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Alexis Nguyen approached Saahith Jayaraman after his semifinal victory at the USTA Winter Nationals and told him she was even more motivated to win after his performance.

The two both hail from El Dorado Hills, California, and both train at JMG Tennis Academy. Jayaraman is best friends with Nguyen’s older brother.

Nguyen and Jayaraman had more on the line than just winning their first career gold balls. They were playing for pride.

Boys Singles Champion Saahith Jayaraman
© Contributed Photo

Not only did they each capture the 18s singles titles at the USTA National Campus in Orlando last week, but they also did it by the same sets scores while playing on adjacent hard courts. Jayaraman defeated No. 17 Niels Hoffman 6-2, 6-4 in the Boys 18s singles final and Nguyen beat Anna Frey 6-4, 6-2 in the Girls 18s singles final.

“It was really exciting to see him win right next to me because we won an L2 tournament together in the 16s, but this is so much bigger,” said Nguyen, a blue-chip sophomore. “We both really wanted each other to win, and we wanted to do it for our academy and for El Dorado Hills.”