Ogunsakin stuns top seed to qualify for US Open Junior Championships main draw

Nigeria’s fast-rising tennis star Oluwaseun Ogunsakin has completed a remarkable qualifying campaign to secure his place in the main draw of the 2026 US Open Junior Championships.

The 14-year-old produced another impressive performance on Friday, defeating top seed Felix Roussel of Canada 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of qualifying.

Ogunsakin showed composure throughout the encounter, securing the first set 6-3 before maintaining his momentum to take the second 6-4 and seal his place among the players who will compete in the junior singles main draw at the final Grand Slam of the year.

The victory marks another major milestone in the rapid rise of the Nigerian teenager on the international junior circuit.

Ogunsakin, who represents Aurum Tennis Academy, had earlier opened his qualifying campaign with a commanding 6-3, 6-0 victory over Poland’s Tymon Litwic.

He followed that performance by overcoming the top seed Roussel, completing a perfect start to his US Open qualifying campaign without dropping a set.

The youngster is competing in his third consecutive Grand Slam event, having begun his Grand Slam journey at the Roland Garros Junior Championships before featuring at Wimbledon Juniors.

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He enjoyed a historic run at Wimbledon this year, reaching the main draw of the boys’ singles event and progressing to the semi-finals of the doubles competition.

Ogunsakin will now turn his attention to the US Open Junior Championships main draw, where he will look to continue his impressive run against the world’s best young players.

The tournament features 64 players in the boys’ and girls’ singles main draws, while 32 teams will compete in each of the boys’ and girls’ doubles events.

For Ogunsakin, however, the immediate focus will be on making the most of his hard-earned opportunity on one of tennis’ biggest stages.