Zachary Svajda
Zachary "Zach" Svajda ( ; born November 29, 2002) is an American professional tennis player. He has achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 385 on December 6, 2021. Early life and background. A native of San Diego, California, Svajda took up tennis at the age of 2, initially coached by Matt Hanlin. He earned his first ATP World Tour ranking point at the age of 15, defeating top-seeded Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva of Brazil 6–3, 6–4 at the 2018 Claremont Club Pro Classic as a local main-draw wild card. Professional career. 2019: ATP  and Grand Slam debut. On August 11, 2019, Svajda defeated Govind Nanda 6–7, 7–5, 6–3, 6–1 to win the USTA Boys 18s National Championship. This victory earned the 16-year-old a wild card into the main draw of the 2019 US Open, making him the youngest player to play in the men's US Open since Donald Young in 2005. There, despite succumbing to full-body cramps in a five-set first round loss to Paolo Lorenzi, he drew attention as a future prospect in American professional tennis for his solid ground strokes and adept net play. 2021: US  Open second round. After defeating Ben Shelton 6–1, 6–4, 6–1 to defend his Boys 18s National Championship title, Svajda was given another wild card into the US Open. There, ranked world No. 716, he beat world No. 81 Marco Cecchinato to progress to the second round before bowing out against 13th seed Jannik Sinner in four tight sets. Performance timelines. Singles. "Current through the 2021 US Open."