California Dreaming: American Bigun crowned Roland Garros boys' champ
As Kaylan Bigun embraced Tomasz Berkieta after winning a thrilling Roland Garros boys' final on Saturday, he burst into laughter at the message his rival and friend delivered.
The 18-year-old, who clinched the prestigious title 4-6 6-3 6-3 in 1hr 52min, revealed his opponents first words were: “I never knew Americans could play on clay.”
The response from Bigun, who showed significant spirit under pressure in the second set to work back into the final, came with a curse word but touched on his mate’s powerful serve.
“It was great. It was a good embrace. He's a really nice guy. I've known him for so long already. He's so big, but I call him ‘Little Man’ all the time,” Bigun said.
As is often the case in tennis, it is not so much the size of the player in the fight as the spirit in the competitor when it comes to who ultimately succeeds.
While Berkieta, who enjoyed a superb week, is a player to watch closely given the quality of his serve and agility for a taller player, the smaller Bigun packs a prodigious punch as well.
Berkieta, a 17-year-old from Poland, started his first junior final at Grand Slam level in style, with his serve and net play superb.
The critical juncture in the match came in the infancy of the second set as the impressive resolve Bigun has displayed throughout this Roland Garros came to the fore once again.
Berkieta held four opportunities to seize the initial service break of the second and further the momentum he held.
But the Californian rose to the occasion in the manner of a champion, refusing to wilt. While he trailed his powerful rival, the message was clear. Bigun was up for the fight.
Having secured the game, he was able to break Berkieta two games later to edge ahead.
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“When you're returning rocket launchers like that, you have to believe that every game might be your chance to break, and every point that you can get the racquet on the ball is important,” Bigun said.
“I was, like, ‘if I'm going to let him hold, he's going to have to ace me four times’. That was kind of my mindset.”
The left-handed No.5 seed became the third American to triumph in the Roland Garros boys' singles after Bjorn Fratangelo in 2011 and Tommy Paul in 2015.
It is a championship held in high esteem given its tradition of unveiling players of the future.
Last year’s champion Dino Prizmic played with distinction against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open earlier this year. Active stars including Richard Gasquet, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Andrey Rublev, Paul, Alexei Popyrin and Holger Rune are former winners.
Bigun has professional aspirations but will soon join the UCLA Bruins collegiate team in the United States as a stepping stone towards the bigger stages in tennis.
The Los Angeles-raised teenager already practices with UCLA alumni Mackenzie McDonald at the USTA base in Florida and Marcos Giron when training in Carson, California.
“When I was choosing where I was going to go to college, I was obviously taking input from them and seeing how they developed at the school,” he said.
“That really kind of gave me a lot of confidence in their program and in their coaches, so that kind of was all setting it into place.
“I think college is a really good stepping stone for Americans wanting to become pros. I'm excited to go because it will only help me as a person and as a player as well.”
The journey to becoming the Roland Garros boys' champion has been the endeavour of a lifetime with Bigun, who previously claimed the J500 title in Milan in May, saying it began as soon as he could “open my eyes”.
“When I was in the crib, you know how there is, like, a lullaby and there's toys? Well, my dad took the toys out and put in tennis balls,” he said.
“So I think I started then and before I could walk, he had already put a racquet in my hand and I was swinging it around. (And) I started playing tournaments pretty early.”
Bigun now has a boys' Grand Slam to his name and is looking with eagerness to the future.