'I would've just laughed': Wimbledon set for all-American boys' final
They may have shared a joke about their presence in an all-American boys’ final at the Junior Championships at Wimbledon, but all pleasantries will be put on hold tomorrow when Samir Banerjee and Victor Lilov do battle.
Lilov, of North Carolina, was the first to seal his place in the title-decider as the 17-year-old ruthlessly dispatched top seed Juncheng Shang of China in style, chalking up a convincing 6-3 6-1 victory.
Banerjee, who like Lilov is both unseeded for this tournament and a Wimbledon debutant, followed his fellow countryman into the final courtesy of a 7-6(3) 4-6 6-2 success over qualifier Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg of France.
His first-round victory against Poland’s Maks Kasnikowski was Banerjee’s first Junior Grand Slam match-win, although irrespective of this lack of Junior Grand Slam pedigree, opportunity now knocks loudly.
Both he and Lilov have the chance to follow in the footsteps of some lofty American names. The likes of Taylor Fritz, Coco Gauff, Sebastian Korda, Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul have topped the podium at a Junior Grand Slam in recent years.
“That’s crazy,” Banerjee, who is ranked No. 19 in the boys' rankings, told itftennis.com. Obviously, those guys are really established professionals and I’m just starting out. Well, not starting out as I’m establishing myself in the juniors, but I think the leap from juniors to pro is a big one.
“This, however, is a big step in the right direction but I’ve got to keep working hard. Hopefully, if I can win tomorrow, it can be a big step as winning a Junior Grand Slam means everything at this age.
“Every junior player is gunning for the Slams. They are the biggest tournaments of the year and nothing would be as special as winning one.”
All-American finals are not the rarest of beasts lately, with Fritz defeating Paul at the 2015 US Open the last time one such showpiece event occurred in a boys’ draw.
But while neither Lilov nor Banerjee were expecting events to unfold as they have, a significant insert upon their career CV is up for grabs and within touching distance.
“We definitely did not envisage this coming into the tournament,” Lilov told itftennis.com. “I walked by him in the cafeteria and we had a little joke about it.
“If somebody had told me last week that we would be playing each other in the final, I wouldn’t have believed them, I would probably have just laughed.
“It’s incredible, I’m so happy to be in the final. It’s awesome to be here and a lot of past US Junior Grand Slam winners have gone on to be very good professionals. It’s an honour to be here and I hope to follow in their footsteps.”
Banerjee, who comes from New Jersey and made his Junior Grand Slam bow at Roland Garros last month, very much agrees with the sentiments of his opponent-to-be.
“I came into this tournament looking to win a round and trying to play well because I knew I was playing well before this,” he said. “I didn’t really know how I would do on grass so I wanted to come in and give it my best. It’s amazing that I have been able to play this well.”
By defeating Shang in their last-four tussle, Lilov continued his impressive knack of knocking out seeded players here. In addition to Shang, he also counts Roland Garros boys’ finalist Arthur Fils and home favourite Jack Pinnington Jones among his scalps.
“Beating these guys has definitely given me a lot of confidence,” he added. “Arthur in the second round was a good win for me as I was twice down a break in the third set and still managed to win. That was also my first third-set win of the year.
“Then beating Jack, who was probably the favourite, was a big thing. I don’t know if I’m playing the best tennis of my life as I’m not really thinking about that, but this is definitely my best tournament by far.”
While Lilov’s record against seeded players is impressive, his head-to-head record against Banerjee is not. Banerjee holds a 3-0 win-loss record against his fellow countryman, although both were eager to play down its significance given all previous showdowns were within age-group tennis and much progression and development has occurred since.
“We’re both completely different players now. He is 3-0 against me but tomorrow is a new day,” said junior world No. 31. Lilov. Likewise, Banerjee was in no mood to indulge in the historical relevance of statistics. “It won’t affect our match,” he simply added.
While tomorrow clearly means much for both players, their careers will advance regardless of the result. For Banerjee, who has Indian heritage – his father is from Assam and his mother from Hyderabad – the die would appear cast, with the plan being college tennis at Columbia University.
“Growing up, college was always in the picture and I was going to use tennis to get to college,” he said. “I wanted to play at the highest level I could and then after college maybe try to go pro.
“I didn’t really expect this [reaching the Wimbledon boys’ final], but I am really happy with my commitment to Columbia. The coaches there, I am really buying into their vision and it’s a really good stepping stone.
“With Indian parents, they definitely wanted me to go to college and not just go right to pros. Also, I think it would be a good character-building thing as I am not sure I am fully ready to go pro yet. As of right now, I am probably still go to straight to college.”