Defending Champions Oren Motevassel and Dina McBride Highlight Player Fields At USTA National 40 Hard Court Tennis Championships

Written by: Staff on 28th November 2013

Defending Champions Oren Motevassel and Dina McBride Highlight Player Fields At USTA National 40 Hard Court Tennis Championships |

National Tennis Tournament to be Played at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club Dec. 2-8, 2013

La Jolla, Calif. – (November 26, 2013) – Two-time defending men’s singles champion Oren Motevassel and women’s defending singles champion Dina McBride highlight strong player fields at the 41st annual United States Tennis Association (USTA) National 40 Men’s and Women’s Hard Court Championships set for Dec. 2-8, at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

The top-seeded Motevassel of San Jose, Calif., played on the men’s professional tennis tour for 15 years and was ranked as high at 161 in the world before retiring in 2001. A native of Tel Aviv, Israel, Motevassel defeated Martin Barba of Carlsbad, Calif. in last year’s singles final and Jeff Tarango of Manhattan Beach, Calif. in the 2011 singles championship.

Women’s defending champion Dina McBride of Valencia, Calif. defeated Ros Nideffer of San Diego in last year’s singles final. McBride, a former college standout at the University of San Diego in the mid-1990s, is seeded second behind top-seeded Sophie Woorons-Johnson of Anderson, S.C.

“We are looking forward to an exciting week of tennis,” said Tournament Director Bill Kellogg. “With last year’s singles champions returning to defend their titles and an exceptional field of worthy challengers, the matches next week at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club are going to be very entertaining.”

Matches will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 2 and at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 through Friday, Dec. 6. The weekend’s schedule on Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 will begin at 9 a.m. The women’s singles final will be played on Saturday, while the men’s singles final will take place on Sunday.

The tournament, which includes former touring professionals and the nation’s strongest players in the 40 and over age group, will also feature men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles events for players 40 and over.

Also on the agenda of the seven-day event is the USTA National Father and Son and Grandfather and Grandson Hard Court Doubles Championships beginning Friday, Dec. 6, with matches concluding on Sunday, Dec. 8.

The Father and Son championship has been held continuously at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club since 1959, and attracts the top father and son tennis teams in the nation. The Grandfather/Grandson event is a relatively new competitive division that started at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club just a few years ago.

La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes tennis spectators to view the tournament with free admission. On-site parking is available for a nominal fee. For a list of seeded players and tournament draws, please go to: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=125262

Recently designated one of the Top 100 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 will be hosting the 125th edition of The Pacific Coast Mens’ Doubles Championships in February 2014, and the USTA National Hard Court Championships for Womens’ 50-90 age groups in May 2014.

In honor of the USTA National Hard Court Championship, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and its sister property, the La Jolla Shores Hotel, will be offering special room rates to the general public starting at $199 per night.