Teenagers Blanch and Bonding win first professional titles
Former world junior No. 4 Darwin Blanch, of the United States, achieved a professional milestone this weekend after winning his first men’s title on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
The 17-year-old, who reached the semi-finals at two Junior Grand Slams – Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2023 – defeated Britain’s Oliver Crawford 1-6 7-5 7-5 in the final at M15 Villena, Spain.
The Ferrero Tennis Academy in Villena was an apt setting for Blanch’s first triumph. Florida-born Blanch uses the facility as a training base and has regularly hit there with Carlos Alcaraz, Juan Carlos Ferrero’s charge.
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Blanch is one of several ITF player pathway stories emerging from last week’s on-court action.
Britain’s Oliver Bonding, who is ranked No. 10 in the ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings and has represented his nation at two Junior Davis Cup Finals, also claimed his first professional title at M15 Lannion.
The 17-year-old had lost six of the previous seven professional matches he had contested since making his ITF men’s debut in May 2024, but recorded five straight sets wins on the bounce to prevail at the French hard court tournament.
It comes almost a year after he became the first British boy to win an ITF J500 junior title in 14 years – since George Morgan at the 2010 Orange Bowl – with victory at J500 Blumenau last March.
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