Defending Boys’ 18 Champion Cassius Chinlund Leads Talented Field This Year

The FILA Easter Bowl returns to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the 56^th edition of one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious junior tennis tournaments.

Nearly every American men’s and women’s Grand Slam champion has competed in the FILA Easter Bowl, a true pipeline to the professional ranks, including past champions John McEnroe, Tracy Austin, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. The FILA Easter Bowl is a USTA Level 1 Spring National Championship in the 18s, 16s, 14s and 12s for both boys and girls with gold, silver and bronze balls handed out for top finishers in all eight singles and doubles divisions.

Recent FILA Easter Bowls winners have included top American men’s player and 2022 BNP Paribas Open champion Taylor Fritz (No. 13) and Emma Navarro (No. 20), who recently upset world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka to make the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open.

“We’re looking forward to once again showcasing American junior tennis at its best in Tennis Paradise,” said Philippe Dore, Chief Marketing Officer, BNP Paribas Open and Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “Just two weeks after all eyes were on the BNP Paribas Open, we are back presenting these future pro players like we do each year. It’s always fun to follow past winners like Taylor and Emma and the dozen or so other Easter Bowl alums who played here as juniors, and have gone on to success in the pros.”

On Saturday, the boys’ and girls’ 12s and 14s kick off with the finals set for next Thursday. The 16s and 18s start on Monday with the finals on Saturday.

Last year, 17-year-old Cassius Chinlund rolled to his first USTA National title as the No. 5 seed knocked off No. 7 and then-UCLA freshman Emon van Loben Sels in three sets to capture the Boys’ 18s singles title.

“It was really surreal for me last year as I was kind of an unknown coming into Easter Bowl,” said Chinlund, who used a USTA wild card by way of his victory to earn his first ATP points a few months later in the SoCal Pro Series. “With that win I was able to take another step and reach a new level and know that I really belonged among the top players in the nation.”

Twins Sophia and Savannah Webster from Bonita Springs, Fla., are ones to watch in the Girls’ 18s. The nieces of Grand Slam Champion Pete Sampras, Sophia will attend Vanderbilt in the fall, while Savannah will play at the University of Miami.

Other top returners include last year’s Boys’ 16s winner Ian Brack of Tulsa, Okla. Boys’ 14s winner Roshan Santhosh of Thousand Oaks and finalist Ryan Cozad of Alpharetta, Ga., return as both will compete in the Boys’ 16s. Girls’ 14s winner Nancy Lee (Belmont, Mass.) will also move to the 16s while her finals opponent Anita Tu (Jacksonville, Fla.) will jump into the 18s.

FILA Easter Bowl matches will once again be live-streamed on www.EasterBowl.com with Fox Sports Radio and Tennis Channel commentator Bryan Fenley handling the play-by-play duties. For the 19^th consecutive year, Colette Lewis from the website ZooTennis.com will once again be providing daily coverage of the Easter Bowl and will be on-site this year.

With the exception of the Williams sisters, nearly every American male and female player in the current Top 100 world rankings has played the FILA Easter Bowl at the current site of the BNP Paribas Open, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, including Fritz, Sofia Kenin, Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul, Marcos Giron, Mackie McDonald, Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula and Brandon Nakashima, just to name a few.

The iconic junior tournament started by Seena Hamilton in 1968 is considered the Super Bowl of junior tennis. Longtime Easter Bowl Chairman Emeritus Lornie Kuhle took over the event 12 years ago and was responsible for moving it to the Tennis Garden. No other junior tennis tournament in the United States possesses the same rich history as the FILA Easter Bowl. The tournament started in New York City and has been played in Florida, Arizona and California.