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Last year, Nadejda Maslova was named the top player in New York City high school tennis after winning the Public School Athletic League Championship.

Last week, the eighth-seeded Maslova solidified her status as one of the best players in the nation after coming from behind to defeat top-seeded Leyden Games, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the USTA Winter Nationals Girls’ 16s singles title on the clay courts at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida.

Singles Champion Nadejda Masolva
© Manuela Davies/USTA

Maslova, 16, who was honored on opening day at the U.S. Open for being ranked No. 2 in the USTA Girls’ Eastern 16s division, kept her composure after being outplayed in the first set by the hard-hitting Games (pronounced Ga-mez).

“It was my first time in a [national level] final and I had extra nerves,’’ said Games, 15, who on Sunday was already on the slopes in Vail, Colorado, where she grew up skiing competitively. “I was thinking about the outcome and the gold ball instead of the process. She began to gain confidence and began hitting really big serves and big shots on key points. I was no longer in the control room.’’