The top junior tennis players from across the United States and Puerto Rico will compete in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships scheduled for August 3-11 at the Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, Calif. 92107.
Nearly 400 girls aged 16 and 18 and under will play for the title of National Champion, as well as a Wild Card entry into the singles main draw of the US Open Women’s Championships (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 main draw of the US Open Women’s Doubles competition.
The Girls’ 18s field will feature players such as defending tournament champion Victoria Duval of Bradenton, Fla., 2012 US Open girls’ singles champion Samantha Crawford of Tamarac, Fla. and Krista Hardebeck of Santa Ana, Calif., a tennis All-American at Stanford University this past year.
Other notable entries in the Girls’ 18s include Sachia Vickery of Miramar, Fla., currently ranked 241 in the WTA singles rankings, Jamie Loeb of Ossining, N.Y., who won her third career USTA Pro Circuit singles title this past May in Sumter, S.C., and Louisa Chirico of Harrison, N.Y., a girls’ singles semifinalist at Wimbledon and the French Open this year.
Among local entries in the Girls 18s will be 18-year-old Megan McCray of Oceanside, Calif. This past June, McCray captured the USTA National Open Hard Court Championships at the Balboa Tennis Club in San Diego. She will begin her collegiate tennis career at Oklahoma State University later this fall.
Tournament directors will grant a total of 24 singles wild cards (12 in the Girls’ 18s and 12 in the Girls’ 16s) on a date to be determined next week.
“We have an unbelievable tournament field this year. The depth of the player field in the Girls’ 16s and 18s is pretty amazing,” said co-tournament director Lisbeth Blum, “The competition is going to be fierce throughout the tournament. If you want to see the best players in junior tennis, this is the place to be.”
The tournament’s Opening Ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 3 with a performance by the United States Navy Band Southwest at the Barnes Tennis Center, followed by the presentation of colors by the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Color Guard at 5 p.m.
The opening ceremony guest speaker will be Gretchen Magers, a former number one junior player in world, who later competed on the women’s professional tennis tour and reached the singles quarterfinals at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. She is the current women’s tennis head coach for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, Calif.
In addition to the Barnes Tennis Center, early round matches are also scheduled at San Diego State University and University of San Diego. (Please see schedule below) Spectator admission is free at all sites each day of the tournament. Parking is free at the Barnes Tennis Center. There is a nominal charge for parking at SDSU and USD.
Tournament Information
Starting times:
8:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 3 – Thursday, Aug. 8
9 a.m., Friday, Aug. 9 – Sunday, Aug. 11
Locations:
Saturday, Aug. 3 – Sunday, Aug. 11, Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, Calif. 92107
Saturday, Aug. 3 – Tuesday, Aug. 6, (Early Rounds) San Diego State University, Aztec Recreation Center, 5301 55th Street, San Diego, Calif. 92182
Sunday, Aug. 4 – Wednesday, Aug. 7, (Early Rounds) University of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, Calif. 92110
About USTA Girls’ 16s – 18s Nationals: The USTA Girls’ 16s Nationals has been directed by Youth Tennis San Diego (YTSD) since 1990. This year will be the 24th anniversary of this event in San Diego and 2013 marks the fourth year of the combined G16s – G18s event at the Barnes Tennis Center. As the largest and most prestigious junior girls’ tennis event in the United States, the USTA National Championships field consists of two draws, 192 players in each, selected from the top players who enter the event. The participants represent every USTA Member Section and nearly every state in the United States.
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. This $4.5 million dollar 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. The capital campaign was spearheaded by Dr. Homer Peabody Jr. Youth Tennis San Diego gratefully acknowledges Dr. Peabody's tremendous contribution to make the dream a reality.
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