Editor's Note: This article originally posted at 6:10 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013. The USTA released this announcement.
Defending women’s champion Dina McBride, of Valencia, led the top seeds into the quarterfinals of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National 40 Hard Court Championships at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club on Tuesday.
The second-seeded McBride, a former college standout at the University of San Diego in the mid-1990s, got past unseeded Mariko Atoji of San Diego, 6-1, 6-1. On Wednesday at 11 a.m. (PST), McBride will face Quynh Le of Irvine, Calif., a 6-1, 6-0, winner over San Diego’s Susan Dent.
“It was good. I started getting a little bit of rhythm and I started coming into the net a lot,” McBride said following her victory over Atoji. “We had some long rallies and there were some great quality points. It was a great (opening) round for me,”
When asked about this year’s women’s draw, McBride responded, “There is a lot of depth. A lot of ladies are coming out and playing. It’s nice to see that women still love to play tennis, because it’s hard to find good quality tennis. If you come back to this tournament, you have a love for tennis and the game.”
Top-seeded Sophie Woorons-Johnston of Anderson, S.C. began her quest for the women’s singles title with an impressive 6-1, 6-0 victory over Erin Boynton of Toronto, Canada.
Former touring professional and 2009 tournament champion Ros Nideffer overcame Julie Gaynor of Las Vegas, 6-2, 6-4. Nideffer, a resident of the San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo, is a two-time Wimbledon singles quarterfinalist. She is seeded fourth.
Other seeded players to reach the women’s quarterfinals included third-seed and 2011 tournament champion Jennifer Dawson, of Carlsbad, who defeated Christen Bartelt, of Malibu, 6-1, 6-2, and fifth-seeded Deborah Higa, of Solana Beach, a 6-3, 6-0, winner over Pernilla Putnik of Sammamish, Wash.
In men’s second-round action, top seed and two-time defending champion Oren Motevassel, of San Jose, defeated unseeded Frank Grannis of San Diego, 6-0, 6-1, in 61 minutes and second-seeded Julien Heine of Laguna Beach, Calif. eliminated Leonardo Bravo of San Diego, 6-0, 6-3.
Third-seeded Kerry Safdie of San Diego blanked Kosei Ohno, of Kirkland, Wash, 6-0, 6-0, while sixth-seeded Todd Nelson, of Valley Center, dispatched Rand Hogen, of La Jolla, 6-0, 6-1.
Matches will begin at 8 a.m. (PST) Wednesday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 6. The weekend’s schedule on Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 will begin at 9 a.m. (PST). The women’s singles final will be played on Saturday, while the men’s singles final will take place on Sunday.
The tournament, which includes former touring professionals and the nation’s strongest players in the 40 and over age group, also features men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles for players 40 and over.
Also on the agenda of the seven-day event is the USTA National Father and Son and Grandfather and Grandson Hard Court Doubles Championships beginning Friday, Dec. 6, with matches concluding on Sunday, Dec. 8.
The Father and Son championship has been held continuously at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club since 1959, and attracts the top father and son tennis teams in the nation. The Grandfather/Grandson event is a relatively new competitive division that started at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club just a few years ago.
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes tennis spectators to view the tournament with free admission. On-site parking is available for a nominal fee. For a list of seeded players and tournament draws, please go to: tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=125262.
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