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 Aug. 3-11 at the Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd. 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, 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 and Winta Woldeab, La Mesa 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.” 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, Aug. 3 and conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday, Aug. 10. The Girls’ 18s tournament will get underway on Sunday, Aug. 4 and conclude with the 18s singles championship on Sunday, Aug. 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, Aug. 3 through Wednesday, Aug. 7 – 8 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 8 – 8:30 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 9 and Saturday, Aug. 10 – 9 a.m.
Sunday, Aug. 11 – 10 a.m. The Opening Ceremony for the USTA National Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 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 Road, from Saturday, Aug. 3 through Thursday, Aug. 8 and at the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive from Saturday, Aug. 3 through Tuesday, Aug. 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. on Saturday, Aug. 10 and the Girls’ 18s singles final from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11. All tournament matches played on Stadium Court at the Barnes Tennis Center will be streamed live at www.ustagirlsnationals.com beginning Saturday, Aug. 3 through Friday, Aug. 9.
