Former Santa Barbara High tennis player Daniel Nguyen and doubles partner JT Sundling won a boys 18s national title at the USTA Hardcourt National Championships in Michigan on Saturday, providing the pair with an automatic berth to play in the main draw of the U.S. Open that starts August 31.
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Nguyen and Sundling, the No. 1 seeded team, defeated eighth-seeded Sekou Coker Bangoura, from Bradenton, Fla., and Nathan Pasha, of Atlanta, 7-6(2), 6-3. The winning pair won six matches in all, only dropping a set in their 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 semifinal triumph over Junior Ore and Mitchell Frank.
Sundling, from Thousand Oaks, will be joining Nguyen and the defending national champion USC Trojans next year.
It’s the duo’s second national title together, having also won two years ago in the boys 16s.
