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2022 SAW HIS FIRST ATP CHALLENGER TITLE
Tennis has long been a sport that spans generations in families–from mother to daughter, father to son, sibling to sibling. There’s no better example than Los Angeles native and touring professional Emilio Nava. The rising #TeamSoCal star reached new heights in 2022, including his first ATP Challenger Tour singles title and an exciting run at the US Open in New York.
USTA SOCAL JUNIOR PROFILE: THIS IS… SANTA MONICA’S RAINA KIM
Fueled by the opportunities give to her, thirteen-year-old Raina Kim has been making the most of her junior tennis journey so far while appreciating that not everyone has those same opportunities.
FINAL 8 & SUPER SECTIONALS WRAP 2022 SIGNATURE SERIES
There was lots of hardware handed out over the weekend at major events in Southern California as both adult and junior competition culminated the 2022 Signature Series schedule.
PORTOLA HIGH SCHOOL EARNS FIRST EVER SHOT AT GIRLS’ STATE TITLE
After winning their first Pacific Coast title in the history of the program, the Portola High School girls’ tennis team will compete for a state championship for the first time ever on Friday.
ADULT TENNIS NEWS
USTA SOCAL’S NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 ADULT TOURNAMENTS
The year may be coming to a close, but Southern California’s slate of adult tournaments continues into November and December–featuring several prize money open-level events.
MOMS & DAUGHTERS TEAM UP FOR NATIONALS-BOUND LEAGUE SQUAD
Adult league players Carol Choy and Judy Su are keeping it in the family on their USTA League Nationals-bound 4.0 team where they each play doubles with their respective daughters.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC RAMIREZ GUIDES TEAM TO NATIONALS AGAIN
West Covina’s Juan Ramirez is making a name for himself on the national stage as he guides his San Gabriel Valley mixed doubles team back to USTA League Nationals for the ninth time.
USTA SOCAL ADULT PROFILE: THIS IS SAN DIEGO’S IVAN THAMMA
His journey has been long, and anything but straightforward, but through his passion for tennis, Ivan Thamma has forged a successful career and laid the foundations for a fruitful future.
SAN MARCOS’ MINJARES DEFIES OBSTACLES TO EXCEL IN ATHLETICS
Ruben Minjares has always been an inspiration to friends and family for his willingness and desire to compete. This week, he takes part in the Donate Life Transplant Games.
SEIDENKRANZ ADOPTS TENNIS EN ROUTE TO TRANSPLANT GAMES
It doesn’t matter much that Kelly Seidenkranz has never played a tennis tournament before. When she takes the court, what matters more is that she will be playing at all.
JUNIOR TENNIS NEWS
TWO GALINDO SISTERS COULD COLLIDE THIS WEEKEND AT FINAL 8
This weekend in Rancho Mirage, 64 top juniors will descend upon the desert at Final 8. But for sisters Johanna and Julianna Galindo, this is more than a tournament – it’s a family affair.
TOP JUNIORS READY TO SHINE AT FINAL 8 IN RANCHO MIRAGE
On November 19, the USTA SoCal + Universal Tennis Junior Masters Championships head to Rancho Mirage for two days of play among many of Southern California’s top ranked junior players.
JUNIOR STANDOUT MIKA IKEMORI HONORED WITH MAJOR CIF AWARD
Huntington Beach senior Mika Ikemori has been recognized for her character both on and off the court as the 2021-2022 recipient of the Jim Staunton CIF Champions for Character Award.
SOCAL JUNIORS HEADED TO THE US OPEN AFTER 2022 NATIONALS
Highlighted by Irvine’s Learner Tien Boys’ 18s title, many Southern California juniors booked their ticket to New York with top performances at the annual USTA National Championships.
USTA SOCAL JUNIOR PROFILE: THIS IS CHULA VISTA’S ADRIEN ABARCA
Despite having already competed all over the world, Adrien Abarca has a firm head on his shoulders and a steady set of targets as he grows and continues his journey in tennis.
