McHale Teams with Asia Muhammad to Sweep Girls’ 18s Doubles Title;
Henrik Wiersholm, Henadi Kance Sweep USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 12s Singles and Doubles
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., August 17, 2009 – Chase Buchanan of New Albany, Ohio, and Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., captured the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s National Hard Court Championship singles titles on Sunday, earning them wild card entries into the men’s and women’s main singles draws of the 2009 US Open.
The nation’s top junior tennis players competed in eight USTA National Championships across the country last week. The singles and doubles champions at the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s events are traditionally awarded wild card entries into the main draw of the US Open. The singles runners-up in the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s divisions are typically offered wild cards entries into the qualifying draw.
Buchanan, an 18-year-old who plays for Ohio State University, entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and defeated 18-year-old Ryan Lipman of Nashville, Tenn., 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, in the best-of-five-set final in Kalamazoo, Mich. Buchanan won the USTA Boys’ 18s doubles title at Kalamazoo last year, earning him a wild card into men’s doubles at the 2008 US Open.
McHale, 17, defeated 18-year-old Lauren Embree of Marco Island, Fla., 6-0, 6-1, in the USTA Girls’ 18s final at the Berkeley Tennis Club in Berkeley, Calif., and teamed with 18-year-old Asia Muhammad of Henderson, Nev., to complete the first sweep of the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships since Kristen Schlukebir accomplished the feat in 2000. McHale, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, will make her second appearance at a Grand Slam this year. She also competed in the 2009 Australian Open after winning a USTA wild card playoff.
Highlights from other USTA National Hard Court Championships include:
Lauren Davis, 15, of Gates Mills, Ohio, won the USTA Girls’ 16s National Championship in San Diego for the second consecutive year, defeating Chanelle Van Nguyen of Coconut Grove, Fla., 6-0, 6-4.
Henrik Wiersholm, 12, of Kirkland, Wash., swept the singles and doubles titles at the USTA Boys’ 12s National Championships held in North Little Rock, Ark. Wiersholm defeated Spencer Furman, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6, in the final. He dropped only one set in seven matches and partnered with Cameron Klinger to win the doubles title.
Kenadi Hance, 12, of Torrance, Calif., swept the singles and doubles titles at the USTA Girls’ 12s National Championships held in Alpharetta, Ga. Hance, seeded No. 2, defeated her doubles partner, Carolyn Xie of San Diego, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, in the final.
Below is the complete list of championship results from last week’s USTA National Championships. The complete draws are available on www.usta.com
USTA Boys’ 18s National Hard Court Championships
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich., Aug. 7-16
Singles: (2) Chase Buchanan, New Albany, Ohio, d. (8) Ryan Lipman, Nashville, Tenn., 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
Doubles: (1) Daniel Nguyen, Oxnard, Calif., and JT Sundling, Thousand Oaks, Calif., d. (8) Sekou Coker Bangoura, Bradenton, Fla.., and Nathan Pasha, Atlanta, 7-6(2), 6-3.
USTA Girls’ 18s National Hard Court Championships
The Berkeley Tennis Club, Berkeley, Calif., Aug. 9-16
Singles: (3) Christina McHale, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., d. (4) Lauren Embree, Marco Island, Fla., 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles: (1) Christina McHale, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and Asia Muhammad, Henderson, Nev., d. (3) Kristie Ahn, Upper Saddle River, N.J., and Courtney Dolehide, Hinsdale, Ill., 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
USTA Boys’ 16s National Hard Court Championships
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich., Aug. 7-16
Singles: (8) Gonzales Austin, Miami, d. (1) Jack Sock, Lincoln, Neb., 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Doubles: (15) Nick Chappell, Indianapolis, and Marcos Giron, Thousand Oaks, Calif., d. (2) Emmett Egger, Issaquah, Wash., and Shane Vinsant, Keller, Texas, 6-2, 6-2.
USTA Girls’ 16s National Hard Court Championships
Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, Calif., Aug. 9-16
Singles: (1) Lauren Davis, Gates Mills, Ohio, d. (10) Chanelle Van Nguyen, Coconut Grove, Fla., 6-0, 6-4.
Doubles: (2) Whitney Kay, Alpharetta, Ga., and Megan Kurey, Alpharetta, Ga., d. (3) Lauren Davis, Gates Mills, Ohio, and Nicole Flower, Columbus, Ohio, 6-2, 6-3.
USTA Boys’ 14s National Hard Court Championships
McFarlin Tennis Center, San Antonio, Texas, Aug. 9-16
Singles: (6) Jake Albo, Plantation, Fla., d. (4) Gregory Garcia, Poway, Calif., 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Doubles: (1) Drew Dawson, Irvine, Calif., and Gregory Garcia, Poway, Calif., d. (3) Yale Goldberg, Beachwood, Ohio, and Ronnie Schneider, Bloomington, Ind., 6-3, 6-2.
USTA Girls’ 14s National Hard Court Championships
Peachtree City Tennis Center, Peachtree City, Ga., Aug. 8-15
Singles: (17) Hayley Carter, Hilton Head Island, S.C., d. (9) Christina Makarova, San Diego, 7-5, 6-1.
Doubles: (2) Gabrielle Andrews, Pomona, Calif., and Katrine Steffensen, Scarsdale, N.Y., d. (5) Laura Patterson, Roswell, Ga., and Peggy Porter, Dallas, 6-1, 6-3.
USTA Boys’ 12s National Hard Court Championships
Burns Park Tennis Center, North Little Rock, Ark., Aug 8-14
Singles: (3) Henrik Wiersholm, Kirkland, Wash., d. (6) Spencer Furman, Woodinville, Wash., 7-5, 5-7, 7-6.
Doubles: (3) Cameron Klinger, San Jose, Calif., and Henrik Wiersholm, Kirkland, Wash., d. (4) Tommy Paul, Greenville, N.C., and Kenneth Tao, San Jose, Calif., 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
USTA Girls’ 12s National Hard Court Championships
Windward Lake Club, Alpharetta, Ga., Aug 8-14
Singles: (2) Kenadi Hance, Torrance, Calif., d. (6) Carolyn Xie, San Diego, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.
Doubles: (1) Kenadi Hance, Torrance, Calif., and Carolyn Xie, San Diego, d. (9) Lauren Fishbein, Livingston, N.J., and Anna Ulyashchenko, Brooklyn, N.Y., 7-6(9), 6-2.