USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 16s and 18s National Championships

07/23/2025

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08/15/2022

ALYSSA AHN AND ELEANA YU CAPTURE SINGLES TITLES AT USTA
BILLIE JEAN KING GIRLS’ 16s & 18s NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

San Diego’s Ahn Wins 16s Singles Championship with Straight Set Victory

SAN DIEGO – (August 14, 2022) – It was a day for dreams to come true as two young rising tennis stars captured singles titles on the final day of the United States Tennis Association Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships at Barnes Tennis Center.

San Diego’s Alyssa Ahn, who trains at Barnes Tennis Center year-round, defeated unseeded Christasha McNeil of Lindenhurst, N.Y., 6-2, 6-3 in one-hour and 23 minutes to win the Girls’ 16s singles title. Ahn became the first San Diegan to win the 16s singles championship since 2016 when Nicole Mossmer of La Jolla, Calif., accomplished the feat.

“It means a lot because I know how prestigious this tournament is. Actually, when I was 10, I watched the 16s and 18s. I was in the crowd, and now it's cool to be one of the players. It's a good experience,” Ahn said after she was presented her USTA Gold Ball by Tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King.

Following her championship victory, Ahn spoke about her home-court advantage. “I'm more comfortable on the courts than my opponents,” she said. “To have a lot of people cheering for me from San Diego helped a lot, too.”

In addition to earning a USTA Gold Ball, Ahn was awarded a Wild Card into the US Open Junior Main Draw for the 2022 US Open in Flushing, N.Y.

Fourth-seeded Eleana Yu of Mason, Ohio scored a thrilling 6-3, 7-5 victory over 17th seeded Valerie Glozman of Bellevue, Wash., in the Girls’ 18s singles final.

Yu established the pace of the match early in the first set with two service breaks and built a commanding 5-1 lead. Glozman came back to win the next two games to cut the gap to 5-3, but Yu confidently served out the first set at love.

Glozman picked up the level of her game in the second set and jumped out to a 4-2 lead, but Yu staged a strong comeback and won five of the next six games to win the championship match, which took two hours and one minute.

“I was just making sure that I kept fighting. I knew each point would matter a lot. I felt I was really mentally into the match,” Yu said after receiving her USTA Gold Ball for winning the national title.

As the reigning Girls’ 18s singles champion, Yu will receive a Wild Card into the 2022 US Open Main Draw. “It’s a dream come true. I’ve always dreamed of playing a Slam and now I’ll actually be able to play. I’m excited about the opportunity,” she said.

To view final tournament draws for each division, click here.

08/15/2022

Check out Sunday's morning's San Diego Union-Tribune report on the USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 18s and 16s Nationals.

San Diego 17-year-old defeated by Valerie Glozman of Washington state

08/15/2022

Check out Fred Sidhu's news release for Saturday's recap below.

SAN DIEGO – (August 13, 2022) – After two dominating semifinal performances on Saturday afternoon, the stage is set for Sunday’s Girls’ 18 singles final of the United States Tennis Association Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships at Barnes Tennis Center.

Fourth-seeded Eleana Yu of Mason, Ohio will meet 17th seeded Valerie Glozman of Bellevue, Wash., in the 18s singles championship at 3 p.m. (PDT) on Stadium Court.

In Saturday’s opening semifinal match, the 15-year-old Glozman overcame a slow start and came back from 0-4 in the first set to stun San Diego’s Katherine Hui 6-4, 6-1 in 85 minutes.

Glozman dropped serve twice early in the first set, but the 17th seed began to mix up her shots and eventually turned the tide as she mounted a spirited comeback, winning six games in a row to capture the first set.

The eighth-seeded Hui and Glozman exchanged service breaks to open the second set, but Glozman continued hitting big shots at critical moments and dominated the set, winning the final five games to close out the match and earn a spot in Sunday’s championship.

“I had to make a few balls in play, stay in the point a little more and not rush myself too much. I had to wait for the right opportunity to attack,” Glozman said after her semifinal victory. “I’m really excited about tomorrow. I hope I can stay loose, just play my game and start off strong.”

In the second 18s singles semifinal, Yu played impressive tennis from start to finish as the fourth-seed eased past 17th seeded Ariana Pursoo of Westbury, N.Y., 6-0, 6-2 in 77 minutes.

