Israeli tennis player Brand reaches junior US Open doubles round of 16
In the United States, 17-year-old Israeli tennis player Dan Brand secured a victory in the junior US Open doubles tournament after losing in singles. Together with 18-year-old Austrian Tilo Berman, he defeated Connor Doig of South Africa and Dimitar Kisimov of Bulgaria 6:3, 6:3 to reach the round of 16.
As The Jerusalem Post reports, fifth-seeded Brand and Berman spent just over an hour on court. In the next round, they are set to play Jannik Alvarez of Puerto Rico and American Ryan Cozad.
Cramps in the singles match
The day before, Brand lost in the second round of the singles draw to 17-year-old American Andy Johnson, the tournament’s 10th seed and the world No. 12 among juniors. The Israeli lost the first set 2:6 in 28 minutes but won the second one 6:3.
In the third set, Johnson took a 3:0 lead, after which Brand took a three-minute medical timeout. The tennis player later explained that he had severe cramps throughout his body rather than an injury; according to him, something similar had happened to him before.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
After returning to the court, Brand at times used underhand serves and won only two points in the next three games. Johnson finished the deciding set 6:0.
Support and the coach’s assessment
During Brand’s singles match, spectators actively supported him, including Jewish fans. After the match, some fans stayed to take photos with the tennis player and get his autograph.
Coach Robert Raguz, who works with Brand in the Grand Slam player development program, noted the Israeli’s ability to adapt to an opponent and find their weak spots. After the doubles victory, Brand called the atmosphere at the tournament incredible and expressed hope of continuing his run with Berman.
