Tournament officials have announced seeded players for the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 11, at Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd.
Defending singles champion Clervie Ngounoue (Clair-vee Goon-away) of Orlando, Fla., has been named the top seed in the Girls’ 18 singles division. The 18-year-old Ngounoue (above, left) won her second-career professional singles title last week as she captured a $40,000 USTA Pro Circuit indoor hard court event in Dallas.
After winning the title in Texas, Ngounoue is at a career-high No. 299 in the WTA singles rankings. For additional information on Ngounoue, click here.
Akasha Urhobo of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is the second seed in the Girls’ 18s singles draw, followed by third-seeded Iva Jovic of Torrance, and fourth-seeded Tyra Caterina Grant of Miami Beach, Fla. Jovic and Grant teamed earlier this month to win the Wimbledon girls’ doubles crown.
Bella Payne (above, right) of Bradenton, Fla., is the top seed in the Girls’ 16 singles division. The 16-year-old Payne is the top-ranked player in the USTA 16 and Under Rankings. In March this year, she won the 16s singles and doubles titles at the USTA National Spring Championships–Easter Bowl in Indian Wells.
Thara Gowda of Rochester Hills, Mich., is the second seed in the Girls’ 16s singles draw, followed by third-seeded Isabelle DeLuccia of Livingston, N.J.
To view the complete list of seeded players in the Girls’ 18s singles division, click here. To view the complete list of seeded players in the Girls’ 16s singles division, click here.
The Girls’ 16s event gets underway on Saturday, Aug. 3, and will conclude with the singles and doubles championships on Saturday, Aug. 10. The Girls’ 18s tournament begins on Sunday, Aug. 4, and concludes with the singles and doubles championships on Sunday, Aug. 11. Both divisions feature 192-player singles draw and 96-team doubles draw.
The starting times for each day of the tournament are 8 a.m. — Saturday, Aug. 3 through Wednesday, Aug. 7; 9 a.m. — Thursday, Aug. 8 and Friday, Aug. 9; 10 a.m. — Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 11.
Nearly 400 of the top junior tennis players in the country, aged 16 and 18 and under, will compete for the title of national champion. In addition, the following wild cards to the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., will be awarded to the tournament’s top finishers:
18s Singles Champion – US Open Main Draw Singles and US Open Juniors Main Draw Singles
18s Doubles Champions – US Open Main Draw Doubles and US Open Juniors Main Draw Doubles (required to play with same partner)
18s Singles Finalist – US Open Qualifying Singles and US Open Juniors Main Draw Singles
18s Singles 3rd place – US Open Juniors Main Draw Singles
18s Singles 4th place – US Open Juniors Qualifying Singles
18s Singles 5th place – US Open Juniors Qualifying Singles
16s Singles Champion – US Open Juniors Main Draw Singles
The Opening Ceremony for the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships will take place at the Barnes Tennis Center on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 4:30 p.m.
Admission is free each day of the tournament and there is no charge for parking at the Barnes Tennis Center. For information, click here.
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at the following sites from Saturday, Aug. 3 through Tuesday, Aug. 6 — Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, and University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park.
Admission to view matches is free at both sites. Parking is free at the Balboa Tennis Club. For USD parking information, click here.
Nearly every American player on the current WTA tour has won or participated in the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships, which celebrates its 106th anniversary this year.
