Stoiana title at W50 in Austin Includes WTA WIld Card; Kozlov, Anthrop and Bennett claim USTA Pro Circuit Singles Championships

The tournament title that was not certain to go to an American was at the M50 in Austin, Texaswhere Mary Stoiana, the former ITA National Player of the Year at Texas A&M, faced No. 4 seed Mai Hontama of Japan in the finals. Stoiana, the No. 7 seed, fought back to post a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win, earning her second Pro Circuit title and first of 2025.

Not only does the title boost Stoiana’s WTA ranking to a career-high of 260, but it also gives her a wildcard for February’s WTA 250 in Austin next year.

DJ Bennett, the NCAA 2024 fall singles finalist, did not qualify for this year’s NCAA individual tournament, but some of that disappointment was undoubtedly assuaged by the 22-year-old from Florida claiming the first Pro Circuit title today at the W15 at Clemson South Carolina.

Two players who will compete in the NCAA Division I Singles Championships Tuesday faced each other this morning in the final of the M25 in Columbus Ohiowith No. 7 seed Jack Anthrop beating Ohio State teammate Aidan Kim, No. 3 seed, 7-6(1), 6-2. It is the first Pro Circuit singles title for the 22-year-old from Florida, who is a 9-16 seed in Lake Nona. Kim is the No. 3 seed.

Wild card Duncan Chan of Canada, a junior at TCU, lost today in his first Challenger final at the ATP 75 in Drummondville, Quebecfalling to No. 4 seed Daniil Glinka of Estonia 6-4, 6-2.

At the end USTA Pro Circuit Challenger of the Year, the 75 in Champaign IllinoisStefan Kozlov defeated No. 4 seed Murphy Cassone (Arizona State) 7-6(3), 7-5 in this afternoon’s final. It is the first Challenger title for the 27-year-old from Florida since winning the Champaign title in 2021. Until this week, his best results at Challenger level were two quarter-final appearances in January and April. He was ranked just 488 in the ATP rankings earlier this year, but this title puts him at 306th and he will now be much better positioned for the 2027 Challengers.

Luca Udvardy, a freshman on the Oklahoma State roster who has yet to play for the Cowgirls, won the biggest title of her career today at the W35 in Orlando. The unseeded 20-year-old from Hungary, who reached the 2022 Wimbledon girls’ final, defeated No. 6 seed Martha Matoula of Greece 6-3, 6-3 to claim her fifth singles title but her first at W15 level.

Eighteen-year-old Reda Bennani from Morocco, who was eligible to compete on the ITF Junior Circuit this year but has only played on the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour, today won his second title of the year and his career on the M15 in Orlando. The No. 5 seed defeated unseeded Christopher Li (UNC, Tennessee, Ohio State) of Peru 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-4 in today’s final. He had lost 6-1, 6-2 to Li the week before in the second round of the M15 in Orlando.