No. 7 Seed Hudgens Upsets Top Seed Monaco, Rolls to Boys' 14U Title at IMG Academy Open

No. 7 seed Drew Hudgens put together a dominant run through the final rounds to capture the Boys' 14 & Under singles title at the Level 5 IMG Academy Open, held January 31 through February 2 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. Hudgens upset top-seeded Nicholas Monaco in the semifinals before cruising through the final.

Hudgens Dominates the Final

The final was the most lopsided match of the weekend's closing rounds. Hudgens was in control throughout against Jay Dowden, winning 6-3, 6-1 in straight sets to claim the title. Dowden, who had fought through a grueling three-set semifinal just hours earlier, had no answer for Hudgens.

Hudgens Topples Top Seed Monaco

Hudgens' biggest win came in the semifinals against No. 1 seed Nicholas Monaco. Hudgens won the first set 6-3 and kept his foot on the gas in the second, closing it out 7-5 to end Monaco's tournament in straight sets.

Monaco had survived a three-set quarterfinal to get there, dropping the first set 4-6 to No. 5 seed Patrick Z Wang before fighting back to take the second 6-3 and pulling away in the match tiebreak 10-3.

Dowden Grinds Through Three-Set Semifinal

Jay Dowden's path to the final was far more eventful. After taking the first set 7-5 against Chase Bunting, Dowden was blown out 0-6 in the second. He regrouped in the match tiebreak, winning 10-5 to book his spot in the final.

Bunting had earned his semifinal spot with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 quarterfinal win over Niko Mulder, the most one-sided result of the quarterfinal round.

Full Results

Quarterfinals

Monaco [1] d. Wang [5], 4-6, 6-3, [10-3]

Hudgens [7] d. Heysek, 6-4, 7-6(1)

Bunting d. Mulder, 6-1, 6-0

Dowden d. Gaidukov, 7-6(10), 6-1

Semifinals

Hudgens [7] d. Monaco [1], 6-3, 7-5

Dowden d. Bunting, 7-5, 0-6, [10-5]

Final

Hudgens [7] d. Dowden, 6-3, 6-1