San Diego, Calif.  – Wimbledon girls’ champion Claire Liu of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and French Open girls' champion Whitney Osuigwe of Bradenton, Fla., are among the entries for the upcoming United States Tennis Association Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships, scheduled for August 5-13 at the Barnes Tennis Center, located at 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA, 92 107.

Earlier this month, the 17-year old Liu defeated Ann Li, of Devon, Pa., 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, to win the second-ever all-American girls’ singles final at Wimbledon, dating back to 1947. Liu became the first American girls' singles champion at Wimbledon since Chanda Rubin won the title in 1992.

In June, the 15-year-old Osuigwe beat Liu 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the second-ever all-American Roland Garros girls' final in Paris. Osuigwe became just the fourth American to win the French Open girls' singles title and the first since Jennifer Capriati accomplished the feat in 1989.

This year marks the first time American girls have won the French Open and Wimbledon junior singles titles in the same year since 1981. Liu and Osuigwe will be competing in the Girls’ 18s division at the National Championships in San Diego.

“There is no doubt that it has been a banner year for American junior tennis so far with all of the success we’ve seen at the French Open and Wimbledon,” said Tournament Director Lornie Kuhle. “With the depth of this year’s tournament field, we are expecting an extremely competitive and entertaining week of high-level junior tennis.”

Among the top players entered in this year’s Girls’ 18s division are 15-year-old Amanda Anisimova of Aventura, Fla., and 18-year-old Usue Arconada of Rio Piedras, P. R.  Both players have been gaining experience on the USTA Pro Circuit this year. Arconada is ranked No. 237 in the Women’s Tennis Association singles rankings, while Anisimova, the youngest player ranked in the Top 300, is No. 250.

Earlier this year, Anisimova captured the Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge by reaching back-to-back singles finals at the $80K USTA Pro Circuit event in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., and the $60K USTA Pro Circuit event in Dothan, Ala.  She made her main draw Grand Slam debut at the French Open this year, losing in the first round to Kurumi Nara of Japan 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

To view the full list of competitors in the USTA Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships, go to:  
http://tennislink. usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=…
(List is subject to change)
 
Over 400 girls aged 16 and 18 and under will compete for the title of National Champion, as well  as a wild card entry into the Women’s Singles main draw of the US Open (for the 18s Champion) and a wild card into the US Open Junior Championships (for the 16s Champion).  The 18s Doubles Champions will also receive a wild card into the US Open Women’s Doubles main draw.

A strong contingent of local players is also entered in this year’s tournament. Among the local entries is Nicole Mossmer of La Jolla, Calif., last year’s Girls’ 16s National Champion, who is competing in the Girl’s 18s Division this year, and Jennifer Kerr of Carlsbad, Calif., a two-time CIF San Diego Section singles champion. The following are entries from San Diego County:

GIRLS’ 18s

Julia Deming — Fallbrook, Calif.              Jennifer Kerr— Carlsbad, Calif.               
Emily Dush — Chula Vista, Calif.              Nicole Mossmer — La Jolla, Calif.
Paulina Ferrari, San Diego                       Jennifer Richards — San Diego                
Haley Giavara — San Diego                    Julia Ronney — San Diego
Julia Haynes — San Diego                       Hannah Zhao — San Diego
Cali Jankowski — Carlsbad, Calif.,
                            
GIRLS’ 16s

Elizabeth Goldsmith — Chula Vista, Calif.                   Britt Pursell — Oceanside, Calif.
Giulia Hayer — San Diego                       Sophie Raiszadeh — Rancho Santa Fe,Calif.   
Amy Huang — San Diego                                          Winta Woldeab — La Mesa, Calif.
 
The Girls’ 16s event will begin on Saturday, Aug. 5 and conclude with the singles and doubles finals on Saturday Aug. 12. The Girls’ 18s tournament will get underway on Sunday, Aug. 6 and conclude with the 18s singles championship on Sunday, Aug. 13. Both divisions will feature 256-player singles draws with the top 32 players receiving a first-round bye. There will also be 128-team doubles draws with the top 16 teams getting first-round byes.    

The starting time for each day of the tournament will be as follows:
8 a. m. – Saturday, August 5 through Wednesday, August 9
8:30 a. m. – Thursday, August 10
9 a. m. – Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12
10 a. m. – Sunday, August 13
 
The Opening Ceremony for the USTA National Girls’ 16s & 18s National Championships is scheduled for 5 p. m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Barnes Tennis Center. (All times are PDT.)
                                                                       
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at San Diego State University’s Aztec Tennis Center, 5375 Remington Rd., San Diego, CA, 92 115 and the Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92 104 from Saturday, August 5 through Wednesday, August 9.
Admission and on-site parking at the Barnes Tennis Center is free each day of the tournament. For fans watching matches at SDSU and the Balboa Tennis Club, admission is free. There is a nominal charge for on-campus parking at SDSU. Parking regulations at the university will be strictly enforced. Parking is free at the Balboa Tennis Club.