ISAIAH STRODE AND JESSICA FAILLA NAMED TOP SEEDS FOR
NEXT WEEK’S USTA NATIONAL OPEN HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS
San Diego’s Balboa Tennis Club to Host National Tennis Event May 27 – June 2, 2019

SAN DIEGO – (May 24, 2019) – The United States Tennis Association National Open Hard Court Championships will be played Monday, May 27 through Sunday, June 2, 2019 at the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92104.

Tournament officials have named Isaiah Strode of El Cajon, Calif., as the top seed in the Men’s Open Singles draw and former tournament champion Jessica Failla of Ramona, Calif., as the No. 1 seed in the Women’s Open Singles division.

The 21-year-old Strode is currently ranked No. 510 in the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour singles rankings. Strode played his first professional tennis event in 2014 and since then has competed mainly on the USTA Pro Circuit in Futures and Challenger events.

Earlier this month, Failla completed the 2018-19 intercollegiate tennis season at Pepperdine University, where she posted an 18-6 record in singles and an 18-9 record in doubles. She helped lead the sixth-ranked Waves to the West Coast Conference title and a quarterfinal finish in the NCAA team tournament.

Failla won the USTA National Open Hard Court women’s singles championship in 2016 and was a singles finalist in 2017. She is also a former San Diego CIF Girls’ Singles champion, winning the title as a junior at Ramona High School in 2013.

As the top-seeds, Strode and Failla received first-round byes. Strode will play his first match on Tuesday, May 28 at 9 a.m.  Failla will play her first match on Wednesday, May 29 at 3:30 p.m.

“It’s going to be a great week of Open-level tennis with our traditional start on Memorial Day.  We are excited to have two prominent local players as our top seeds in addition to many of the players who are coming from across the country to play in this event,” said Tournament Director Colleen Clery Ferrell.

“We have an amazing field of competitors this year that includes  junior players, college players, teaching tennis professionals, senior players and even former Davis Cup and Fed Cup players, who will be competing for the prestigious USTA gold ball,” Clery Ferrell added.

To view the complete list of seeds, click here.
To view tournament draws for each division, click here.

First-round matches are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. (PDT) on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. The finals in each division will be played on Sunday, June 2. All draws will have consolation events. Admission for spectators is free and open to the public. On-site parking is free.

The champions in each division will be awarded a USTA gold ball, while the runner-up receive a USTA silver ball. There will also be a 3rd/4th place playoff for the USTA bronze ball.  Prize money will be distributed to both finalists as well as third and fourth place finishers in each division.

The USTA National Open Hard Court Championships was voted “Tournament of the Year” in 2011 by the San Diego District Tennis Association. The event has had several distinguished past champions and participants. U.S. Davis Cup star Jack Sock, who reached a career-high No. 8 in the ATP Tour singles rankings in 2017, won the Men’s Singles Championship in 2010. Coco Vandeweghe, a semifinalist at the 2017 Australian Open and US Open, earned a USTA bronze ball at the 2007 Hard Court Championships. Former WTA touring professionals Gretchen Rush and Ros Nideffer won the Women’s Open Doubles title seven times, while Allison Bradshaw captured the Women’s Open Singles title in 2007.

Route 6 Café, featuring breakfast burritos, sandwiches, specialty coffee, smoothies, drinks and snacks, will be in operation at the Balboa Tennis Club during the tournament from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The 2019 USTA National Open Hard Court Championships are sponsored by the United States Tennis Association, San Diego District Tennis Association,  CH Court Tech, Collins Company, San Diego Aviators, Kashi, Cameo Janitorial, Martinis Above Fourth | Table + Stage, Wilson and Graphic Interfaces.