Frank Thompson, 16, of Blacksburg won the 2019 US Tennis Association Easter Bowl doubles title in Indian Wells, California this spring. The accomplishment earns him the opportunity to play in the US Open Juniors Championships in September according to a US Tennis Association press release.
“It’s a huge deal,” his tennis coach Magda Kanska said. “They only have six tournaments in the country you can win. To get to that, you either have to do really well in your section or you have to have a high enough national ranking.”
She was surprised. He was surprised too. The last boy that won from Virginia was at least ten years ago, so this is a big deal, Kanska said.
The Blacksburg High School sophomore and Boys’ Varsity Tennis Team member won the doubles final on March 30. Each year, more than 120,000 players compete in USTA junior tournament.
“As his coach I’m super excited for him. He works really hard. He spends hours a day on the court. It’s just hard work. And he loves the game. He loves it. We call him a “tennis bum.” He works extremely hard,” his coach said. “There’s no short-cut.”
Thompson (on the side closest to the mountains) wearing dark blue—facing the camera and hitting the ball in the semifinals when they beat the number one seed boys from California.
Magda Kanska, whose been coaching at Blacksburg for nine years said Thompson is an amazing athlete, but on the team, he’s just one of the guys.
“He’s just part of the team even though he’s so good, you would never guess. He’s really humble. He will go and cheer with everybody. He’s a great team member. If he sees somebody struggling with something, he just helps. I’m really proud of him,” she said.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. Players compete in levels of competition through earned advancement in the 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 year-old age divisions.