Opponents had to plan for only forehands, yet the established junior pairing still prevailed. Teodor Davidov, a 16-year-old from Denver who plays exclusively with forehands and serves from both sides, and partner Tyler Lee were beaten 6-2, 6-2 by the tournament’s top-seeded boys’ doubles team in New York.
Davidov’s presence on court altered routine return patterns for opposing players, delivering an unfamiliar look from the baseline and at the net. The teenager, listed at 5ft 7in, has been ambidextrous since childhood and chooses not to use a conventional backhand in competition. He told reporters he enjoys the traditional backhand-forehand combo in practice, but in matches he prefers his double-forehand approach.
The opposition, Brazil’s Guto Miguel and Slovenia’s Ziga Sesko, arrived as the top seeds and the world’s No 1 and No 4 juniors in singles, and brought proven firepower. Sesko is the reigning Australian Open singles and Wimbledon doubles champion, and Miguel already has a Futures-level title to his name and is viewed as a strong contender in the US Open boys’ singles draw. After a brief period of adjustment, they imposed pace and consistency to finish the match in 42 minutes.
Crowds at Court 6 gathered to watch Davidov alternate groundstrokes, lobs, volleys and serves from both wings, a sight that has generated viral clips for several years. One notable earlier result cited in his profile is a 6-1, 6-0 win over Jaime Alcaraz at the IMG Future Stars tournament in Greece in 2022. Davidov has also recorded milestones off the junior circuit, becoming the first player born in 2010 to pass qualifying at a professional M15-level ITF event, capturing the boys’ doubles title at Les Petits As, and reaching the semi-finals of an M15 event in Naples to earn his first career ATP points.
Davidov described the trip to New York as an opportunity to build match experience and to field-test his double-wing style on faster courts. He acknowledged early nerves in the tournament but said the last days had been more enjoyable as he adapted to conditions. The US Open appearance left him with new high-level minutes against top juniors, while Sesko and Miguel advanced having neutralised the unfamiliar tactic.
