By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Kaylan Bigun of West Hollywood, Calif., who has competed at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in Vero Beach three times, won the junior boys’ singles title at the French Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Tomasz Berkieta of Poland.
Bigun, who has signed to play college tennis for UCLA, is the first American to win the junior boys singles title at Roland Garros since Tommy Paul, another Vero Beach tournament alumnus, in 2015. Bigun is only the fourth American to win the junior boys single title in Paris in the Open Era, also joining 2011 champ Bjorn Fratangelo and 1977 junior champion John McEnroe. Fratangelo also competed in Vero Beach in 2011, 2012 and 2013, reaching the quarterfinals in 2011 and 2013.
Bigun played in Vero Beach three times in the USTA Pro Circuit ITF World Tennis Tour event, the last two years in the main draw in 2023 and 2024 at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club, and one year in the qualifying tournament in 2022 at The Boulevard.
Last April, Bigun blitzed 2022 Mardy Fish champion Sekou Bangoura 6-0, 6-1 in the first round on Stadium Court (Court 4) at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club. Bigun’s post-match interview after that match can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHv-UBry_kY Bigun, however, lost in the second round to Dian Nedev of Bulgaria 3-6, 6-3,6-0 and did not compete in the doubles competition. His twin brother Micah, however, reached the doubles semifinals with Mitchell Lee of Oakland, Calif.
In 2023 at the Mardy Fish Futures, Bigun reached the doubles semifinals at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club with Roy Horovitz of Key Biscayne, losing to eventual champions Peter Bertran of the Dominican Republic and Lorenzo Claverie of Italy 6-1, 7-6(2), after defeating 2023 Vero Beach champ Dan Martin of Canada and 2022 Vero Beach doubles champ Ricardo Rodriguez in the quarterfinals 6-4, 2-6 (10-8), both matches on Court 2 at the VBTC. The semifinal appearance gave Bigun his first career ATP doubles ranking points. In singles, he lost in the first round to top seed Gabriel Boitan of Romania 7-6(4), 6-1 also on Court 2 at the VBTC.
In 2022, Bigun was a wild card entrant into the qualifying rounds of the tournament and played on Court 5 at The Boulevard in his first round qualifying win over Fabian Hansch Mauritzson of Sweden and then lost on the Stadium Court to Alvaro Guillen Meza of Ecuador in the qualifying final.
The 2025 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships will be held April 21-27.
