The USTA Billie Jean King Girls 16/18 National Championships return to Southern California this week when play begins at Barnes Tennis Center on Wednesday in San Diego. Many of the nation’s top girls compete for both a coveted junior title but also a spot in the US Open draws this fall.
Southern California will be well represented in both draws, featuring Kimmi Hance (Torrance), Katie Codd (Carlsbad), and Isabella Chhiv (Irvine) among the notable competitors in Girls 18s. Elisabeth Jones (Mich.), a semifinalist at the International Open of Southern California earlier this year, is the top seed.
Junior Sectionals champion Iva Jovic (Torrance) will seek a National title in Girls 16s. Jovic will be joined by Emily Deming and Daniela Borruel among those in the 16s field, where South Carolina’s Piper Charney is the top seed.
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 2021 US Open (for the 18s Champion) and a wild card into the 2021 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.
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at the Balboa Tennis Club from Wednesday, August 4 through Tuesday, August 10. There are no spectator restrictions at both venues and fans are welcome to attend. Admission and on-site parking at the Barnes Tennis Center is free each day of the tournament. For fans watching matches at the Balboa Tennis Club, admission and parking is free.
#TeamSoCal Girls 16s
Alyssa Ahn, Jeselle Ante, Daniela Borruel, Isabella Bringas, Olivia Center, Makaila Cheng, Emily Deming, Monika Ekstrand, Kate Fakih, Grace Gamal, Eliana Hanna, Cleo Hutchinson, Iva Jovic, Nadia Kojonroj, Fiona Lee, Allison Lian, Krisha Mahendran, Julianne Nguyen, Kristina Nordikyan, Anna Pallencaoe, Emily Robertson, Maren Urata, Samantha Wang, Sophia Yang, Claire Zhang, and Elena Zhao.
#TeamSoCal Girls 18s
Kaila Barksdale, Iris Berman, Midori Castillo, Taylor Cataldi, Isabella Chhiv, Katie Codd, Tsehay Driscoll, Carolyna Fowler, Asha Gidwani, Kimmi Hance, Katherine Hui, Mika Ikemori, Maddie Jessup, Marley Lambert, Anne Lutkemeyer, Rebecca Lynn, Bianca Molnar, Antonia Pareja, Amanda Perez, Maya Pitts, Jillian Roa, Katrina Scott, Arianna Stavropoulos, Emma Sun, Maya Urata, Tianmei Wang, Winta Woldeab, Kaia Wolfe, and Anne Yang.
To view the official tournament website, visit www.ustagirlsnationals.com.
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