Wimbledon Girls’ Singles finalist Alexa Noel and Emma Navarro, a French Open Girls’ Singles finalist, headline the Girl’s 18s division entry list for the United States Tennis Association Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships scheduled for August 3-11, 2019 at the Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA, 92107.
Earlier this month Noel, a resident of Summit, N.J., reached the Wimbledon Girls’ Singles final where she fell to Daria Snigur of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4. Noel, 16, is currently ranked No. 7 in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings.
This past June, Navarro, an 18-year-old from Charleston, S.C., advanced to the Girls’ Singles final at the French Open. She lost to Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada 6-3, 6-2.
Navarro, who is ranked No. 4 in the ITF junior singles rankings, also reached a career-high No. 412 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings in May after advancing to the semifinals of a $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Charleston, S.C.
Other entries in the Girls’ 18s division include Chloe Beck of Watkinsville, Ga., who combined with Navarro to win the French Open Girls’ Doubles championship this year, and the 2019 Wimbledon Girls’ Doubles champions, Abigail Forbes of Raleigh, N.C., and Savannah Broadus of Carrollton, Texas.
Among the entries in the Girls’ 16s division are 14-year-old Ava Krug, of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., and 16-year-old Ava Catanzarite of Pittsburgh. Both players have been competing on the ITF Junior Circuit.
Earlier this year, Krug captured junior singles titles in El Salvador and Anguilla, while Catanzarite won junior championships in Jamaica, Bahamas, Martinique and Guadeloupe.
A strong group of local players is also entered in this year’s National Championships. Haley Giavara, Giulia Hayer and Amy Huang of San Diego, along with Elizabeth Goldsmith of Chula Vista, Calif., are local entrants in the Girls' 18s singles division.
In the Girls' 16s singles division, Kaila Barksdale and Katherine Hui of San Diego, Midori Castillo of Bonita, Calif., and Winta Woldeab, La Mesa, Calif., are entered.
“With the winner of this event earning a wild card into the US Open in September, these Championships are the most important tournament of the year for these outstanding young female athletes,” said Tournament Director Lornie Kuhle. “As evidenced by Coco Gauff’s performance at Wimbledon this year, the USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 16s and 18s National Championships are truly where champions are made.”
To view the entry list for each division, click here. Entry list is subject to change.
Over 400 of the top junior tennis players in the country, 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 2019 US Open (for the 18s Champion) and a wild card into the 2019 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.
The Girls’ 16s event will begin on Saturday, August 3 and conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday August 10. The Girls’ 18s tournament will get underway on Sunday, August 4 and conclude with the 18s singles championship on Sunday, August 11. 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 tentative starting times for each day of the tournament are as follows:
Saturday, August 3 through Wednesday, August 7 – 8 a.m.
Thursday, August 8 – 8:30 a.m.
Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10 – 9 a.m.
Sunday, August 11 – 10 a.m.
(All times are PDT)
The Opening Ceremony for the USTA National Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, August 3 at the Barnes Tennis Center.
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at San Diego State University’s Aztec Tennis Center, 5375 Remington Rd., San Diego, CA, 92115 from Saturday, August 3 through Thursday, August 8 and at the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92104 from Saturday, August 3 through Tuesday, August 6.
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.
Tennis Channel will broadcast the Girls' 16s singles final from 1-3 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, August 10 and the Girls' 18s singles final from 2-4 p.m. (PDT) on Sunday, August 11.
All tournament matches played on Stadium Court at the Barnes Tennis Center will be streamed live at www.ustagirlsnationals.com beginning Saturday, August 3 through Friday, August 9.
To view the official tournament website, please click here.
About USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s Nationals: The USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships are the premiere hard court tennis tournaments for amateur and professional American girls aged 16 and 18 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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