NEWS

The United States Polo Association (USPA), the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) (Wellington, Florida) and official event sponsor U.S. Polo Assn. will proudly host the first ever U.S. Junior Open Test Match on Friday, January 14 at 12:00pm ET. In its inaugural year, the U.S. Junior Open Test Match will showcase eight players under the age of 21 who regularly compete at the top levels in the sport.

The U.S. Junior Open concept comes to fruition with the support of the United States Polo Association Polo Development Junior Committee led by chair, Tiger Kneece. Providing new avenues for young players to compete with and against their peers is part of Kneece’s long-term goals for the Committee as it moves forward.

“We are thrilled to see eight young players competing at this 12- to 14-goal level. It should be an exciting match. This year two teams will compete in the test match and our goal is to welcome more teams in 2023 from across the country,” Kneece said.

Chyrs Beal, former chair of the Junior Committee and current National Youth Tournament Series (NYTS) chair has been an ardent supporter and visionary behind the creation of a U.S. Junior Open.

The Dutta Corp/Show+ and Port Mayaca lineups feature an impressive mix of experience and youthful talent. Jack Whitman* made his high-goal debut in 2021 with Park Place, scoring the game-winning goal and taking home the C.V. Whitney Cup®. Teammates Timmy Dutta, Joaquin Avendaño and Hilario Figueras each have extensive high-goal experience, giving the team a solid foundation for the match. The Magrini brothers’ chemistry paired with Nico Diaz Alberdi on the field will play to their advantage for the Port Mayaca team alongside top female player, Hope Arellano.

The teams will play five chukkers and $10,000 in tournament prize money will be awarded to the winners, making it one of the only junior tournaments in the United States to offer a purse.

2022 U.S. Junior Open Test Match Teams

Dutta Corp/Show +: Jack Whitman* (1), Timmy Dutta* (4), Joaquin Avendaño (3), Hilario Figueras (5)

Port Mayaca: Santino Magrini (5), Keko Magrini* (3), Nico Diaz Alberdi (4), Hope Arellano* (2)

The test match will be livestreamed on Global Polo TV, the premier digital destination for polo content. Access is available on all major apps including iOS, Android, Roku, AppleTV and Amazon FireTV.

*Jack Whitman, Timmy Dutta, Kristos "Keko" Magrini and Hope Arellano are Active Team USPA Members. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.

All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska.