For a few hours on Monday, it looked as though Israeli junior Dan Brand was about to write the same comeback story he had produced one day earlier at the US Open.
Instead, his second-round singles match became a heartbreaking lesson in just how quickly the fortunes of a young tennis player can change, and how much support can mean when they do.
Facing fellow 17-year-old American Andy Johnson, the tournament’s No. 10 seed and the world’s No. 12 junior, Brand again dropped the opening set before fighting his way back. But this time, just as he appeared to have seized control, severe cramping throughout his body brought his singles run to an abrupt end.
Brand lost the first set 6-2 in 28 minutes, going down 2-0 before beginning to find his rhythm in the second. He raised the intensity of his play, became more aggressive and began dictating the pace, winning four consecutive games to take a 4-2 lead before closing out the set 6-3.
It was almost a carbon copy of Sunday’s first-round match, when Brand had also quickly dropped the opening set before battling back to win the next two.
With the momentum and a partisan crowd firmly on his side, Brand appeared poised to mount another comeback.
But Johnson held serve to open the third set and then broke Brand for a 2-0 lead. With Brand trailing 2-0 and facing a 40-30 deficit, he suddenly clutched his right elbow and went to his corner to towel off. He returned to serve underhanded, lost the final point of the game and fell behind 3-0.
Brand then called for a three-minute medical timeout. A trainer evaluated him, had him lie down on the court, and appeared to treat his calf.
Brand would later explain that he was experiencing cramping throughout his body rather than dealing with an injury. He said he had experienced similar cramping before.
When he returned, he managed only two points over the next three games, serving some points underhanded, as Johnson closed out the decisive third set 6-0.
Jewish fans rally around Israeli junior
Yet even as the singles match slipped away, the support around Brand only grew louder.
The enthusiastic, heavily pro-Brand crowd was visibly disappointed and concerned for the young Israeli. Many remained afterward, waiting to take even more photographs and collect more autographs than they had following Sunday’s match.
A number of spectators were visibly Jewish, wearing yarmulkes and skirts. Some had read about Brand in the Jerusalem Post, while others had simply heard his name and “Israel” announced on the tournament schedule and made their way to Court 6 for the fourth match of the day.
Eli Shaer of Great Neck, Long Island, was there with his two children, nieces and nephews, and was among those cheering Brand on.
“He is incredible,” Shaer said after Brand’s second-set comeback. “He is very strong offensively, and he shows Jewish pride.”
Shaer was also struck by the size of the crowd for a junior match.
“It is over 50% full, and they are all here for Dan,” he said.
Martin Friedman of Staten Island, New York, attended with three friends, drawn to the match by a sense of Jewish pride.
“From far away, you smell family on the side court,” Friedman said. “You want to support our nation and our brethren, we are one big happy family.”
Brand faces one of world’s top juniors
Brand was facing a formidable opponent. Johnson, ranked No. 12 in the world among juniors, has already competed as a professional and made history in February when he became the youngest player to win an ITF World Tennis Tour men’s singles title since Carlos Alcaraz did so in July 2019. Johnson won the M15 Sunrise, Florida tournament at 16 years and 176 days.
The statistics reflected a competitive match despite the difficult ending. Both players reached serves of 119 mph, with Johnson averaging 94 mph and Brand 91 mph. Neither player recorded an ace. Brand finished with 39 unforced errors to Johnson’s 20.
For Brand, however, there was little time to dwell on the loss.
Brand rebounds with US Open doubles victory
After resting and rehydrating, he returned to the court Tuesday for the doubles competition, teaming with 18-year-old Austrian Thilo Behrman, the world’s No. 6 junior in both singles and doubles. The pair entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed and faced Connor Doig of the Republic of South Africa and Dimitar Kisimov of Bulgaria in the opening round.
This time, Brand walked away with a victory.
Brand and Behrman defeated Doig and Kisimov 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour, advancing to the round of 16.
Watching from the coach’s box was Robert Raguz, who has been coaching Brand and a cohort of promising international juniors as part of the Grand Slam Player Development program. Raguz has been impressed by the Israeli’s ability to read and adjust to his opponents.
“He is very good at adapting to find his opponent’s weakness, and he has a high tennis IQ,” Raguz said.
The coach believes Brand’s next steps are to develop greater intensity and find more opportunities to train against high-level practice partners who can push him.
For Brand, the doubles victory offered an immediate opportunity to put Monday’s disappointment behind him – while continuing to enjoy an experience he clearly does not want to end.
“The experience here is amazing, the atmosphere is crazy, there are a lot of people, I like it!” Brand said.
He has particularly enjoyed seeing Jewish and Israeli fans filling the stands and cheering him on.
And with Behrman, Brand believes he has found a doubles partner with whom he can continue building something special.
“We are a good team together and hope to continue tomorrow,” Brand said.
The next challenge will come against Yannik Alvarez of Puerto Rico and Ryan Cozad of the United States in the round of 16.
After a painful singles exit, Brand has already shown that he is ready to get back on the court and keep playing.
