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Two-time US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe awarded rising junior and standout tennis student-athlete at the University of Louisville, Russell Lokko, with a $30,000 scholarship over two years through the USTA Foundation’s Frances Tiafoe Fund. The award will cover Lokko’s gap in scholarship money as he continues his education at Louisville. Tiafoe surprised Lokko with the news during a special behind-the-scenes experience Friday, August 8, 2025, at the Cincinnati Open.
Lokko grew up playing tennis at the NJTL of Trenton, a community organization part of the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network–the same network that supported Tiafoe’s early training at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in his hometown of College Park, Md. Co-founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder, the NJTL network is made up of over 270 organizations nationwide that use tennis and education to prepare young people from under-resourced communities for the challenges and opportunities of life.
During the visit, Lokko had the opportunity to meet Tiafoe, watch his practice, and shadow him around the tournament grounds, building a mentor-mentee relationship as they both continue on their tennis journeys. Lokko and Tiafoe also attended a professional soccer game together on August 7, 2025, and Lokko will sit courtside in Tiafoe’s player box during his first-round match on Saturday, August 9, 2025.
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