Top seed and defending champion Ros Nideffer of San Tan Valley, Ariz., eased past unseeded Cecilia Collins of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 6-1, 6-0 to advance to the 60 and over singles quarterfinals at the USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships.
Playing under sunny skies on Court No. 1 at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Nideffer, a former WTA touring professional who achieved a career-high No. 15 in the world in 1990, played nearly flawless tennis in winning the straight-set match in 75 minutes.
Nideffer, a two-time French Open doubles champion, used two early service breaks to establish a 4-0 lead in the first set. Collins came back to break serve in the fifth game, but Nideffer regained the momentum and won the next eight games to close out the match.
“I enjoy competing and I enjoy the challenge of trying to stay in the game. I feel like I’m playing reasonably well and I hope by the time I get through a few matches I’ll be playing better,” Nideffer said after her second-round victory.
Nideffer will take on fifth-seeded Ann Young of Lakewood, Colo., in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Young defeated San Diego’s Ginny Beneke 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.
In the 50 and over singles division, top-seeded Dina McBride of Thousand Oaks powered her way past Nevanna Sacks of La Jolla, 6-0, 6-0. McBride, a former collegiate standout at the University of San Diego, will meet unseeded Michelle Velli of Long Beach in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at 9:30 a.m.
Tina Karwasky of Glendale, the No. 1 seed in the 70 and over singles draw, will play her first match of the tournament on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. against Nell Sale of Santa Fe, N.M.
The national women’s tennis tournament features singles and doubles draws in the 50, 60, 70 and 80 and over age divisions. To view tournament draws for each division, click here.
The starting times for each day of the USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships will be:
Wednesday, May 18 through Friday, May 20 — 8 a.m.
Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22 — 9 a.m.
The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes spectators to the national tournament and will offer free admission during the event. On-site parking is available for a nominal fee. The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club started each of these events and has hosted them since its inception. Designated one of the Top 50 Tennis Resorts in the world by Tennis Resorts Online, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s reputation as a top tennis destination started in 1942 when it attracted its first major tournament, the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship.
USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
Tuesday’s Results
Women’s 50 Singles
First Round
Dina McBride (1), Thousand Oaks, Calif., def. Nevanna Sacks, La Jolla, 6-0, 6-0
Michelle Velli, Long Beach, Calif., def. Sharon Schwab, San Diego, 6-0, 6-1
Christen Bartelt (3), Malibu, Calif., def. Hillary Park, La Mesa, 6-2, 6-2
Faye Schilkey, Santa Fe, N.M., def. Leora Grimshaw, Oakland, Calif., 6-3, 6-3
Valerie Tan, San Diego, def. Sherri Testa, Orlando, Fla., 6-0. 6-0
Jenny Keller (2), San Diego, def. Radka Divisova, Irvine, Calif., 6-0, 6-0
Diane Ghiron, Encinitas, def. Helen McSweeney, Chicago, withdrew (injury)
Kathy Archibald (4), Dana Point, Calif., def. Maria O’Connor, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
Women’s 60 Singles
Second Round
Ros Nideffer (1), San Tan Valley, Ariz., def. Cecilia Collins, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 6-1, 6-0
Ann Young (5), Lakewood, Colo., def. Ginny Beneke, San Diego, 6-3, 6-1
Maria Nunez (5), San Diego, def. Kathy Wong, La Jolla, 6-1, 6-1
Wanda Howes (4), Australia, def. Yoko Anderson, San Diego, 6-0, 6-1
Vicki Buholz (2), Dallas, def. Marcia Banks, Berkeley, Calif., 6-2, 6-2
Judy Newman (5), Scotts Valley, Calif., def. Dorian Sailer, La Jolla, 6-0, ret. (injury)
Kim Dean (5), Newnan, Ga., def. Helen McSweeney, Chicago, withdrew (injury)
Women’s 70 Singles
First Round
Nell Sale, Santa Fe, N.M., def. Barbara Donovan, San Diego, 7-6 (8), 6-3
Yolanda Therrien, Elkton, Ore., def. Ellen Furman, San Diego, 6-0, 6-4
Joanmarie Bernard, Fernandina Beach, Fla., Claire Babbitt, San Diego, 6-0, 6-2
Carolee Hammel, Wellsville, Utah, def. Barbara Pflanz, Redlands, Calif., 6-0, 6-0
For complete scores and results, click here.
