Two-time U.S. Open champion Tracy Austin and five-time NCAA champion winning USC men’s coach Peter Smith both watched as their sons upset the No. 6-seeded team to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Junior Doubles Championships on Wednesday at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
Future USC teammates and U.S Open wild cards Brandon Holt and Riley Smith finally converted on their seventh match point to upset Corentin Denolly of France and Djurabeck Karimov of Uzbekistan, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 10-6. The pair face unseeded Lukas Klein of Slovakia and Patrik Rikl of the Czech Republic on Thursday.
At 17, the Palos Verdes High senior Holt is actually a year old than his mom Austin was when she won the Open at age 16 back in 1979. The International tennis Hall of Famer said she “almost had a heart attack” watching the boys lose the second set after being up 6-5, 40-love.
— Steve Pratt
