The USTA Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships are going on this week at the Barnes Tennis Center at 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd. The national tennis tournament, which features the top junior players from across the United States, will continue through Sunday, Aug. 13.
Headlining the Girls’ 18s division is Amanda Anisimova, an up-and-coming 15-year-old from Aventura, Fla. Anisimova, who has been playing primarily on the USTA Pro Circuit this year, is currently ranked No. 188 in the Women’s Tennis Association singles rankings. Earlier this year she made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open, losing in the first round to Kurumi Nara of Japan 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Anisimova, the youngest player ranked in the Top 200 in the world, captured her first professional singles title in July, when she won a $60,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Sacramento, Calif.
The second-seed in the Girls’ 18s singles draw is 18-year-old Usue Arconada of Rio Piedras, P.R., who is ranked No. 239 in the world. In 2016, Arconada teamed with Claire Liu to win the Girls’ Doubles championship at Wimbledon.
The 17-year-old Liu, a resident of Thousand Oaks, Calif., is seeded third. After losing in the French Open girls’ singles final in June, Liu came back to win the girls’ singles title at Wimbledon last month, to become the first American girls’ singles champion at Wimbledon since Chanda Rubin won the title in 1992.
In the Girls’ 16s division, Fiona Crawley of San Antonio is the top singles seed. The 15-year-old Crawley won the singles title at the USTA Girls’ 16s National Clay Court Championships less than two weeks ago at the Virginia Beach Tennis & Country Club in Virginia Beach, Va.
To view the list of seeded players in the USTA Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships, go to:
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=185581#&&s=6
To view full draws in the Girls’ 16s and Girls’ 18s Divisions, go to:
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=185581#&&s=7
“We are looking at a phenomenal tournament this year with such a high level of competition. Our player field is amazing,” said tournament director Lornie Kuhle. “I encourage fans to come and watch and support these future tennis stars. It’s going to be an incredible week of junior tennis.”
Last year’s Girls’ 16s singles champion Nicole Mossmer of La Jolla, has withdrawn from the tournament. Mossmer, who was entered to play in the Girl’s 18s division this year, is recovering from a back injury.
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.
The Girls’ 16s event will conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday Aug. 12. The Girls’ 18s tournament will 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. – Through Wednesday, Aug. 9;
8:30 a.m. – Thursday, Aug. 10;
9 a.m. – Friday, Aug. 11 and Saturday, Aug. 12;
10 a.m. – Sunday, Aug. 13.
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at San Diego State University’s Aztec Tennis Center, 5375 Remington Rd., and the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, through Wednesday, Aug. 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.
