Barstow’s Bradley Frye enjoys impressive run during USTA national meet

Bradley Frye already has established his credentials as one of the top high school boys tennis players in the Kansas City area.

During the holiday break, he embellished them even more.

Frye, a senior at The Barstow School who lives in Overland Park, placed second in the United States Tennis Association’s Boys 18s National Winter Championships, which took place Dec. 27 through Jan. 2 at the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla.

Frye, who was seeded 12th in the tournament, lost to Christian Alshon of Boca Raton, Fla., 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the final. But en route to the championship match, Frye knocked off the top-ranked player in his age group.

Frye capped his junior year at Barstow last spring by winning the Class 1 singles title without dropping a single set. He beat Pembroke Hill’s Josh Bortnick 6-0, 6-2 in a final that started indoors at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield but was moved indoors by inclement weather.

That victory finished off a 23-0 season for Frye, who placed second at state as a freshman but skipped his sophomore season to play on the tournament circuit. He will enter his senior season this spring ranked fifth in the nation in his age group.

He’s also signed to play tennis next year at the University of Southern California.

In 2016, Frye was selected to the USTA Junior Leadership Team, an initiative that recognizes junior tennis players across the country who best exhibit leadership, sportsmanship and character on and off the court. He was one of nearly 30 players nationwide named to the team.

Each year, more than 120,000 players compete in USTA junior tournaments. The National Winter Championships were the last of five USTA National Championships in 2017.

Previous winners from the tournaments include several current professional players, including Blue Valley North graduate Jack Sock, who is ranked No. 9 in the world in men’s singles.

This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 12:17 PM with the headline "Barstow’s Bradley Frye enjoys impressive run during USTA national meet."