TOP 18s SEEDS SCHEDULED TO PLAY MONDAY AT USTA
BILLIE JEAN KING GIRLS’ 16s & 18s NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
16s Top-Seed Valencia Xu Advances to Third Round

SAN DIEGO – (August 4, 2019) – It was another action-packed day at the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships as the Girls’ 16s division wrapped up second-round play and the Girls’ 18s division played first-round matches at the Barnes Tennis Center.

Valencia Xu of Livingston, N.J., the Girls’ 16s top-seed, eased into the third round after a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Amani Shah of San Diego in 80 minutes. Xu will play 33rd seed Sanjana Tallamraju of Munster, Ind., on Monday at 1:30 p.m.

After winning the first set over Shah at love in 35 minutes, Xu used an early service break to take a 3-0 second-set lead. Shah then held her next two service games to cut Xu’s lead to 4-2.

The top-seed overcame three double faults in the seventh game and finally held serve to extend her lead to 5-2. Xu took advantage of Shah’s two double faults in the next game and broke serve to close out the second-round match.

“I kept moving forward and when I had the chance, I would come in and finish at the net. My serves were good. I was serving well,” Xu said at courtside after her victory. “I’ve been training for this tournament. I like it. It’s really nice here. There is a lot to do around here. It’s a good tournament.”

Also advancing to the Girls’ 16s third round was second-seeded Vivian Ovrootsky of San Jose, Calif., a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Daniela Porges of Plantation, Fla.

The top 32 players in the Girls’ 18s singles draw had first-round byes and will play their opening matches on Monday. Top-seeded Hailey Baptiste of Washington, D.C., will take on Kianna Oda of Hilo, Hawaii at 10 a.m., while second-seeded Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek, Calif., faces Jamie Kim of Mason, Ohio at noon.

In other 18s singles action scheduled on Monday, third-seeded Emma Navarro of Charleston, S.C., plays Isabelle Lee of Oneida, Wis., at 10 a.m. and fourth-seeded Alexa Noel of Summit, N.J., will meet Monica Stratakos of Saratoga, Calif., at noon.

For complete draws for the Girls’ 16s and 18s divisions, click here.

Over 400 of the top junior tennis players in the country, aged 16 and 18 and under, are competing for the title of National Champion, as well as a wild card entry into the Women’s Singles main draw of the 2019 US Open (for the 18s Champion) and a wild card into the 2019 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 conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday August 10. The Girls’ 18s tournament concludes with the 18s singles championship on Sunday, August 11.

The starting times for each day of the tournament are as follows:
Monday, August 5 through Wednesday, August 7 – 8 a.m.
Thursday, August 8 – 8:30 a.m.
Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10 – 9 a.m.
Sunday, August 11 – 10 a.m.
(All times PDT)

Early-round tournament matches are also being played at San Diego State University’s Aztec Tennis Center, 5375 Remington Rd., San Diego, CA, 92115 through Tuesday, August 6 and at the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92104 through Wednesday, August 7.

Admission and on-site parking at the Barnes Tennis Center is free each day of the tournament. For fans watching matches at SDSU and the Balboa Tennis Club, admission is free. There is a nominal charge for on-campus parking at SDSU. Parking regulations at the university will be strictly enforced. Parking is free at the Balboa Tennis Club.

Tennis Channel will broadcast the Girls’ 16s singles final from 1-3 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, August 10 and the Girls’ 18s singles final from 2-4 p.m. (PDT) on Sunday, August 11.
All tournament matches played on Stadium Court at the Barnes Tennis Center are being streamed live at www.ustagirlsnationals.com  through Friday, August 9.

To view the official tournament website, please click here.

About USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s Nationals
The USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships are the premiere hard court tennis tournaments for amateur and professional American girls aged 16 and 18 and under in the United States. In 2010, both age groups began playing their events concurrently at San Diego’s Barnes Tennis Center. Tournament participants, who represent nearly every state in the United States, have been endorsed by their respective USTA Section or have received USTA special exemptions based on their results in qualifying tournaments, junior rankings, or results on the WTA Tour or International Tennis Federation Junior Circuit.  Past tournament champions include Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Zina Garrison, Mary Jo Fernandez, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport.

