Hebrew cheers in Queens: Israeli teen Dan Brand makes his mark at US Open juniors

For Brand, ranked No. 20 in the world in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings after recently climbing three spots, it was an important victory on a very big stage.

It had been a long time since Hebrew chants were heard around the courts of the Billie Jean King USTA Tennis Center in Queens, New York, the home of the US Open. But by the second set of 17-year-old Israeli Dan Brand’s opening-round junior boys match, there were plenty of reasons for the growing contingent of Jewish and Israeli fans gathered around Court 8 to cheer.

Brand had given them something to believe in.

Making his US Open debut, the tall right-hander from Kfar Saba had endured a difficult opening set against Australia’s Daniel Jovanovski, an 18-year-old Melbourne native with a booming serve and a powerful game. But rather than allowing the fast court and Jovanovski’s imposing serve to dictate the match, Brand made the necessary adjustments, turned the momentum around and eventually completed a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory in one hour and 38 minutes.

For Brand, ranked No. 20 in the world in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings after recently climbing three spots, it was an important victory on a very big stage.

“It was my first match at the US Open, and I was very excited to win my first match,” Brand told The Jerusalem Post courtside after the match. “I didn’t start out well, but I managed to get on track, and it ended well.”

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DAN BRAND on the court, Israel championship 2025. (credit: Ido Tadib/Israel Tennis Association-ITA)

The opening set was anything but easy.

Jovanovski, who plays college tennis at the University of Tennessee, used his height and powerful serve to overwhelm Brand. He fired four aces, averaged approximately 130 mph on his serve, and reached a top speed of 137 mph, compared with Brand’s average of 91 mph.

The Australian needed only 23 minutes to race through the first set 6-1.

But something changed when the second set began.

Brand moved farther behind the baseline to give himself more time to deal with Jovanovski’s serve. Instead of trying to match the Australian’s power, he looked to use spin and aggression to begin the points on his own terms.

“The court was very fast, and he had a strong serve,” Brand explained. “I went back and tried to open the point with a lot of spin and aggression.”

Brand held serve throughout the 38-minute second set and gradually began to take control of the match. Just as importantly, he maintained a positive mindset, refusing to let the disappointing opening set linger.

“I tried to be only positive in my mind and tell myself I could do it,” Brand said. “I tried to do my best.”

By the third set, Brand was firmly in control.

He raced out to a 4-0 lead, forcing Jovanovski to search for answers. At 3-0, the Australian could be heard telling his coach in the coaches’ box, “I’m playing his game.”

Jovanovski managed to break Brand when the Israeli was serving at 4-1, but it was only a brief interruption. Brand quickly regained control and closed out the match, earning a place in the second round.

The victory was made even more meaningful by the support waiting for him courtside.

Among those watching were Danny Perekalsky, CEO of the Israel Tennis Association, and others from the ITA, who followed the match with excitement as Brand became the latest Israeli junior to compete on one of tennis’ biggest stages.

“We are so proud to have such a kid represent us on such a big stage of the tennis world,” Perekalsky said. “We wish for more Israelis to do the same in the future.”

Shahar Biran, 27, a partner in Momentum Sports Group and a former Israeli college tennis player at the University of South Carolina, was also there to cheer Brand on.

For Biran, the decision to come to Court 8 was an easy one.

“An Israeli playing in a Grand Slam in New York? No way was I going to not come!” Biran said. “Supporting Israeli is number one!”

Biran is also attending the tournament to scout players and help international athletes find opportunities to play college tennis in the United States, a path he knows well.

“I love college sports and try to help international players get placed at US colleges,” he said. “When I came to college, I didn’t get a lot of help.”

Brand, meanwhile, appreciated having that support behind him.

“I was very excited that people came to watch,” he said, noting that many of those around the court were speaking Hebrew. Some fans even approached him afterward for autographs and selfies.

There was another Israeli connection on the other side of the net.

Jovanovski’s sister, Annie, was watching from the stands alongside his girlfriend, Ella Ennis, both of whom are from Melbourne. They told the Post that Jovanovski already has a connection to Israeli tennis through his University of Tennessee teammate Orel Kimhi.

Kimhi, an Israeli who previously played at Oklahoma, transferred to Tennessee ahead of the 2026/27 season. Jovanovski spoke warmly of his teammate after the match.

“He is a nice guy,” Jovanovski said.

While Brand’s first US Open appearance is now off to a winning start, his summer has already included some of the biggest tournaments on the junior calendar.

Before arriving in New York, Brand reached the semifinals of the prestigious J300 College Park tournament at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland, where he lost 6-2, 6-4 to top seed Vincent Reisach of Germany.

Earlier this summer, Brand competed at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. At the French Open, he lost in the first round of singles but reached the quarterfinals in doubles. At Wimbledon, he advanced to the second round in both singles and doubles.

Now, he has another Grand Slam victory to add to his rapidly growing résumé.

Brand advances to the second round in New York, where he will face 12th-seeded Andrew Johnson, also 17. He will also compete in junior doubles later in the week.

For Israeli tennis fans, Brand’s appearance represents something more than another result on a junior draw sheet. It is a glimpse of the next generation of Israeli tennis players competing against the world’s best – and doing so with a small but passionate Israeli crowd behind them.

The last Israelis to compete in the US Open main draw were Dudi Sela and Shahar Peer in 2014. Two years later, junior Yshai Oliel reached the boys’ doubles semifinals alongside Zizou Bergs, who is now ranked No. 37 in the world. Last year, Israeli Mika Buchnik, who currently plays at the University of South Carolina, competed in both junior singles and doubles.

On this day in Queens, however, it was Brand’s turn.

And after a difficult first set, the Hebrew cheers that rang around Court 8 had a reason to grow louder.