Tournament officials have announced wild card entries for the upcoming USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships presented by adidas scheduled for August 4-12, 2018 at the Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA, 92107.
The following players have been awarded singles wild cards:
Girls’ 18s Division
Najah Dawson – Rosedale, N.Y. Alana Smith – Fort Washington, Md.
Anessa Lee – San Marino, Calif. Michelle Xu – Vienna, Va.
Chidimma Okpara – Vienna, Va. Alexandra Yepifanova – Aventura, Fla.
Alexa Ryngler – Calabasas, Calif. Marlee Zein – Sugar Land, Texas
Girls 16's Division
Maria Drobotova – Deerfield Beach, Fla. Victoria Hu – Cary, N.C.
Rosie Garcia-Gross – New York, N.Y. Hina Inoue – Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sanyukta Gawande – Bradenton, Fla. Tyra Richardson – Chicago, Ill.
Allie Gretkowski – Mount Pleasant, S.C. Sophie Williams – Charleston, S.C.
This year’s tournament will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Girls’ 18s Division, which crowned its first singles champion in 1918. Past Girls’ 18s singles champions include top players such as Helen Wills, Maureen Connolly, Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport. To view the complete list of past 18s singles and doubles champions, go to: www.ustagirlsnationals.com/past-champions---18s.html
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 2018 US Open (for the 18s Champion) and a wild card into the 2018 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, Aug. 4 and conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday Aug. 11. The Girls’ 18s tournament will get underway on Sunday, Aug. 5 and conclude with the 18s singles championship on Sunday, Aug. 12. 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 updated starting times for each day of the tournament will be as follows:
Saturday, August 4 through Thursday, August 9 — 8 a.m.
Friday, August 10 through Sunday, August 12 — 9 a.m.
(Starting times subject to change)
The Opening Ceremony for the USTA Billie Jean King National Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4 at the Barnes Tennis Center. (All times 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 from Saturday, Aug. 4 through Tuesday, Aug. 7, and the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92104 from Saturday, Aug. 4 through Wednesday, Aug. 8.
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.
For additional information on the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships, please go to the tournament website at: http://www.ustagirlsnationals.com/
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 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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