About George E. Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center
The Center is owned and operated by Youth Tennis San Diego. It was built in 1995 and completed in 1997. The $4.5 million junior tennis facility was made possible with generous public and private donations and is named after the lead donor family – the “George E. Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center.” The Center, which is dedicated to the youth of San Diego, offers children 18 and under court priority over adults with advanced reservations.

About Youth Tennis San Diego
Youth Tennis San Diego is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that has been in existence since 1952.  In 2016, Youth Tennis San Diego was recognized with the USTA Organization Member of the Year Award. The  award  is  given  annually  to  an  organization  that  provides  outstanding  service  to its members and  to the  local  community. YTSD was honored at the 2016 USTA Annual Meeting and Conference at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.  

The YTSD Mission is:  “To promote the educational, physical, and social development of all youth through organized tennis and educational activities.” Their community programs encourage youth participation, personal integrity, leadership, and competitive spirit in a friendly environment that builds responsible citizens.  YTSD provides thousands of youngsters each year the opportunity to play tennis after school at their neighborhood school. The After School Tennis program provides a safe haven for hundreds of youngsters who are not supervised after school. Through tennis, the children learn the success skills which will give them the confidence and self-esteem needed to confront the negative influences so often found on the streets where they live.

USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships
Barnes Tennis Center
San Diego
Sunday’s Results

Girls’ 18s Singles
First Round
Haley Giavara (33), San Diego, def. Gabrielle Lee, Oneida, Wis., 6-3, 6-2
Muskan Mahajan, San Ramon, Calif., def. Nicole Hammond, Centreville, Va., 6-3, 4 6, 6-1
Lana Mavor (33), Yarmouth, Maine, def. Lena Kovacevic, Boca Raton, Fla., 6-1, 6-2
MariaCecilia Aguiar, San Juan, P.R., def. Madeline Suk, Minnetonka, Minn., 6-0, 6-0
Allura Zamarripa (33), Saint Helena, Calif., def. Sena Selby, White Plains, N.Y., 7-5, 6-2
Jennifer Gadalov, Los Angeles, def. Sophia Sassoli, Gladwyne, Pa., 6-1, 6-3
Karly Friedland, Hollywood, Fla., def. Maryam Ahmad (33), Albertson, N.Y., 6-1, 6-4
Serina Saltzen, Shingle Springs, Calif., def. Gabby Lee, Leawood, Kan., 6-4, 6-3
Lea Ma (33), Dix Hills, N.Y., def. Mia Kintiroglou, Livingston, N.J., 6-1, 6-1
Carmen Corley (33), Albuquerque, N.M., def. Corinne Farid, Columbia, Mo., 6-4, 6-1
Kianna Oda, Hilo, Hawaii, def. Nina Gulbransen, Boca Raton, Fla., 4-6, 1-0 Ret. (injury)
Emma Shelton (33), Gainesville, Fla., def. Kayla Wilkins, Charlotte, N.C., 6-3, 6-3
Cami Brown, Irvine, Calif., def. Klara Kosan, Carmichael, Calif., 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Meghan Coleman, Indianapolis, def. Maile Brilhante, Hilo, Hawaii, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
Katya Hersh, Carpentersville, Ill., def. Brooke Evans, Bethesda, Md., 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1
Brooke Bittner, Greer, S.C. def. Alexandra Coleman, Wellesley, Mass., 6-2, 6-1
Jessica Braun, Canton, Mich., def. Lucy Carpenter, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., 7-6 (4), 6-3
Jenna Thompson (33), Charlotte, N.C., def. Emma Carr, Dallas, Texas, 6-3, 6-1
Alexandria von Tersch Pohrer, Orange, Calif., def. Stella Ribaudo, Chicago, 6-4, 6-3
Maxi Duncan, Irvine, Calif., def. Gabriella Cusano, Austin, Texas, 6-0, 6-0
Camille Kiss, Redlands, Calif., def. Gabriela Moss, Paradise Valley, Ariz., 6-0, 6-3
Brooke Killingsworth (33), Rogers, Ark., def. Rebecca Fisch, New York, 6-0, 6-0
Kaitlin Tan (33), Tacoma, Wash., def. Stephanie Nguyen, Fremont, Calif., 6-0, 6-1
Victoria Hu, Raleigh, N.C., def. Lela Daszuta, Evergreen, Colo., 6-1, 6-4
Ava Hrastar (33), Duluth, Ga., def. Darinka Stepan, Chicago, Ill., 6-1, 6-3
Alexandra Dewire, Hingham, Mass., def. Katie Weber, Charlotte, N.C., 6-4, 6-2
Kailey Evans, Ennis, Texas, def. Nicole Copeland, Edina, Minn., 6-3, 6-0
Madison Sieg (33), Greenwich, Conn., def. Isabella Steffen, Cary, N.C., 6-0, 6-0
Yashna Yellayi, Hinsdale, Ill., def. Ashley Kennedy, Newtown Square, Pa., 6-0, 6-2
Ellie Schoppe, Stuart, Fla., def. Chloe Brown, Duluth, Ga., 6-1, 6-3
Ayana Akli (33), Silver Spring, Md., def. Blessing Nwaozuzu, Beachwood, Ohio, 6-3, 6-3
Maia Sung, Rolling Hills, Calif., def. Perene Wang, New York, 0-6, 6-2, 6-2
Shreya Ravilla, Fremont, Calif., def. Lara Schneider (33), Mt. Pleasant, S.C, 6-3 Ret. (ill)

