SAN DIEGO – (July 23, 2024) – Rising tennis star Clervie Ngounoue (Clair-vee Goon-away) will defend her 18s singles title at the upcoming USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships scheduled for Saturday, August 3 through Sunday, August 11, 2024 at Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA, 92107.
Ngounoue, a resident of Orlando, Fla., captured last year’s Girls’ 18s singles title with a thrilling 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over San Diego’s Katherine Hui before a crowd of over 1,500 spectators on Stadium Court at Barnes Tennis Center.
Since then, Ngounoue has spent most of her time competing on the International Tennis Federation Women’s World Tennis Tour and USTA Pro Circuit. This past January, she won her first career professional singles title at a $25,000 clay court tournament in Naples, Fla.
The 18-year-old Ngounoue, who won the Wimbledon girls’ singles title in 2023, is currently ranked No. 363 in the WTA singles rankings. She reached a career-high No. 359 earlier this year in May. For additional information on Ngounoue, click here.
“We are thrilled to have such a talented player like Clervie Ngounoue return to San Diego to defend her Girls’ 18s singles title,” said Tournament Director Lornie Kuhle. “These Championships are a great opportunity to see the future of American tennis. The player fields in the 16s and 18s divisions are very strong this year and we look forward to watching the top junior tennis players in the country competing for national titles.”
To view the current tournament player entry list for each division, click here. (Player entries are subject to change)
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 Girls’ 16s event will begin on Saturday, August 3 and conclude with the singles and doubles championships on Saturday, August 10. The Girls’ 18s tournament will get underway on Sunday, August 4 and conclude with the singles and doubles championships on Sunday, August 11. Both divisions feature 192-player singles draws and 96-team doubles draws.
The Opening Ceremony for the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, August 3 at Barnes Tennis Center.
Admission is free each day of the tournament and there is no charge for parking at the Barnes Tennis Center. To view the official tournament website, click here.
The starting times for each day of the tournament are: 8 a.m. — Saturday, August 3 through Wednesday, August 7; 9 a.m. — Thursday, August 8 and Friday, August 9; 10 a.m. — Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11. (All times are PDT).
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at the following sites from Saturday, August 3 through Tuesday, August 6 — Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, San Diego, CA 92104 and University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110.
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.
Sofia Kenin, the 2015 Girls’ 18s champion, captured the Australian Open singles title in 2020 and achieved a career-high No. 4 in the WTA singles rankings. Coco Gauff, who reached the 18s semifinals in 2018, captured her first-career Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 US Open. Gauff is currently at a career-high No. 2 in the WTA singles rankings.
