TOPS SEEDS CRUISE INTO SINGLES QUARTERFINALS AT USTA
NATIONAL WOMEN’S SENIOR HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS Wednesday’s Schedule to Begin at 8 a.m. (PDT) at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
LA JOLLA, Calif., – (May 14, 2019) – The top seeds put on commanding performances on Tuesday at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and wasted little time in advancing to Wednesday’s singles quarterfinals of the USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships.
Top-seed Andrea Rice of Bethesda, Md., playing her first match of the tournament after a first-round bye, overwhelmed Terri Thyssen of Conroe, Texas, 6-0, 6-0 in a second-round match on Court No. 2. Rice will go up against unseeded Christine Roth of Telluride, Colo., in Wednesday’s 50 and over quarterfinals at 9:30 a.m.
After losing last year’s 50s singles final to Ros Nideffer, a former touring professional who was once ranked as high as No. 15 in the world, Rice, a tough serve and volley player, is thrilled to come into this year’s national hard court event as the top seed.
“It’s exciting to be the No. 1 seed and have the opportunity to play this tournament again. There are a lot of California and West Coast (senior) players here that don’t play other tournaments, so I get to play different people,” Rice said. “I love playing this tournament and I love playing folks I normally don’t get to play. I’m off to a good start and I’m excited about this tournament.”
In the 60 and over division, top-seed and defending champion Susan Wright of Grand Junction, Colo., blanked unseeded Wendy Hawley of Honolulu, 6-0, 6-0. Wright will have a tough test on Wednesday when she plays her quarterfinal match at 11 a.m., against fifth-seeded Kathy Vick of Lubbock, Texas.
Top-seeded Judy Dixon of Amherst, Mass., easily advanced to the 70 and over quarterfinals as she breezed past Kathleen Abbott of Tucson, Ariz., 6-0, 6-0. Dixon is scheduled to play fifth-seed Brenda Winstead of Virginia Beach, Va., at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Dorothy Wasser of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the No. 1 seed in the 80 and over singles draw, was leading Bonnie Champion of Denver, 2-1 in the first set of their first-round match when Champion was forced to retire due to an injury. Wasser will take on Betty Hill of Scottsdale, Ariz., in quarterfinal action tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
The singles semifinals in the 90 and over division are set for 11 a.m. on Thursday. Co-No.1 seed Doris Lutz of Sarasota, Fla., will meet Sally Fuller of La Jolla, Calif., while the other co-No. 1 seed, Rita Price of Aurora, Colo., faces Joyce Vanderpol of Blaine, Wash.
To view updated draws for each division, please click here.
Starting times for each day of the tournament will be as follows: Wednesday, May 15 through Friday, May 17 – 8 a.m.; Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19 – 9 a.m.
The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes tennis enthusiasts to view the tournament and will be offering free admission for spectators through the entire tournament. Tournament attendees and spectators may dine at the Club’s Snack Bar and Club Dining restaurant during the tournament. On-site parking is available for $10 per day.
The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s 47th Annual Men’s Senior Championships is also taking place this week in conjunction with the women’s events, and include both singles and doubles for 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, and 85 and over age groups. Although the men’s events are not national championships, they feature many senior players who regularly compete in national tournaments.
Additional tournament information can be viewed here.
The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club started each of these events and has hosted them since 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 La Jolla, Calif. Tuesday’s Results
Women’s 50 Singles Second Round
Andrea Rice (1), Bethesda, Md., def. Terri Thyssen, Conroe, Texas, 6-0, 6-0
Marie Porter, Missoula, Mont., def. Christine Roth, Telluride, Colo., 6-1, 6-0
Michele Saunders (3), Solvang, Calif., def. Yumi Hansen, South Jordan, Utah, 6-2 7-5
Jenny Keller, La Jolla, Calif., def. Lisa Otten, Oceanside, 6-0, 6-0
Kristen Kepler, Raleigh, N.C., def. Laurie Lambert, Park City, Utah, 6-0, 6-0
Anna Zimmermann (4), Indianapolis, def. Cynthia Delgado, La Jolla, 6-1, 6-0
Yvette Kruger, Needham, Mass., def. Valveta Jones, San Diego, 6-2, 6-0
Women’s 60 Singles Second Round
Susan Wright (1), Grand Junction, Colo., def. Wendy Hawley, Honolulu, 6-0, 6-0
Kathy Vick (5), Lubbock, Texas, def. Nancy Abler-Sanchez, San Diego, 6-0, 6-0
Cynthia Johnson (4), Frisco, Texas, def. Ginny Beneke, San Diego, 6-0, 6-0
Tina Karwasky (5), Glendale, Calif., def. Kim Dean, Newnan, Ga., 6-3, 6-1
Colleen Clery Ferrell (5), San Diego, def. Heidi Clemmer, Darnestown, Md., 6-2, 6-1
Shannon Gordon-Carney (3), Saint Louis, def. Ruth Young, El Cajon, 6-0, 6-0
Erin Boynton (5), Toronto, Canada, def. Hiko Fritz-Krockow, Breckenridge, Colo., 6-4, 6-3
Carolyn Nichols (2), Rancho Santa Fe, def. Leslie Airola-Murveit, Portola Valley, Calif., 6-0, 6-3
Women’s 70 Singles Second Round
Judy Dixon (1), Amherst, Mass., def. Kathleen Abbott, Tucson, Ariz., 6-0, 6-0
Brenda Winstead (5), Virginia Beach, Va., def. Nell Sale, Santa Fe, N.M., 6-0, 6-0
Carol Gay (3), San Diego, def. Wilma Lee, Oakland, Calif., 6-2, 6-3
Ann Loose, Sandia Park, N.M., def. Gwenda Ward (5), Ocala, Fla.,7-6 (4), 6-1
Barbara Hubbard (5), Lihue, Hawaii, def. Thu Stankunas, Saratoga, Calif., 6-0, 6-0
Susan Kimball (4), Oak Bluffs, Mass., def. Lydia Slangan, Salem, Ore., 6-0, 6-1
Mary Alice Pisani (5), Reno, Nev., def. Diana Kitt, Bethesda, Md., 6-3, 6-0
Molly Hahn (2), Belmont, Mass., def. Gloria Melendez, San Antonio, 6-2, 6-0
Women’s 80 Singles First Round
Dorothy Wasser (1), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., def. Bonnie Champion, Denver, 2-1, Ret. (injury)
Carol Wood (4), Potomac, Md., def. Chris Smith, Corpus Christi, Texas, 6-4, 6-4
Sheila Palmer, La Jolla, def. Hideko Azama, Santa Clara, Calif., 6-0, 6-0
Burnette Herrick (2), Tarboro, N.C., def. Mary Ann Winden, San Antonio, 6-2, 6-0
Dorothy Matthiessen, Pasadena, Calif., def. Barbara Pflanz, Redlands, Calif., 6-1, 6-0
Lorna Brooks, Sheridan, Wyo., def. Lola O’Sullivan (3), Flushing, N.Y., 6-1, 6-1
Kathie Meyering, Fredericksburg, Texas, def. Christa Gloge, Boulder, Colo., 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Women’s 90 Singles Quarterfinals
Sally Fuller, La Jolla, def. Elizabeth Harrison, Mukilteo, Wash., 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Joyce Vanderpol, Blaine, Wash., def. Janet Hubbard, Huntington Beach, Calif., 6-4, 2-6, 6-4