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KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Sunday was a special day for 17-year-old Patrick Kypson. Not only did he add the Kalamazoo 18s singles title to the 16s championship he won in 2015, thereby earning a US Open main draw wild card, he also won the first five-set match he had ever played, coming back to beat JJ Wolf 6-7 (1), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 in front of nearly 2.000 spectators at Kalamazoo College’s Stowe Stadium.

Boys 18 Champion Patrick Kypson
© zootennis.com

“I wondered a little bit if I could do that, especially at the end,” Kypson said after the four-hour contest, a fitting conclusion to the tournament’s celebration of 75 years in Kalamazoo. “I’m pretty tired right now. I’ve had problems with cramps in the past and that’s not fun. I think it’s tension that does that, it’s not physical. I’m in pretty good shape, but it’s not easy playing 5-2 in the fifth in Kalamazoo. I think I handled it pretty well.”

The No. 2 seed was able to conserve his energy en route to the final, taking his first six matches in straight sets, although three times he needed to win a tiebreaker to avoid a third set, including in his quarterfinal victory over friend and No. 7 seed Sebastian Korda.

Kypson breezed to a 6-0, 6-3 semifinal win over No. 29 seed Ryan Goetz, who had upset both No. 3 seed Trent Bryde and No. 6 seed John McNally. But with 13 singles and doubles matches over the 10 days of the tournament, Kypson had little opportunity to rest.