Girls’ 16s Singles
Second Round
Valencia Xu (1), Livingston, N.J., def. Amani Shah, San Diego, 6-0, 6-2
Vivian Ovrootsky (2), San Jose, Calif., def. Daniela Porges, Plantation, Fla., 6-1, 6-4
Midori Castillo, Bonita, Calif., def. Ava Krug (13), Lakewood Ranch, Fla., 3-6, 6-1, 7 5
Sydni Ratliff (33), Gahanna, Ohio, def. Irene Huang, San Diego, 6-3, 6-0
Katherine Hui (33), San Diego, def. Belen Nevenhoven, Rockford, Ill., 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Katie Codd (33), Carlsbad, Calif., def. Siri Kongara, Spring, Texas, 6-2, 6-1
Aubrey Nisbet (4), Wilmington, Del., def. Didi Bredberg Canizares, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 7-6 (5), 7-5
Nadejda Maslova (5), Brooklyn, N.Y., def. Madeleine Jessup, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Carrie Beckman (7), Louisville, Ky., def. Sahana Raman, Acton, Mass., 6-1, 6-1
Hina Inoue (10), Huntington Beach, Calif., def. Kathryn Treiber, Hinsdale, Ill., 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-2
Bridget Stammel (17), Dallas, def. Sydney Sharma, Warren, N.J., 6-0, 6-2
Nikita Vishwase (12), Phoenix, Ariz., def. Nina Moravek, Gig Harbor, Wash., 6-3, 6-2
Reese Brantmeier (14), Whitewater, Wis., def. Linden Patterson, Marietta, Ga., 6-0, 6-2
Jennifer Riester (15), Lynnfield, Mass., def. Savanna Kollock, Scottsdale, Ariz., 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
Julia Fliegner (16), Clarkston, Mich., def. Hope Moulin, Lithia, Fla., 6-4, 6-1
Allie Gretkowski (17), Mount Pleasant, S.C., def. Kaia Wolfe, Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif., 6-4, 6-4
Eleana Yu (17), Mason, Ohio, def. Clara Whitaker, Wichita, Kan., 6-1, 6-1
Gavriella Smith (17), New Orleans, def. Rose Hayes, East Moriches, N.Y., 6-2, 6-4
Gracie Epps (17), Norman, Okla., def. Maya Urata, La Canada Flintridge, Calif., 6-2, 6-2
Kiley Rabjohns (17), Lake Forest, Ill., def. Adrianna Peradoza, Port Deposit, Md., 6-2, 6-1
Leyden Games (17), Irvine, Calif., def. Isabel Pacheco, Weston, Fla., 6-3, 6-4
Liv Hovde (17), McKinney, Texas, def. Jenna Sabile, Fullerton, Calif., 6-1, 6-0
Madison Weekley, Alamo, Calif., def. Caroline Wernli (17), Austin, Texas, 6-1, 6-4
Nastasya Semenovski, Brookline, Mass., def. Amelia Honer (17), Newtown, Pa., 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Ria Bhakta (17), Saratoga, Calif., def. Madison Smith, Henderson, Nev., 7-5, 6-4
