Number One Seeded Ena Shibahara Avoids Early Upset in USTA Girls’ 16s National Championships

Written by: Staff on 4th August 2013

Number One Seeded Ena Shibahara Avoids Early Upset in USTA Girls’ 16s National Championships |

Top-Seeded Sachia Vickery and Other Girls’ 18s Seeds in Action on Monday at Barnes Tennis Center

San Diego, Calif. – (August 4, 2013) – When Ena Shibahara, top seeded in the USTA Girls’ 16s National Championships, looks to the sidelines, she sees more than a few familiar faces.

Watching intently are her Japanese-born parents, alongside her maternal grandparents and brother, Shuhei, 20, a top player himself at UC Irvine, some 90 miles north of San Diego. Shibahara resides in Rancho Palos Verdes, just north of Los Angeles.

“It’s so great having everyone here to watch me,” said Shibahara, after advancing to the Round of 64 with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (5) second-round win over unseeded Ellie Douglas of McKinney, Texas.

“My parents see me play a lot, but my grandparents came over from Japan to spend the summer. That’s extra special because they’re both in their 80s,” added Shibahara, who received a first-round bye.

At home, Shibahara, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, speaks mostly Japanese with her parents and grandparents, though she converses with friends in English.

On-court, Shibahara pounds her groundstrokes with a ferocity that belies her slight stature. She’s also very willing to heap praise on her opponents.

“I think there are a lot of better players than me here,” she said, “but I’m ready to stay on top because I’m a fighter out there.”

Next up for Shibahara is a third-round match Monday against eighth seed Dominique Vasile of Oakland, Mich.

Sachia Vickery of Miramar, Fla., the top-seed in the Girls’ 18s, will be in action along with the other Girls’ 18s seeds on Monday, Aug. 5. Matches are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

The Girls’ 16s tournament will conclude with the finals on Saturday, Aug. 10. The Girls’ 18s division will finish with the finals on Sunday, Aug. 11.

Nearly 400 girls aged 16 and 18 and under are competing for the title of National Champion, as well as a Wild Card entry into the singles main draw of the US Open Women’s Championships (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 main draw of the US Open Women’s Doubles competition.

In addition to the Barnes Tennis Center, early round matches are also scheduled at San Diego State University and University of San Diego. (Please see schedule below) Spectator admission is free at all sites each day of the tournament. Parking is free at the Barnes Tennis Center. There is a nominal charge for parking at SDSU and USD.

To view the complete tournament draws go to: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=121938

Past tournament champions include Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport. Victoria Duval, last year’s Girls’ 18s National Champion, fell to Kim Clijsters of Belgium in an entertaining first round match on opening night of the 2012 US Open before a large crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 17-year-old Duval, a resident of Bradenton, Fla., is ranked No. 297 in the world (as of 7/26/13).

Tournament Information

Website – www.ustagirlsnationals.com/

Starting times – 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 3 – Thursday, Aug. 8

9 a.m., Friday, Aug. 9 – Sunday, Aug. 11

Locations – Saturday, Aug. 3 – Sunday, Aug. 11, Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, Calif. 92107

Saturday, Aug. 3 – Tuesday, Aug. 6, (Early Rounds) San Diego State University, Aztec Recreation Center, 5301 55th Street, San

Diego, Calif. 92182

Sunday, Aug. 4 – Wednesday, Aug. 7, (Early Rounds) University of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, Calif. 92110