South Bay players record wins at U.S. Open Junior Championships

Two South Bay 16-year-olds had big second-round wins at the U.S. Open Junior Championships on Tuesday.

Ashley Lahey of Hawthorne and Taylor Johnson of Redondo Beach both recorded wins at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Ashley Lahey

Lahey, a current freshman at Pepperdine, won her fourth consecutive match in New York City, defeating American wild-card Natasha Subhash, 6-2, 6-3, in the second round.

Johnson eliminated qualifier Irina Siermers of Germany, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the Round of 16.

“This is my first major, and it’s just been incredible,” said Lahey, who won two matches in qualifying to make the 64-player main draw. “I was so excited to come out to New York. I had an emotional qualifying and started crying when I finally won. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I mean, just walking around and seeing all the pros, like (Rafael) Nadal and (Caroline) Wozniacki. They both acknowledged me, and were nice to me. It makes me feel like I belong. It makes me feel like a real pro.”

USC freshman Brandon Holt, the son of tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin, fell in his second-round match to No. 5-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, 7-5, 6-2. Last year, Holt, of Rolling Hills Estates, turned heads by making it all the way to the final in doubles at the Open with partner Riley Smith of Los Alamitos.

Thousand Oaks’ 16-year-old Claire Liu, the No. 10-seeded player, lost her second-round match to Tessah Andrianjafitrimo of France, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.