WILD CARD ENTRIES ANNOUNCED FOR UPCOMING USTA BILLIE JEAN KING
GIRLS’ 16s & 18s NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, AUGUST 4-12, 2018 IN SAN DIEGO
2018 National Championships to Celebrate Girls’ 18s Division 100th Anniversary
SAN DIEGO – (July 27, 2018) – Tournament officials have announced wild card entries for the upcoming USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships presented by adidas scheduled for August 4-12, 2018 at the Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA, 92107.
The following players have been awarded singles wild cards:
Girls’ 18s Division
Najah Dawson – Rosedale, N.Y. Alana Smith – Fort Washington, Md.
Anessa Lee – San Marino, Calif. Michelle Xu – Vienna, Va.
Chidimma Okpara – Vienna, Va. Alexandra Yepifanova – Aventura, Fla.
Alexa Ryngler – Calabasas, Calif. Marlee Zein – Sugar Land, Texas
Girls 16’s Division
Maria Drobotova – Deerfield Beach, Fla. Victoria Hu – Cary, N.C.
Rosie Garcia-Gross – New York, N.Y. Hina Inoue – Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sanyukta Gawande – Bradenton, Fla. Tyra Richardson – Chicago, Ill.
Allie Gretkowski – Mount Pleasant, S.C. Sophie Williams – Charleston, S.C.
This year’s tournament will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Girls’ 18s Division, which crowned its first singles champion in 1918. Past Girls’ 18s singles champions include top players such as Helen Wills, Maureen Connolly, Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport. To view the complete list of past 18s singles and doubles champions, go to: www.ustagirlsnationals.com/past-champions—18s.html
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 2018 US Open (for the 18s Champion) and a wild card into the 2018 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. 4 and conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday Aug. 11. The Girls’ 18s tournament will get underway on Sunday, Aug. 5 and conclude with the 18s singles championship on Sunday, Aug. 12. 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 updated starting times for each day of the tournament will be as follows:
Saturday, August 4 through Thursday, August 9 — 8 a.m.
Friday, August 10 through Sunday, August 12 — 9 a.m.
(Starting times subject to change)
The Opening Ceremony for the USTA Billie Jean King National Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4 at the Barnes Tennis Center. (All times PDT)
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at San Diego State University’s Aztec Tennis Center, 5375 Remington Rd., San Diego, CA, 92115 from Saturday, Aug. 4 through Tuesday, Aug. 7, and the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92104 from Saturday, Aug. 4 through Wednesday, Aug. 8.
