Hance, Antonius set all-American semifinal at Roland Garros
Hance, 18, meets 16-year-old Antonius on Friday for a place in the boys' singles final
Paris in the springtime is a beautiful thing for all Americans who skip the pond this time of year, but it’s especially glorious for a pair of young stars in the making who have taken their tennis talents to the terre battue of Roland Garros.
Keaton Hance and Michael Antonius both reached the semifinals of the Roland Garros boys’ singles event on Thursday, setting up an all-American showdown on the Parisian clay for a pair of juniors who hope to make an impression at the pro level in the years to come.
Antonius, seeded 13th, has been the bigger surprise. In the last two days he has knocked out the No. 2 and No. 5 seeds to book his first Grand Slam semifinal in just his second appearance at a junior Slam.
The 16-year-old Buffalo native recently made waves when he won an ITF event in Bakersfield, Calif., to become the youngest American man to win a professional tournament.
Now back in juniors, he is using his polished forehand and a deft game on the clay to befuddle the world’s best. On Thursday he breezed past Slovenia’s Ziga Seska, this year’s Australian Open boys’ singles runner-up, 6-2, 6-1, in a cool 65 minutes on Court 14.
The beautiful sunken court on the west side of the grounds was packed with spectators and Antonius enjoyed the atmosphere after his win, taking several minutes to sign autographs for kids.
“That was my first time in front of a crowd with so many people,” Antonius said. “I think I played really well today. It’s obviously difficult conditions.
It was super windy, and I think I did a good job staying solid and not going for too much and just keeping my cool on court.”
Antonius, making his boys’ singles debut on the Parisian clay, has yet to drop a set through four matches in Paris.
Hance, who reached the boys’ singles final at the Australian Open in January, took out Germany’s Jamie Mackenzie, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (10-6), in the quarters. The No. 6 seed, 18 years old, is hungry for more after his success in Melbourne.
“Coming into this week, I of course had my eyes set on winning the tournament,” he said. “Especially after doing so well in Australia. It gave me a lot of confidence, and really showed me that I’m able to do it. I have tons of confidence playing this week, I’m just really excited.”
The Torrance, Calif., native is the rare American that prefers clay to any other surface. His footwork and grinding physicality make it tough on opponents.
“I have grown up mostly in Orlando, training on the red clay,” Hance said of his time at the USTA National Campus. “So I’m lucky. I’m one of the lucky few Americans who have gotten to play on red clay a lot.”
Hance is making his sixth appearance at the junior Grand Slams and is into the semifinals for the first time in Paris.