U.S. girls named to 2017 Team USTA National Junior Team

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May 8, 2017 12:56 PM

By Sally Milano

Eight of the top junior girls in the United States qualified for the 2017 Team USA National Junior Team, a program designed to give the country's best young players, born in either 2001 or 2002, opportunities to train together during the summer and travel to compete against top juniors from around the world.

Players qualified for the team by meeting certain rankings or results-based criteria or through a playoff, which was held last week at the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla. Players were invited to the playoff based on tournament results or their ranking in either the country or the world.

The girls named to the 2017 team include: Hailey Baptiste, 15, from Takoma Park, Md.; Caty McNally, 15, from Cincinnati; Alexa Noel, 14, from Summit, N.J.; Whitney Osuigwe, 15, from Bradenton, Fla.; Abigail Forbes, 16, from Raleigh, N.C.; Sedona Gallagher, 15, from Henderson, Nev.; Vanessa Ong, 15, from Oklahoma City; and Katie Volynets, 15, from Walnut Creek, Calif.

Here is a little more information on each of the players:

  • Baptiste is No. 40 in the world junior rankings. She reached the Girls’ 18s singles quarterfinals at last month's prestigious Easter Bowl.
     
  • Forbes is ranked No. 10 in the 18-and-under USTA national standings and was an 18-and-under singles finalist at the USTA National Winter Championships in December.
     
  • Gallagher, ranked No. 18 in the USTA Girls’ 18s national standings, reached the Girls’ 16s singles semifinals and won the doubles title at the Easter Bowl.
     
  • McNally, ranked No. 48, reached the Girls’ 18s singles quarterfinals and won the doubles title at the Easter Bowl.
     
  • Noel is ranked No. 12 in the USTA Girls’ 16-and-under national standings and is the reigning USTA Girls’ 16-and-under clay-court national singles champion.
     
  • Ong (pictured above), ranked No. 28 in the Girls’ 18s USTA national standings, reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 US Open Junior Championships.
     
  • Osuigwe is ranked No. 16 in the world among juniors, having won multiple ITF singles titles already this year.
     
  • Volynets, the No. 1-ranked 16-and-under player in the USTA standings, won 16-and-under singles titles at the prestigious Eddie Herr and Metropolia Orange Bowl junior tournaments in December.

USTA Player Development will provide the National Junior Team with training opportunities and coaching and travel assistance to select USTA National Championships, ITF junior and USTA Pro Circuit tournaments throughout the summer, beginning with the USTA Pro Circuit $25,000 event in Naples, Fla., this week.

The boys' national team was announced last month.

Baptiste, McNally, Noel and Osuigwe had already qualified for a spot on the national team before the playoff because they had met previously set criteria. For full results from the playoff, click here.

 

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