– Wimbledon girls’ champion Claire Liu of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and French Open girls' champion Whitney Osuigwe of Bradenton, Fla., are among the entries for the upcoming United States Tennis Association Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships, scheduled for August 5-13 at the Barnes Tennis Center, located at 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA, 92107.
Earlier this month, the 17-year old Liu defeated Ann Li, of Devon, Pa., 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, to win the second-ever all-American girls’ singles final at Wimbledon, dating back to 1947. Liu became the first American girls' singles champion at Wimbledon since Chanda Rubin won the title in 1992.
In June, the 15-year-old Osuigwe beat Liu 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the second-ever all-American Roland Garros girls' final in Paris. Osuigwe became just the fourth American to win the French Open girls' singles title and the first since Jennifer Capriati accomplished the feat in 1989.
This year marks the first time American girls have won the French Open and Wimbledon junior singles titles in the same year since 1981. Liu and Osuigwe will be competing in the Girls’ 18s division at the National Championships in San Diego.
“There is no doubt that it has been a banner year for American junior tennis so far with all of the success we’ve seen at the French Open and Wimbledon,” said Tournament Director Lornie Kuhle. “With the depth of this year’s tournament field, we are expecting an extremely competitive and entertaining week of high-level junior tennis.”
Among the top players entered in this year’s Girls’ 18s division are 15-year-old Amanda Anisimova of Aventura, Fla., and 18-year-old Usue Arconada of Rio Piedras, P.R. Both players have been gaining experience on the USTA Pro Circuit this year. Arconada is ranked No. 237 in the Women’s Tennis Association singles rankings, while Anisimova, the youngest player ranked in the Top 300, is No. 250.
Earlier this year, Anisimova captured the Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge by reaching back-to-back singles finals at the $80K USTA Pro Circuit event in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., and the $60K USTA Pro Circuit event in Dothan, Ala. She made her main draw Grand Slam debut at the French Open this year, losing in the first round to Kurumi Nara of Japan 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
To view the full list of competitors in the USTA Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships, go to:
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=185581#&&s=5
(List is subject to change)
Over 400 girls aged 16 and 18 and under will compete for the title of National Champion, as well as a wild card entry into the Women’s Singles main draw of the US Open (for the 18s Champion) and a wild card into the US Open Junior Championships (for the 16s Champion). The 18s Doubles Champions will also receive a wild card into the US Open Women’s Doubles main draw.
A strong contingent of local players is also entered in this year’s tournament. Among the local entries is Nicole Mossmer of La Jolla, Calif., last year’s Girls’ 16s National Champion, who is competing in the Girl’s 18s Division this year, and Jennifer Kerr of Carlsbad, Calif., a two-time CIF San Diego Section singles champion. The following are entries from San Diego County:
GIRLS’ 18s
Julia Deming — Fallbrook, Calif. Jennifer Kerr— Carlsbad, Calif.
Emily Dush — Chula Vista, Calif. Nicole Mossmer — La Jolla, Calif.
Paulina Ferrari, San Diego Jennifer Richards — San Diego
Haley Giavara — San Diego Julia Ronney — San Diego
Julia Haynes — San Diego Hannah Zhao — San Diego
Cali Jankowski — Carlsbad, Calif.,
GIRLS’ 16s
Elizabeth Goldsmith — Chula Vista, Calif. Britt Pursell — Oceanside, Calif.
Giulia Hayer — San Diego Sophie Raiszadeh — Rancho Santa Fe,Calif.
Amy Huang — San Diego Winta Woldeab — La Mesa, Calif.
The Girls’ 16s event will begin on Saturday, Aug. 5 and conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday Aug. 12. The Girls’ 18s tournament will get underway on Sunday, Aug. 6 and conclude with the 18s singles championship on Sunday, Aug. 13. Both divisions will feature 256-player singles draws with the top 32 players receiving a first-round bye. There will also be 128-team doubles draws with the top 16 teams getting first-round byes.
The starting time for each day of the tournament will be as follows:
8 a.m. – Saturday, August 5 through Wednesday, August 9
8:30 a.m. – Thursday, August 10
9 a.m. – Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12
10 a.m. – Sunday, August 13
The Opening Ceremony for the USTA National Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Barnes Tennis Center. (All times are PDT.)
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at San Diego State University’s Aztec Tennis Center, 5375 Remington Rd., San Diego, CA, 92115 and the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92104 from Saturday, August 5 through Wednesday, August 9.
Admission and on-site parking at the Barnes Tennis Center is free each day of the tournament. For fans watching matches at SDSU and the Balboa Tennis Club, admission is free. There is a nominal charge for on-campus parking at SDSU. Parking regulations at the university will be strictly enforced. Parking is free at the Balboa Tennis Club.
About USTA Girls’ 16s – 18s Nationals: The USTA Girls’ 16 & 18s National Championships are the premiere hard court tennis tournaments for amateur and professional American girls aged 18 and 16 and under in the United States. In 2010, both age groups began playing their events concurrently at San Diego’s Barnes Tennis Center. Tournament participants, who represent nearly every state in the United States, have been endorsed by their respective USTA Section or have received USTA special exemptions based on their results in qualifying tournaments, junior rankings, or results on the WTA Tour or International Tennis Federation Junior Circuit. Past tournament champions include Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Zina Garrison, Mary Jo Fernandez, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport.
About George E. Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center: The Center is owned and operated by Youth Tennis San Diego. It was built in 1995 and completed in 1997. The $4.5 million junior tennis facility was made possible with generous public and private donations and is named after the lead donor family - the “George E. Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center.” The Center, which is dedicated to the youth of San Diego, offers children 18 and under court priority over adults with advanced reservations.
About Youth Tennis San Diego: Youth Tennis San Diego is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that has been in existence since 1952. In 2016, Youth Tennis San Diego was recognized with the USTA Organization Member of the Year Award. The award is given annually to an organization that provides outstanding service to its members and to the local community. YTSD was honored at the 2016 USTA Annual Meeting and Conference at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
The YTSD Mission is: “To promote the educational, physical, and social development of all youth through organized tennis and educational activities.” Their community programs encourage youth participation, personal integrity, leadership, and competitive spirit in a friendly environment that builds responsible citizens. YTSD provides thousands of youngsters each year the opportunity to play tennis after school at their neighborhood school. The After School Tennis program provides a safe haven for hundreds of youngsters who are not supervised after school. Through tennis, the children learn the success skills which will give them the confidence and self-esteem needed to confront the negative influences so often found on the streets where they live.
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