advance to tomorrow’s 1 p.m. final at Barnes Tennis Center.
The match versus No. 5 seed Alexis Nguyen was one of two dramatic three-set semifinal matches. Ahn won 6-1, 6-7 (1), 7-5 in a topsy-turvy match that featured 17 breaks of serve and16 games that went to deuce, including two that each went to deuce six times.
In the end, Ahn’s poise under pressure and her ability to change pace prevailed over an injury-riddled Nguyen who called for the trainer twice during the match.
In the other thrilling semi-final, No. 2 seed Julieta Pareja, from Carlsbad, Calif., battled No. 17 seed Maya Iyengar in a contest that featured powerful ground strokes from both players. After splitting sets, Iyengar took the first five games of the third set. Pareja mounted a fierce comeback, winning five straight to tie the set at 5-5. The set went to a tiebreaker where Iyengar pulled out the win, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
What’s at stake: The winner earns a bid into the main draw of the U.S. Open Grand Slam event in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. August 24 - September 7.
Sun, Aug 10 | 1 p.m. | USTA BJK Girls’ 18s Finals | Barnes Tennis Center | Free
