By SDCN Staff
La Jolla, CA–After a thrilling day of first-round matches, the top seeds, who received first-round byes, will take center stage on Tuesday in the second round of the USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.
Julie Thu, the top seed in the 50 and over division, will meet Mo Bertsch of Radnor, Pennsylvania, at 9:15 a.m. Thu, a resident of West Lake Hills, Texas, is a former touring tennis professional who achieved a career-high No. 229 in the world in 199.
In Monday’s first-round action, Bertsch eased past Praphaporn Downing, of Kaneohe, Hawaii 6-1, 6-1 to advance to Tuesday’s second round.
In the lower half of the 50 and over singles draw, second-seeded Dina McBride of Thousand Oaks, CA, will take on Jennifer Cunningham of Stow, Massachusetts at 10:30 a.m. McBride captured the 50 and over singles title in 2022. She is also the two-time defending 50 and over doubles champion.
Shelly Works of San Antonio, the No. 1 seed in the 60 and over singles draw, is scheduled to play Susan Pendo of Sherman Oaks, CA. Pendo eliminated Faye Schilkey of Santa Fe, New Mexico., 6-3, 6-1 on Monday.
Second-seeded Gayle Prejean of Dallas will play her opening match in the 60 and over singles division at 9:45 a.m., against Dorian Sailer of La Jolla. Sailer outlasted Catherine Babbitt of Santa Fe, New Mexico 6-4, 7-5 in an entertaining first-round match.
Top-seeded Andrea Barnes of Palo Alto, CA, will play her first match in the 70 and over singles division on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. She will face unseeded Barbara Pinkerton of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Barnes reached the 70 and over singles final in last year’s tournament, and Pinkerton each received first-round byes.
In the lower half of the 70 and over singles draw, second-seeded Leslie Airola-Murveit of Portola Valley, CA, is slated to play Kathleen Heinze of Oakland, CA, who blanked San Diego’s Ellen Furman 6-0, 6-0 in Monday’s first round.
Play in the 80 and over division gets underway on Tuesday. Top-seeded Susan Kimball of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts has a first-round bye and will play her second-round match on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. She will take on the winner of Tuesday’s first-round match between San Diego’s Claire Babbitt and Hanni Seitz of Monterey, CA.
Second-seeded Betty Wachob of Panama City, Florida., also received a first-round bye and will play her second-round match on Wednesday against the winner of Tuesday’s match between Sharon Ploor of Franklin, Wisconsin, and Nancy Garcia of Menlo Park, CA.
The starting times for each tournament day will be as follows: Tuesday, May 6 through Friday, May 9 – 8 a.m.; Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11 – 9 a.m.
The USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships features top players nationwide in the 50, 60, 70, and 80 and over age divisions. Events include singles and doubles. USTA gold, silver, or bronze balls will be awarded to the first, second, and third-place finishers in all women’s events.
The USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Tennis Championships are part of the International Tennis Federation’s World Tennis Masters Tour, which provides a worldwide competitive circuit consisting of individual singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events for each five-year age increment from 30+ to 90+.
The La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club welcomes tennis enthusiasts to view the tournament and will offer free admission to spectators each day of the event. Tournament attendees and spectators may dine on-site at the Club’s Snack Bar during the tournament. On-site parking is available for a nominal fee.
All tournament matches on Court No. 2 at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club will be live-streamed during the USTA National Women’s Senior Hard Court Championships.
