I want to preface this post by saying that like seeding, it's a lot easier to criticize wild card selection than it is to do it.
Here are the USTA's boys wild card selections for the main and qualifying draws of the U.S. Open Junior Championships:
MAIN
1. Brennan Boyajian
2. Mike McClune
3. Wil Spencer
4. Marcus Fugate
5. Bradley Klahn
6. Rhyne Williams
7. Chase Buchanan
8. Jarmere Jenkins
QUALIFYING
1. Ryan Thacher
2. Ryan Harrison
3. JT Sundling
4. Alex Domijan
5. Austin Krajicek
6. Tatsuma Ito
The 16s winner in Kalamazoo traditionally gets a main draw, and the finalist a qualifying. As you've probably gathered, I believe that Ryan Thacher should have been given a main draw wild card, given his performance in Kalamazoo, Palm Springs, Rockville and Scottsdale. He played every major USTA event, including the 16s Intersectionals and 18s Team Championships, won by Southern Calfornia, and yet he is not considered to have played the "competition" that the other wild cards have.
Rodney Harmon was kind enough to explain to me the reasoning behind the USTA choices, and basically, they come down to birth year. Ryan Thacher should be compared to Mike McClune and Wil Spencer, who also have 1989 birth years (as does Boyajian), not to Klahn and Jenkins (1990s), who finished behind him in Kalamazoo, or Williams and Buchanan (1991s) who played the 18s in Kalamazoo. (Thacher has two wins over Buchanan this spring.) I understand the value of giving younger players experience, but that must be balanced by putting on the court players with a realistic chance of winning matches.
And speaking of players born in 1989, where is Tyler Hochwalt's wild card? Seeded 27th, he finished sixth in Kalamazoo, losing to McClune and Kellen Damico, who will be seeded in New York. Not even a qualifying wild card (he beat Fugate in qualifying in last year's Open)? I can't begin to understand that reasoning. How about Adam El Mihdawy, who finished third in Kalamazoo?
Wil Spencer will not be playing in New York due to the ankle injury he suffered in his quarterfinal match in Kalamazoo, so that will free up a main draw wild card for someone. I'm too confused to even guess who it may be.
The girls wild cards are as follows:
MAIN:
1. Lauren Embree (16s winner)
2. Jamie Hampton
3. Mallory Burdette
4. Melanie Oudin
5. Ashley Weinhold
6. Christina McHale
7. Mary Gambale
8. To be confirmed
QUALIFYING
1. Mallory Cecil
2. Beatrice Capra
3. Alexandra Anghelescu
4. Brittany Augustine
5. To be confirmed
6. Matoba Yuka
Interesting that Chelsey Gullickson was given a women's qualifying wild card, but, unlike Marcus Fugate, not a main draw junior wild card. Gail Brodsky, who won the Women's National Open last December and was a Junior Orange Bowl 14s finalist, is out of luck, as is Ellah Nze, who is 585 in the WTA rankings. Both are "alternates" as of yesterday.
And could somebody please explain to me why we are trading qualifying wild cards with Japan? Australia, France or Great Britain I could understand, but nothing that Japan can give entry to can possibly compare to what we're providing.