Dodo Still Playing at USTA National Senior Women’s Hard Court Tennis Championships

Written by: Staff on 17th May 2012

Dodo Still Playing at USTA National Senior Women’s Hard Court Tennis Championships |

Top-seeded Tina Karwasky of Glendale, Calif. played another near-perfect match to advance to the semifinals in the Women’s 60s division of the USTA National Senior Women’s Hard Court Tennis Championships at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

The 59-year-old Karwasky, who will turn 60 later this year, wasted little time in eliminating fifth-seeded Chieko Holt of Klamath Falls, Ore., 6-0, 6-0, in a quarterfinal match played on Court No. 1.

Karwasky has yet to lose a game in the tournament. After receiving a first-round bye earlier this week, she defeated unseeded Pricilla Sisson of Windsor, Colo., 6-0, 6-0, in the second round on Tuesday.

In her quarterfinal victory, Karwasky controlled the match from start to finish. She attacked Holt’s serve frequently throughout the afternoon as she approached the net off her own service return to set up a winning volley. The strategy helped Karwasky break Holt’s serve each time during the match, which took a little over an hour to complete.

“I was playing pretty good. My ground strokes were coming in nice and deep and I feel pretty comfortable on a hard court,” said Karwasky, who grew up playing on public hard courts in Los Angeles.

As the number one seed in the Women’s 60 division, Karwasky admitted feeling a little bit of pressure. “It always puts pressure on you to do well (as the top seed),” she said. “Everybody is watching you, especially when they put you on the center court. You just want to perform well.”

Playing at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is a special experience for Karwasky. “This is one of the most beautiful spots in all of the United States,” she said. “I’ve been coming here ever since I was a little kid when my mother used to play senior tournaments and she used to leave me at the beach to build sand castles.”

Karwasky, who played on the women’s professional tennis tour in the 1980s, will take on fourth-seeded Molly Hahn of Belmont, Mass. in a semifinal match on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. (PDT).

In other action, top-seeded Ros Nideffer advanced to Thursday’s semifinals of the Women’s 50 division as she defeated fifth-seeded Vicki Buholz of Dallas, Texas, 6-2, 6-2, in a morning quarterfinal match on Court No.1.

The 51-year-old Nideffer, a former touring tennis professional who lives in the San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo, needed nearly two hours to eliminate Buholz in a match highlighted by many long rallies and numerous deuce games.

Nideffer will face fourth-seeded Mariana Hollman of Winston Salem, N.C., in a semifinal match scheduled for Thursday at 12:30 p.m. (PDT).

The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s 40^th Annual Spring Senior Championships for men are also taking place the same week in conjunction with the women’s events. Although the men’s events are not national championships, they will feature many senior players who regularly compete in national tournaments. The men’s events will include singles and doubles for 60 and over, 65 and over, 70 and over, 75 and over and 80 and over age groups. A combined total of over 300 players are participating in the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Matches are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. through Friday, May 18 and at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20. Women’s championship finals will take place on Friday. Men’s championship finals will be played on Saturday. Men’s and women’s consolation finals will be played on Sunday.

Admission to the week-long tournament is free and open to the public. A snack bar and dining facility will be available to spectators. On-site parking will also be available for a nominal fee. Draws will be posted at the Beach Club and will be available at following link: http://tennislink.usta.com/TOURNAMENTS/TournamentHome_New/Tournament.aspx?T=113672

The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club started each of these events and has hosted them since inception. Designated one of the Top 50 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. The Club’s staff includes Director of Tennis Conan Lorenzo and a variety of experienced United States Professional Tennis Association pros who offer a full range of lessons, clinics, camps and services.

In addition to hosting the USTA National Senior Women’s Hard Court Tennis Championships, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club also hosts the USTA National Men’s & Women’s 40 & Over Hard Courts, and the USTA National Father & Son Hard Court Championships, sch

Topics: 10sballs.com, Dodo Cheney, Senior tennis news, Sports, Tennis News, Tina Karwasky, USTA National Senior Women’s Hard Court Tennis Championships