US Open 2024 Day 13: Boy's and Girl's singles final predictions ft. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer vs Rafael Jodar
Day 13 of the 2024 US Open will feature the summit clashes of the Juniors division for both the boys and girls. The four players involved in the two title fights will be keen to get their hands on the junior US Open title which will help them to make a mark in professional tennis in the future.
On the side of the boys, reigning Wimbledon champion Nicolai Budkov Kjaer will be in action against Rafael Jodar of Spain. British Mika Stojsavljevic will take on Wakana Sonobe of Japan in the girls' final.
Let's look at the two Junior finals slated to take place on September 8
#1. Nicolai Budkova Kjaer vs Rafael Jodar
Top seed Nicolai Budkov Kjaer will look to win his second Junior Major title in 2024 when he takes on 12th-seeded Rafael Jodar of Spain in the final of the 2024 US Open.
The Norwegian has already won the Junior Wimbledon title this year and also reached the semi-final of the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Rei Sakamoto. Kjaer put in a dominant performance to defeat Charlie Robertson 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals in New York.
Rafael Jodar has gradually improved his performances at the Junior Majors this year. After not playing at the Australian Open, the Spanish teen reached the third round at the French Open. He followed it up by reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, losing to Naoya Honda.
At the US Open, Jodar caused a massive upset when he defeated third seed and the current Australian Open boys singles champion Rei Sakamoto in the semi-final.
Provided the Norwegian is the top seed, and already a Junior champion, Kjaer will be the favorite to win the title.
Predicted Winner- Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
#2 Mika Stojsavljevic vs Wakana Sonobe
The girl's final at the 2024 US Open will see seventh-seeded Wakana Sonobe face off against the unseeded Brit Mika Stojsavljevic. The British player is having the best performance of her junior career so far at this season's US Open.
She defeated the top seed and the runner-up at this year's Junior Australian Open and Wimbledon, Emerson Jones in the third round in straight sets. The unseeded Brit caused another upset when she defeated third-seeded and home favorite Iva Jovic in the semi-final.
Wakana Sonobe reached the third round at the Junior French Open, losing to eventual champion Tereza Valentova. At the US Open, the Japanese played knocked out the fourth-seeded Teodora Kostovic and the eighth-seeded Mingge Xu in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively.
Even though Sonobe is the seeded player, Stojsavljevic is in better form as she took out two of the top three seeds at the event, making her the favorite for this match.
Predicted winner- Mika Stojsavljevic