Top seeds dominated USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships

The top seeds in the 18s singles division dominated play on Monday and moved into the third round of the 2024 USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships after scoring impressive straight-set wins at Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma.
Defending 18s singles champion and top-seed Clervie Ngounoue of Orlando, Fla., took 64 minutes to get past Gretchen Wolfe of Montville, N.J., 6-1, 6-1.  The 18-year-old Ngounoue will face 33rd-seeded Olivia Center of South Pasadena on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
Second-seeded Akasha Urhobo (above) dispatched Abigail Lee of Deerfield, Ill., 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 25 minutes. The 17-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is scheduled to meet 33rd-seeded Emily Deming of Fallbrook, in Tuesday’s third round at 3:30 p.m.
Urhobo has spent most of the year playing on the International Tennis Federation Women’s World Tennis Tour and USTA Pro Circuit. She captured her first career professional singles title this past May as a qualifier at a $60,000 clay court event in Zephyrhills, Fla. Urhobo is ranked a career-high No. 317 in the WTA singles rankings. For additional information on Urhobo, click here.
“My year didn’t start so good. When summer came around, it started to get better. I’m trying to bring that same energy into this (tournament). I’m not looking at the seeding and just trying to pay attention to how I’m playing on the court regardless of who is on the other side of the net,” Urhobo said. “I just want to enjoy every moment and show respect to my opponents. I want to fight for every match and see where I’ll end up.”
In other 18s second-round singles action, third-seeded Iva Jovic of Torrance blanked Jina Cha of Falls Church, Va., 6-0, 6-0, and fourth-seeded Tyra Caterina Grant of Miami Beach, Fla., defeated Lyla Byers of Morgantown, W.Va., 6-3, 6-2.  Fifth-seeded Valerie Glozman of Bellevue, Wash., also advanced with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Tina Kintiroglou of New Vernon, N.J.
Girls’ 16s top-seed Bella Payne of Bradenton, Fla., fought off elimination in her third-round match as she scored a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over 33rd seed Paige Wygodzki of Huntington, N.Y., in two-hours and 48 minutes. Payne will play 33rd-seeded Aya Manning of Irving, Texas in Tuesday’s fourth round at noon.
To view singles and doubles draws for each age division, click here.
Starting times for each day of the tournament are 8 a.m. — Tuesday, Aug. 6 and Wednesday, Aug. 7; 9 a.m. — Thursday, Aug. 8 and Friday, Aug. 9; 10 a.m. — Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 11.
Admission is free each day of the tournament and there is no charge for parking at Barnes Tennis Center. To view the official tournament website, click here.
Early-round tournament matches will also be played at the following sites through Tuesday, Aug. 6 — Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morley Field Drive, and University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park.
Admission to view matches is free at both sites. Parking is free at the Balboa Tennis Club. For USD parking information, click here.
To view the official tournament program, click here.