2009 USTA Diversity Grant Applications Now Available; USTA Florida Junior Spotlight on Stiteler; WTA Backspin Notes Rising Young Players
It's been just over four years since the untimely death of junior standout Okechi Womeodu, but his memory is honored annually by the USTA with a grant given in his name. Entitled the Okechi Womeodu Scholar Athlete Grant, its purpose is to "honor the memory, life, and achievements of Okechi Womeodu, who otherwise would have had a very promising future, on and off the court." Academic achievement and national tournament success are two qualifications for the two $5,000 grants that are given to one boy and one girl. Applications are being accepted via USTA sections through the end of the year, with winners announced in February. For more details on this and other awards and grants available, see usta.com.
USTA Florida has posted an extensive interview with 12-year-old Alexandria Stiteler, her mother and coach Cary Cohenour of Celsius Tennis Academy, where she trains. Stiteler represented the U.S. at the recent Nike Junior Tour world championships and is expected to compete in the Eddie Herr and Junior Orange Bowl. For the complete interview, click here.
One of the very best tennis sites out there is Todd Spiker's WTA Backspin, and with the end of the WTA season, he has announced his annual Ms. Backspin award and published a wide-ranging statistical look at 2008. I go to the site weekly, because he never misses a promising result by a junior girl, and because his vast knowledge of the women's game always makes for interesting reading. In this week's Ms. Backspin post, Spiker lists the "NextGen Ranking of Note" (about half way down the page), and notes the biggest ranking jumps and falls. It's good to see that former Clemson star Julie Coin, who made such a splash with her win over Ana Ivanovic at the U.S. Open, has broken into the Top 100, at 96, after finishing 2007 at 200.
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Spiker comments on Americans: "Finally a light at the end of the tunnel? There are three under-20 Americans ranked in the Top 200: #129 Vania King, #165 Alexa Glatch and #177 Melanie Oudin."
Spikers "*NextGen RANKINGS OF NOTE*" that are Americans:
#165 Alexa Glatch, USA
#177 Melanie Oudin, USA
#203 Lauren Albanese, USA
#225 Madison Brengle, USA
#402 Asia Muhammad, USA
#405 Coco Vandeweghe, USA
#431 Chelsey Gullickson, USA
#443 Kristie Haerim Ahn, USA
Christina McHale is #376.
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