Following an entertaining day of second-round action in the 50, 60, and 70 and over age divisions, Wednesday’s quarterfinals have been determined for the USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
Top seed and defending 50 and over singles champion Amanda Parson Siegel of Santa Ana playing her first match of the tournament after a first-round bye, began her title defense on a strong note as she eliminated Michele Saunders of Solvang, 6-2, 6-1 in 70 minutes.
After winning the first set, Siegel served for the match at 5-0 in the second set, but Saunders scored her only service break of the match. In the next game, with Saunders serving to stay in the match, Siegel wrapped up the victory as she broke at love, hitting a down-the-line backhand winner on match point.
“I had a few nerves and was playing a little tight. She (Saunders) was a tough player because she had a lot of variety. I had to move with her, but I figured it out,” Siegel said. “I will have to have better consistency with my focus…from the first ball to the last ball.”
Siegel will face fifth-seeded Maria O’Connor of San Juan Capistrano on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. O’Connor outlasted unseeded Wendy Lorentzen of Simi Valley, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Tuesday.
In the lower half of the 50 and over singles draw, second-seeded Dina McBride of Thousand Oaks blanked unseeded Li Yu of Canada 6-0, 6-0. McBride will play fifth-seeded Christen Bartelt of Malibu in the quarterfinals at 10:30 a.m.
Top-seed and defending 60 and over singles champion Vicki Buholz (above) of Dallas took 69 minutes to dispatch unseeded Lori Robertson of Albuquerque, 6-1, 6-1 in Tuesday’s second round.
“Lori is always a good competitor. She has a very aggressive game, especially at the net. She has a good lefty serve, so I had to adjust to that,” Buholz said after the match. “I need to cut down on my unforced errors and go for my shots. I’ll have to be a little more aggressive.”
Buholz, the current No. 1 ranked player in the International Tennis Federation 60-plus singles rankings, will go up against fifth-seeded Wanda Howes of Victoria, Australia in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at 11 a.m.
In the 70 and over singles division, two-time singles champion and top-seed Tina Karwasky of Glendale breezed past San Diego’s Susan Davis 6-0, 6-0 in 47 minutes on Court No. 1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The 71-year-old Karwasky, who finished 2022 as the No. 1 ranked player in the ITF 70-plus singles rankings, will take on unseeded Marianne Saibara of Centerville, Utah on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
First-round singles action in the 80 and over division took place on Tuesday. Unseeded Teri Eggers of Orange eliminated Dineka Vandeburgt of Kelowna, Canada 6-0, 6-0. Eggers will meet top-seeded Carolynn Castell of Kirkland, Wash., in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at 10 a.m.
To view singles and doubles draws for each age division, click aquí.
The starting times for each day of the tournament will be as follows: Wednesday, May 15 through Thursday, May 16, 8 a.m.; Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, 9 a.m.
The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes tennis enthusiasts to view the tournament and will offer free admission to spectators for the entire tournament. Tournament attendees and spectators may dine on-site at the Club’s Snack Bar and Club Dining restaurant during the tournament. On-site parking is available for a nominal fee.