SoCalamazoo: Predictions for Girls Hard Court Nationals
For the junior USTA circuit, there really isnât a bigger tournament than the Hard Court National Championships. For girls, this is located in San Diego, California, and is referred to as  âSoCalamazooâ to mimic the boys event located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The eventâs prestige stems from the fact that the winner in the 18âs division receives a wildcard into the ...
For the junior USTA circuit, there really isnât a bigger tournament than the Hard Court National Championships. For girls, this is located in San Diego, California, and is referred to as  âSoCalamazooâ to mimic the boys event located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The eventâs prestige stems from the fact that the winner in the 18âs division receives a wildcard into the main draw of the US Open, and the finalist receives a wildcard into qualifying. Past winners include: Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Jennifer Capriati, and Lindsay Davenport.
In the past couple years, well-known champions like CiCi Bellis, Sofia Kenin, Kayla Day, and last yearâs champion, Ashley Kratzer have all had success on the professional tour, despite their young ages.
Kayla Day, the 2016 champion, is the #1 seed in the tournament and has looked solid so far. She isnât my pick to win, though. Struggling with injuries, Day hasnât won a main draw match in a professional-level event since March.
18s top-seed @kaylaeday cruises into 3rd Rd. @BillieJeanKing @USTAGirlsNatls. Todayâs results: https://t.co/BliLyCs3om #adidastennis pic.twitter.com/pWVP9dleZm
â J. Fred Sidhu (@JFredSidhu) August 6, 2018
Other notable competitors include:
- #2 seed Whitney Osuigwe, the 2017 Orange Bowl and girls French Open Champion
- #3 seed 2018 French Open champion Cori Gauff (who I wrote about here)
- #4 is seed is Salma Ewing, a USC commit whoâs been doing well in challengers this summer
Congrats to #adidiastennis #playeroftheday Whitney Osuigwe (2) for her win against Emma Navarro (17) 6-3; 6-4. Keep it up! pic.twitter.com/GIj5Zx77gB
â USTA BJK Girls Nationals (@USTAGirlsNatls) August 9, 2018
My pick to win is Gauff, sheâs got the game to win the tournament. It would also be cool to see her win the event multiple times. She is still only 14 and therefore canât play enough professional events to have a ranking on par with other top American juniors. So to compete on the big stage, she basically has to win this event.
Cori Gauff defeats Nicole Mossmer 6-1; 6-3 in the third round today at the USTA Billie Jean King Girlsâ 18s National #adidastennis pic.twitter.com/1q13RzWZg0
â USTA BJK Girls Nationals (@USTAGirlsNatls) August 8, 2018
Osuigwe or Day winning wouldnât surprise me. My more out-of-the-box pick would be UCLA commit and rising senior Abigail Forbes from Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the 17th seed and has looked solid in her run to the round of 16, beating #6 seed Alexa Noel 6-0, 6-1 in the round of 32. Sheâs got a game that can give anyone trouble, and sheâs incredibly athletic.
Itâs honestly such a stacked draw, and I am so excited to see who comes out on top. Whoever it is, Iâll be rooting for them to make a run at the Open like CiCi and Kayla have, itâs always great to have new Americans to root for! Â Â
Who do you think will win big at âSoCalamazooâ? Let us knwo in the comments below.