[Brian Swartz]

Osaka Mayors Cup had Prisha and Herena winning doubles yet again with ease, and meeting up again in singles, this time in the semifinal. This was the most tense, epic match he's yet had this year. After a couple of strange tiebreaks, Prisha prevailed 7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6(3). Another close one in the final against Bryan Andersen, although it was anticlimactic in comparison, and Prisha won his first big junior singles event, moving past Anderson to #3 overall.

Strangely, #1 Fehrang Forrughi didn't play at all. Even so, there's basically no chance of Prisha reaching higher than third, because of a weird rule I just discovered: 'bonus points'. And I don't completely understand how this works.

- Forrughi has 750 bonus points; he's won one Junior Grand Slam and two Junior Grade A.

- Herena has 250 bonus points: one JGS and one JGA.

- Prisha has none: one JGA

- Andersen has 250: one JGS.

You could say 250 bonus points for every JGS won, but that doesn't explain why Forrughi has that many. So I don't really understand how this is working. Perhaps you have to win a JGS, and then it's 250 per JGS/JGA if you've done that? Perhaps an operating theory. Also, on the ranking screen it shows a trophy for every 'Junior Grand Slam', but it's actually counting JGS and JGA.

Whatever. Being #3 overall isn't bad at all, and good training progress continues. Remaining are the Orange Bowl in a couple of months in the US, and the Casabalanca Cup shortly afterwards in Mexico. Both are on hardcourt. And then it's on to the pro ranks.