Amber McGinnis (33), Pompano Beach, Fla., def. Anne Moody, Bedford, N.Y., 6-3, 6-0
Ann Guerry, Atlanta, def. Mirabelle Brettkelly (33), San Francisco, 6-3, 7 5
Anushka Khune (33), Plantation, Fla., def. Daria Smetannikov, Morganville, N.J., 6-0, 6-2
Carson Tanguilig (33), Alpharetta, Ga., def. Bayley Sheinin, East Greenwich, R.I, 6-1, 6-0
Elisabeth Jones (33), Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., def. Abigail Solomon, Knoxville, Tenn., 6-3, 6-3
Elise Wagle (33) Niskayuna, N.Y., def. Ellie Myers, Evansville, Ind., 6-2, 6-4
Filippa Bruu Syversen (33), Chatham, N.J., def. Eileen Wang, Buffalo, N.Y., 6-3, 6-3
Kayla Meraz, Brea, Calif., def. Rylie Hanford (33), Chesterland, Ohio, 6-0, 6-1
Kida Ferrari (33), Fairhope, Ala., def. Calissa Dellabarca, Artesia, N.M., 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
Lina Mohamed, Mineola, N.Y., def. Alexis Blokhina (33), Plantation, Fla., 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2)
Liza Tankimovich, Granada Hills, Calif., def. Sara Snyder (33), San Juan, P.R., 6-3, 6-4
McKenna Schaefbauer (33), Normal, Ill., def. Zoe Hammond, Tulsa, Okla., 6-2, 3 6, 6-3
Megan Heuser (33), Lindenhurst, Ill., def. Arianna Stavropoulos, Sierra Madre, Calif., 7-5, 6-2
Olivia Weiss (33), Royal Oak, Mich., def. Kate Sharabura, Atlanta, 6-4, 6-3
Sanjana Tallamraju (33), Munster, Ind., def. Maryia Hrynashka, Rancho Cordova, Calif., 6-3, 6-1
Sankavi Gownder (33), Cypress, Texas, def. Emma Sun, Newbury Park, Calif., 7-5, 6-3
Tomi Main (33), Seaside, Calif., def. Brianna Wilbur, San Antonio, Texas, 6-4, 6-4
Ujvala Jupalli (33), Parsippany, N.J., def. Mattie Grace Dermody, Charleston, S.C., 7-6 (1), 6-2
Vennmukiil Mathivanan (33), Chapel Hill, N.C., def. Anna Babayan, Bradenton, Fla., 6-1, 6-0
Vivian Miller (33), Glencoe, Ill., def. Olivia Almy, Southborough, Mass., 6-3, 6-4
Whitley Pate (33), Daniel Island, S.C., def. Parker Fry, Rolling Hills, Calif., 6-3, 6-4
Jasmin Makela, Boca Raton, Fla., def. Pragnya Kumar, Alpharetta, Ga., 6-4, 6-2
Jeanette Mireles, Houston, def. Alexandra Savu, Naperville, Ill., 6-0, 6-1
Katelyn Hart, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., def. Sophia Strugnell (17), Summerfield, N.C., 6-4, 6-3
Natalie Block, Plantation, Fla., def. Addison Ahlstrom, Woodside, Calif., 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

For complete scores and results, click here.