The 17-year-old Yu dominated the opening set as she dropped only two points on her serve in addition to scoring three service breaks against Pursoo.

In the second set, Yu held serve and then broke serve for a 2-0 lead. Pursoo then won the next two games to even the score at 2-2, but Yu regained the momentum, capturing the last four games to finish the match and advance to the 18s singles final.

“I feel pretty good about my game at this point. I felt confident coming into the tournament. I didn't have a certain result in mind, but I'm glad to be in the finals. I'm excited about the opportunity to play tomorrow,” Yu said.

The Girls’ 16s singles final will be played at 11 a.m. (PDT). Local entrant Alyssa Ahn, who resides in the San Diego community of Carmel Valley, will play unseeded Christasha McNeil of Lindenhurst, N.Y.

The 15-year-old Ahn, who is seeded ninth, has felt right at home at this week’s national championships. She trains full-time at Barnes Tennis Center throughout the year.

In Friday’s 16s semifinals, Ahn got past fellow San Diegan Claire Zhang, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and McNeil outlasted ninth-seeded Tianmei Wang of San Marino, Calif., 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (9) in three-hours and 55 minutes.

To view tournament draws for each division, click here.

08/11/2022

08/04/2022

Enter to win a $100 gift card to Tennis Plaza! Visit the Laurel Springs School table at Registration to pick up your free gift and register for the raffle.

08/12/2019

SUNDAY’S RESULTS !!

Girls’ 18s Singles
Championship

Katie Volynets (2), Walnut Creek, Calif., def. Emma Navarro (3), Charleston, S.C., 6-2, 6-4

Third Place
Hailey Baptiste (1), Washington, def. Katrina Scott (13), Woodland Hills, Calif., 7-5, 6-4

Girls’ 18s Doubles
Championship

Abigail Forbes, Raleigh, N.C., and Alexa Noel (13), Summit, N.J., def. Gabriella Price, Boca Raton, Fla., and Katrina Scott, Woodland Hills, Calif., 7-5, 6-1

08/12/2019

KATIE VOLYNETS CROWNED 18s SINGLES CHAMPION AT USTA BILLIE JEAN KING GIRLS’ NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Abigail Forbes and Alexa Noel Wrap Up Girls’ 18s Doubles Title

SAN DIEGO – (August 11, 2019) – Coming into Sunday’s Girls’ 18s singles final at the Barnes Tennis Center, 17-year-old Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek, Calif., wanted to get a strong start against third-seeded Emma Navarro of Charleston, S.C.

The second-seeded Volynets executed her game plan to perfection as she used an aggressive baseline game and posted an impressive 6-2, 6-4 victory in 80 minutes over Navarro to win the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships.

Volynets hit pinpoint shots to keep Navarro off balance in the opening set as she used two early service breaks to take a commanding 4-0 lead.

Navarro held serve and broke in the sixth game to cut Volynet’s first set lead to 4-2. However, Volynets won eight of the next 11 points to close out the set in 27 minutes.

In the second set, after exchanging multiple service breaks, the score was deadlocked at 4-4, when Volynets scored a critical service break for a 5-4 lead. Serving for the match in the tenth game, Volynets opened the game with an ace and proceeded to serve out the match for the Girls’ 18s National Championship and a wild card into the US Open.

“The key was starting really well and maintaining the level of play like I wanted to. I was really energetic and focused on court and pumped myself up constantly,” she said. “After I won match point, I had a surge of energy and joy. It means so much to me and I’m excited to go play it (US Open). I’ve been working on this for a long time.”

Following the match, Volynets paid tribute to tennis legend Billie Jean King, who was in attendance and on court for the trophy presentation. She called King an inspiration and said she would probably not be playing tennis if it had not been for King and what she has done for women’s rights.

The 13th seeded team of Abigail Forbes of Raleigh, N.C., and Alexa Noel of Summit, N.J., defeated unseeded Gabriella Price of Boca Raton, Fla., and Katrina Scott of Woodland Hills, Calif., 7-5, 6-1 to win the Girls’ 18s doubles title. Forbes and Noel will receive a wild card into the doubles main draw of the upcoming US Open.