| Austen Childs | |
| Fullname: | Austen Denis Childs |
| Birth Date: | 23 February 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Mount Maunganui, New Zealand |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in |
| Plays: | Right-handed |
| Singlesrecord: | 1–0 (Davis Cup) |
| Highestsinglesranking: | No. 1504 (20 Mar 2006) |
Austen Denis Childs (born 23 February 1989) is a New Zealand former tennis player.[1]
Childs grew up in Mount Maunganui and was ranked amongst the world's top 50 players on the ITF Junior circuit, with a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open a highlight.[2]
Instead of professional tennis, Childs opted to attend college at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and play collegiate tennis. As a junior in 2010 and unseeded, he became the first New Zealander to make an NCAA Division I Championship final. He was beaten in the final by Bradley Klahn of Stanford.[3]
Two-weeks after making the NCAA final he was called into the New Zealand Davis Cup team, captained by his childhood coach Marcel Vos, for a tie against Pakistan in Taranaki.[4] Considered a surprise selection, Childs was used for the deciding fifth rubber, picked ahead of Michael Venus who had earlier played a lengthy match in losing to Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. Childs was able to defeat Aqeel Khan in straight sets to secure the tie for New Zealand.[5]