Huntington Teen Earns Spot at US Open

By Ishan Shah

16-year-old Jack Kennedy of Huntington made history by playing in the qualifier round of the U.S Open - one of the four grand slams.

He is the youngest tennis player to play in a qualifying round of the U.S. Open – and the number 1 ranked 16-year-old tennis player in the world.

Kennedy started his tennis career in Huntington at the age of 4, quickly moving up in skill.

He was granted the opportunity to train at John McEnroe’s Tennis Academy in both Syosset and Randall’s Island, where he was a member of their BNP Paribas Mac 1 program – which is a high-level training program.

Kennedy now trains at Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center, with his coach Greg Lumpkin.

He recently earned a spot in the qualifiers for the open this past week, after he won his semi-final match at Kalamazoo, a major tournament held in Michigan.

Kennedy describes this experience as unimaginable.

“It’s a dream come true to me,” stated Kennedy. “I’ve watched this tournament since I was four-to-five years old.”

The 16-year-old already has sponsorships from top companies such as Adidas, and Solinco.

For the future, Jack is looking to play in college – specifically getting recruited from top schools, however, for now, his main priority is the US Open.