A team of ball boys and girls from Coronado recently had the opportunity to see the best junior girl tennis players in the country up close.  The team worked at The Barnes Jr. Tennis Center for the finals of the USTA Girls 16s and 18s National Championships.

The winner of the Girls 18s is awarded a wild card into the main draw of the US Open, so the tournament has an extremely strong field, with players from almost all 50 states.  The Girls 16s winner gets a wild card into the US Open Junior Championships.

The ball boys and girls were trained by Sue Hites, Coronado Tennis Coordinator, over several weeks before the tournament.  They spent many hours learning exactly how ball boys and girls assist players in high-level matches.  The hope is that their excellent work at the USTA Girls Nationals will lead to future assignments at professional tournaments in Southern California.