Nicholas Godsick and Ethan Quinn make Kalamazoo splash to earn US Open wild card

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Persistent rain was the story of Saturday when dreary weather prevented the 18s singles semifinals at the USTA Boys’ National Championships from getting on the court. Or so we thought.

By the evening, there was no raining on the parade of Nicholas “Nico” Godsick and Ethan Quinn in Kalamazoo. Not when a change in conditions moved the 18s doubles final indoors. And not when the two wanted to celebrate their title run with a trophy shoot on Stowe Stadium at Kalamazoo College, the event’s long-standing venue.

Channeling the childhood fascination of splashing through puddles, the No. 2 seeds soaked up their 6-4, 6-0 victory over top seeds Sebastian Gorzny and Alex Michelsen with their own creative interpretation. Heading outside, portraits and family photo ops were snapped. Tony Godsick was like any dad capturing the moment, playing the role of cell phone camera roll director for two families linked by the winning partnership. The teenagers soon made the bold move to plant themselves on the drenched court and by the end, had collected plenty of rainwater for Quinn to take a drink from the trophy.

“Different photo shoot for winning the title, ducking out in the rain. We thought we’d go for something different. I hope the pics come out pretty good.” a smiling Godsick told TENNIS.com afterwards. “I didn't check the weather, which is not the smartest. When I woke up and saw the rain, I was quite surprised. It was pretty much a waiting game. This is tennis, this is what we signed up for. That's the sport.”

For Quinn, the anticipation was doubly difficult. The incoming University of Georgia recruit was due to play his singles semifinal first. There was hope play would get on outside eventually, but every time Stowe was wiped, another shower spewed in sending competitors back to square one. Yet, the string of events could provide a powerful boost. Quinn has already guaranteed his place at the US Open alongside Godsick, and the winner of the 18s singles event also punches a ticket to the main draw of the New York major.

“What my friends back at school and I’ve been saying this entire week after every match is the job's not finished, I still have work to do,” says Quinn. “But having this title in the bag already, it's motivating me to get the second one and have my name on the board twice.”

While Quinn and Godsick let an early break slip away, they rebounded against Gorzny and Michelsen to reclaim control. After Godsick shook off a pair of double faults to hold from 0-40 at 4-3 in the opening set, the pair pulled away from this year’s Wimbledon boys’ champions through working points to gain position advantages and displaying constant comfort in coming forward off first and second serves. It’s that synchronicity Quinn believes puts the Americans in position to be heard at a tournament built on cranking up the volume.

“Our firepower and energy is electric. We just get each other,” he says. “We know exactly what we're doing. Our minds are alike. We know when to move. We have that sense around the court, and I think that's dangerous.”

Understandably, Quinn and Godsick oozed exuberance well after the final point had been played. For both, their upcoming trip to Queens brings a major maiden debut at the professional level. The special pathway that afforded the two a golden ticket isn’t lost on Godsick, a rising high school senior.

“This is an unbelievable tradition, what USTA does with Kalamazoo. We're super fortunate and honored to be able to get the wild card this year into the US Open,” Godsick says. “When we won, there was a little bit of disbelief. We've always played well together. Did we ever think we were going to win Kalamazoo when we first started on the court? Probably not. But here we are. And we're just super, super excited.”

If Saturday’s scene is anything to go by, Godsick and Quinn know how to make a splash.