10-Year-Old Tennis Phenom, Vlada Hranchar, Downs Division I College Players to Win $1,500 Prize Money Title

A 10-year-old just won a prize money tennis tournament against players connected to NCAA Division I programs.   

That sentence almost doesn’t sound real. But this past week in South Florida, Vlada Hranchar made it happen.

Hranchar, the young Ukrainian-born tennis phenom who trains daily with legendary coach Rick Macci, captured the women’s singles title at the Battle of Boca, earning the $1,500 winner’s prize in one of Florida’s toughest tennis tournaments.

From left to right: Legendary coach Rick Macci, Vlada Hranchar, and tournament director Jason Zafiros hold up the $1,500 women's open champion check at the Battle of Boca. Photo credit: Battle of Boca.

Not a junior title. Not an age-division event. The Battle of Boca is a weekly UTR prize-money tournament where juniors, college players, adults and pros all compete in the same ecosystem. Tournament director Jason Zafiros said the event runs 52 weeks a year and has drawn an impressive list of collegiate and professional tennis players.

The level is real. Zafiros said past Battle of Boca players include Ben Shelton, Martin Damm, Emilio Nava and Juncheng Shang. Just weeks ago, top-100 WTA player Renata Zarazua played and won the tournament before continuing a strong stretch on tour.

“No place on earth can that happen but the Battle of Boca,” Zafiros said. “You basically have to be a Futures player or a top ITF player to get to play some of these people. But you can do this right here on Court 12 in a public park.”

Above: Rick Macci and Vlad Hranchar at the Battle of Boca. Photo credit: Macci Tennis Academy. 

That is the stage Hranchar stepped onto — and won.

Her path made the accomplishment even more startling. In the round of 16, Hranchar defeated No. 1 seed Autumn Rabjohns 6-7(1), 6-0, 12-10. Rabjohns is a Northwestern women’s tennis player — meaning Hranchar beat a Big Ten player before she has even reached middle school.

In the semifinals, Hranchar defeated Anastasiia Kochelaevskaia 1-6, 6-2, 10-4. Kochelaevskaia plays for the University of Wyoming and has earned All-Mountain West singles honors.

In the final, Hranchar faced Lyla Messler, an incoming University of Illinois player. Hranchar dropped the first set 6-1, won the second set 6-4, and earned the title after Messler retired before the deciding match tiebreak.

Three opponents tied to Division I college tennis. Multiple comebacks. Prize money on the line. And the champion was 10.

Above: Rick Macci and Vlada Hranchar. Photo credit: Maryna Hranchar.

“You can’t make this up,” Macci said. “Obviously, 10 years old, 4-foot-7, 78 pounds, but a human stick of dynamite. I’m so proud of her.”

Macci, whose coaching résumé includes work with five former No. 1 players including Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick, has been outspoken about Hranchar’s potential. But he framed this win as part of a larger journey to improve.

“We play the Battle of Boca for experience,” Macci said. “The more that you can see different styles, it’s epic — because this is junior development, not junior final destination.”

Zafiros said the Battle of Boca is built to expose players to pressure. He said Hranchar’s ability, at just 10 years old, to fight back repeatedly is what really surprised him.

“Absolutely unheard of,” Zafiros said. “You have to be a fighter. And that’s why my motto here is never give up.”

Macci said Hranchar is clearly not winning because of her power or size. At this stage, he sees something different: courage, toughness and an unusual ability to stay present in the smallest moments.

Above: Vlada Hranchar. Photo credit: Maryna Hranchar.

“She’s fearless,” Macci said. “If you have courage, that’s the difference between great and good, especially in the big moments.”

Her work ethic has also become part of the story. Macci said Hranchar is on court every day and often begins before sunrise. Zafiros said he sees it himself while arriving early to prepare the tournament.

“I thought I was here early at 5 in the morning,” Zafiros said. “This girl’s out here at 4:30, 4 in the morning with Rick Macci.”

It is far too early to declare what Hranchar’s tennis future will become. She is still a child, and Macci has repeatedly emphasized that he is building her game for the long term.

“The future’s bright,” Macci said. “You never know what’s going to happen. All I’m trying to do is build a game for the future.”

Still, a 10-year-old winning a $1,500 open prize-money title is remarkable. Doing it in a tournament recently won by a top-100 WTA player — after beating opponents tied to Division I programs at Northwestern, Wyoming and Illinois — makes it one of the most eye-opening tennis results anywhere this year.

For Hranchar, it is a milestone in a long development process. For serious tennis fans, it is the kind of result that will be remembered. Could it be a watershed moment? Hard to say. But for anyone watching the next wave of women’s tennis talent, it is an early signpost that demands attention.

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Written by Florida Tennis Editor Matt Pressman. Source: Rick Macci and Jason Zafiros exclusive interviews with Florida Tennis.