Tournament officials have announced the seeds and draws for the United States Tennis Association National 40 Hard Court Championships scheduled for Monday, Dec. 2 through Sunday, Dec. 8, at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, 2000 Spindrift Drive.
Two-time defending champion Mariko Fritz-Krockow (above) is the top seed in the women’s singles draw. The 41-year-old resident of Orinda is ranked No. 2 in the International Tennis Federation Singles 40-plus rankings.
Former singles champion Henry Choi (above) of Vancouver, Canada is seeded No. 1 in the men’s singles draw. The 43-year-old Choi captured the men’s singles title in 2022. He fell to Matthew Hane of Daniel Island, S.C., in last year’s singles final 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3). Choi is ranked No. 1 in the ITF Singles 40-plus rankings.
One player to watch in the women’s singles draw will be unseeded Ros Nidefferof San Tan Valley, Ariz. Nideffer, a former WTA touring professional, reached the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals in 1988 and 1989. She also won the French Open doubles title in 1981 and 1983. Nideffer achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 15 in the world in 1990.
The 64-year-old Nideffer won the 40 and over hard court singles title in 2009. She was also a six-time singles champion (2012, 2014-2018) in the 50 and over division and a two-time singles champion (2021, 2022) in the 60 and over division at the annual USTA Senior Women’s Hard Court Championships which are played in May at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
To view the complete list of seeded players for each tournament division, click aquí.
Choi received a first-round bye and will play his second-round match at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3 against the winner of a first-round match between Peter Karlen of Mill Valley and Rikki Papa of Toronto, Canada.
Fritz-Krockow also received a first-round bye. She will meet unseeded Carla Zarbo of Chula Vista in her opening match at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3. To view tournament draws for each division, click aquí.
Starting times for each day of the tournament will be Monday, Dec. 2 — 10:30 a.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 3 — 8 a.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 4 and Thursday, Dec. 5 — 9 a.m.; Friday, Dec. 6 — 8 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 — 9 a.m.
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club da la bienvenida a los espectadores de tenis al torneo con entrada gratuita. El estacionamiento en el lugar está disponible por una tarifa nominal.
Also on the agenda is the USTA National Father/Son and Grandfather/Grandson Hard Court Doubles Championships beginning Friday, Dec. 6, with matches concluding Sunday, Dec. 8. The Father/Son championship has been held continuously at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club since 1959, and attracts the top father and son tennis teams in the nation.
USTA Gold, Silver, and Bronze balls will be awarded to the first, second, and third-place finishers in all events.
The USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships are part of the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Masters Tour. Formerly known as the ITF Seniors Tour, the recently rebranded Masters Tour includes individual and team singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events across various grade levels for each five-year age increment from 30-plus to 90-plus. Approximately 27,500 players aged 30-plus to 90-plus compete in Masters Tour events each year.
Designated one of the Top 100 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.
