After an amazing day of tennis at the United States Tennis Association Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships, the Girls’ 16s semifinals, and Girls’ 18 quarterfinals are set for Friday at Barnes Tennis Center.
The highlight of the day was a brilliant first-set comeback by 17th-seeded Katherine Hui (above) of San Diego who went up against Ahmani Guichard of Seminole, Fla., in a Girls’ 18s Round of 16 match on Court 10.
Guichard used two service breaks to jump out to a commanding 5-1 lead in the opening set and looked on the verge of wrapping up the first set as she served in the seventh game.
However, the 18-year-old Hui had other ideas as she began her comeback with a key service break to keep her in the set. With the momentum shifting in her favor, Hui tied the set score at 5-5 and then scored another service break to take a 6-5 lead. She then completed her comeback as she held serve to take the first set.
In the second set, with the score even at 3-3, Hui broke Guichard’s serve twice in the final three games to complete the 7-5, 6-3 victory to earn a spot in Friday’s Girls’ 18s quarterfinals.
“Ahmani is a great player and a competitor. I’ve practiced with her a lot and played matches against her. She is tough,” Hui said. “She was putting a lot of pressure on me and stepping in, but I turned it around. I mentally stayed in it. That was important for me. I adjusted my strategy a little bit to take control of the points.”
After winning the first set, Hui continued her high level of play. “In the second set, I just wanted to continue what I was doing at the end of the first set, trying to open up the court and dictate the points,” she added. “It was more of a battle of who could control the point well, staying mentally tough and fighting for every point. It felt really good. I felt focused on every point. I’m really proud of the way I performed.”
Hui will meet second-seeded Reese Brantmeier of Whitewater, Wis., in Friday’s Girls’ 18s quarterfinals for the second-straight year. Last year, the San Diego resident scored a thrilling 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Brantmeier, who went on to win the doubles championship with Clervie Ngounoue.
“Reese is always really tough to play. She is a great player. I’ll just continue to play my game and have confidence. The last few matches I’ve gotten better and better, so hopefully tomorrow I’ll perform well,” Hui said.
Here is Friday’s tournament schedule for Main Draw singles matches:
Girls’ 18s Singles
Quarterfinals — 10 a.m.
Clervie Ngounoue (1), Washington, D.C., vs. Tatum Evans (5), McLean, Va.
Victoria Osuigwe (3), Bradenton, Fla., vs. Valerie Glozman (6), Bellevue, Wash.
Eleana Yu (17), Mason, Ohio, vs. Charney Piper (17), Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Reese Brantmeier (2), Whitewater, Wis., vs. Katherine Hui (17), San Diego
Girls’ 16s Singles
Semifinals — Noon
Christina Lyutova (1), Redmond, Wash., vs. Julieta Pareja (9), Carlsbad, Calif.
Anita Tu (7), Melbourne, Fla., vs. Anna Frey (11), Farmington, Utah
To view current tournament draws for each division, click here. For links to live streaming and live scoring, click here.
The starting times for each day will be Friday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Aug. 13 – 9 a.m.
Admission is free each day of the tournament and there is no charge for parking at Barnes Tennis Center. To view the official tournament website, go to http://www.ustagirlsnationals.com.