NEW YORK, United States |ย Seventeen-year-old Israeli tennis prospect Dan Brand showed resilience on one of the sportโs biggest stages this week, rebounding from a physically punishing singles defeat to win his opening doubles match at the 2026 U.S. Open Junior Championships in New York.
Brand, one of Israelโs leading junior players, partnered with Austriaโs Thilo Behrmann in the boysโ doubles competition at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The fifth-seeded pair defeated South Africaโs Connor Doig and Bulgariaโs Dimitar Kisimov 6-3, 6-3 in their opening match, extending Brandโs stay at the final junior Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Their run ended in the second round on Sept. 10, when Puerto Ricoโs Yannik Alvarez and American Ryan Cozad defeated Behrmann and Brand 6-2, 6-2.
Despite the loss, Brandโs performance in New York marked another significant appearance for a young Israeli player competing against many of the worldโs best teenage tennis prospects.
Singles Run Ends After Severe Cramping
Brand entered the tournament in both boysโ singles and doubles.
He won his opening singles match before reaching the second round, where severe cramping became a decisive factor in a three-set defeat.
Reporting from the tournament described Brand struggling physically as the match progressed, with the Israeli teenager attempting to continue despite significant discomfort.
The defeat ended his singles campaign, but Brand returned to the court the following day for doubles.
Rather than withdrawing after the physically difficult singles match, he joined Behrmann and helped produce a straight-sets victory over Doig and Kisimov.
The U.S. Openโs official tournament coverage confirms Brandโs participation in both junior singles and doubles and featured him among the young players competing during the opening days of the junior tournament.
Competing Among the Worldโs Best Juniors
The U.S. Open Junior Championships bring together many of the leading under-18 players in international tennis.
This yearโs boysโ field included leading prospects from the United States, Europe, Asia, South America and elsewhere, with Brand representing Israel in the final junior Grand Slam of the season.
Brand is 17 and plays left-handed. His recent international results have placed him among Israelโs most promising young tennis players.
At Roland Garros earlier this year, he reached the boysโ doubles quarterfinals and also competed in singles. His International Tennis Federation junior ranking has placed him among the world’s leading young players.
Grand Slam junior tournaments often serve as an important development stage for players hoping to eventually transition to the professional tours.
For Brand, playing in New York provided another opportunity to compete against elite international opposition while gaining experience in the atmosphere of a major championship.
Jewish Support in New York
Brandโs appearance also attracted support from Jewish spectators attending the tournament.
Reporting from New York described members of the local Jewish community visibly supporting the Israeli teenager during his matches, adding an unusual element of national and community backing to his U.S. Open experience.
That support comes at a time when Israeli athletes competing internationally have frequently faced heightened attention because of the political environment surrounding Israel.
Brandโs tournament, however, remained focused on tennis.
His most significant challenge came not from controversy but from the physical demands of junior Grand Slam competition.
After the cramping that ended his singles hopes, returning the next day and contributing to a convincing doubles victory provided an immediate response.
Part of Israelโs Next Tennis Generation
Israel has produced several internationally successful tennis players over the decades, including Shlomo Glickstein, Amos Mansdorf, Dudi Sela and Shahar Peโer.
The country has not had the depth of major tennis nations, making the development of players such as Brand particularly important to the future of Israeli tennis.
At 17, Brand remains at the beginning of that process.
His U.S. Open campaign ended before the later stages of either draw, but simply qualifying and competing at junior Grand Slam level places him within a relatively small international group of elite teenage players.
The tournament also showed the resilience required for the next stage.
Within a day of seeing his singles run end amid severe cramping, Brand was back on court helping his doubles team advance.
For Israeli sports fans, the result offered something increasingly important beyond medals or championships: another young Israeli athlete competing openly and successfully on a major international stage.
Brand leaves New York without a U.S. Open title, but with another Grand Slam appearance, a tournament victory in doubles and valuable experience as he continues his development toward senior competition.
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