Brandon Holt, Tracy Austin’s son, wins first pro title in Claremont

Court Report: A mixed week for American players around the world—including a victorious Brandon Holt

Brandon Holt, the son of former world No. 1 Tracy Austin, won his first professional title over the weekend, conquering a Futures event in Claremont, California.

The 6’1”, 20-year-old Holt was unseeded at the Claremont Club USTA Pro Classic but took out two seeds en route to the title, cruising past No. 5 Dominik Kellovsky in the second round, 6-1, 6-3, and then rallying past third seed and fellow American Martin Redlicki in the final, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Holt plays college tennis at USC; Redlicki played ball at rival UCLA.

"I think Brandon and I have played six or seven times total, including four times last year alone,” Redlicki was quoted at 10sballs.com.

Before this week, Holt had never been past the semifinals of a Futures event. With the win, Holt will rise from No. 1216 to just outside the Top 800 when the points from this first career title are added to his ranking next Monday. His previous career-high was No. 902, which he set the week of January 15.

It has been a tremendous year for Holt—and his mother, a WTA legend, tweeted her congratulations on Monday morning:

When it comes to making breakthroughs when you’re young, there’s no one better to learn from than Holt’s mom. Austin broke into the Top 10 as a 15-year-old in 1978, won her first Grand Slam title as a 16-year-old at the 1979 US Open and reached No. 1 in the world as a 17-year-old in 1980. She would win a second Grand Slam title as an 18-year-old at the 1981 US Open.

Austin’s first career WTA title also came on U.S. soil—in Portland, Oregon, in 1977.

Previous winners of the Futures event in Claremont include a few notable names: Dmitry Tursunov, a former Top 20 player who’s currently coaching one of the WTA’s brightest new faces, Aryna Sabalenka; and current world No. 30 Steve Johnson, who captured the title back in 2011.

And like Johnson, Holt played tennis at the University of Southern California. We'll keep you updated as Holt competes in more professional tournaments.