RIVERA, AHN TOP WINNERS LIST AT SOCAL JUNIOR SECTIONALS
After two weeks of fierce competition in Orange County, the 120th USTA SoCal Junior Sectional Championships concluded Sunday at Los Cab Sports Village in Fountain Valley.
COMMUNITY TENNIS NEWS
RAUL DOMINGUEZ HAS BUILT A REP AS A MASTER ATHLETIC TRAINER IN SOCAL
Serving a wide client base from local league players to tennis pros like Frances Tiafoe and Tracy Austin, Torrance’s Raul Dominguez remains laser-focused on providing quality care.
SALGADO WORKS TO INSTILL A LOVE FOR TENNIS IN THE VALLEY
Growing up in Van Nuys, Adam Salgado saw tennis as nothing more than away to have fun friends. But he fell in love with the sport, motivating him to try and take it as far as he could.
PAREJA SISTERS EXCEL IN TENNIS WHILE HONOROING HERITAGE
For the past 21 years, the Pareja family has lived in Carlsbad. Throughout that time, the three sisters have honored their Hispanic heritage through hard work, dedication and sportsmanship.
SYLMAR’S PORFIRIO CERVANTES TACKLES ACCESSIBILITY IN TENNIS
The former wrestler and now Assistant Director of Tennis at Serve It Up Tennis Academy has worked hard to bring tennis to a diverse community in the north San Fernando Valley.
SERVICE AWARDS HONORS MEMBERS OF SOCAL COMMUNITY
Led by Henry Talbert Achievement Award–winners Fred and Richard Williams, a diverse array of impactful players, coaches, and organizations convened to celebrate a common love of tennis.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH KICKS OFF WITH CULTURAL EVENT
To kick off our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, USTA SoCal hosted a cultural event to celebrate the past, present, and future of Hispanic tennis at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
COLLEGE TENNIS NEWS
USTA SOCAL COLLEGE PROFILE: THIS IS… DELANIE & PEYTON DUNKLE
Meet Cal Poly’s tag team of Delanie and Peyton Dunkle as the Arroyo Grande sisters talk about a deep love for tennis that has only been amplified through each other’s company.
NEW U OF REDLANDS TENNIS CENTER HONORS COACH JIM VERDIECK
The University of Redlands recently celebrated the groundbreaking of their new 12-court tennis facility, named after legendary former Bulldogs coach Jim Verdieck.
UCSB’S CASTILLO HAS AMBITIONS TO LEAVE A LEGACY IN TENNIS
Pushing on from his successful junior career in Southern California, La Quinta native and UCSB Gaucho Diego Castillo hopes to leave a lasting legacy as the hardest worker in the room.
LAGUNA NIGUEL’S MAXINE MURPHY THRIVES WITH MOTIVATION
No stranger to the grind, Maxine Murphy perfectly exemplifies the type of player who stands to benefit from the high-level competition of the SoCal Pro Circuit.
CMS CELEBRATES THE ENDURING LEGACY OF COACH HANK KRIEGER
Coach Krieger’s legacy stretches both on and off the court, with his influence on his students, players, and the community, leaving a lasting and meaningful impact.
USTA SOCAL COLLEGE PROFILE: THIS IS USD’S NADIA ABADA
After spending eight years as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego, Mexico City native Nadia Abdala was named Head Coach of the Toreros in June 2022.
PRO TENNIS NEWS
SOCAL PRO SERIES BACK IN JANUARY WITH EVENT IN MALIBU
Fresh off a banner season in 2022, the SoCal Pro Series returns to Southern California to kick off the new year with a $25K Malibu event at Pepperdine University starting January 2.
UCLA ALUM KEEGAN SMITH BOUNCES BACK AFTER INJURY
Keegan Smith wants everyone to know he’s living his best life and stands ready to follow-up his recent US Open success by continuing to climb the ATP rankings in both singles and doubles.
SANTAMARIA HAS BUILT A PRO CAREER ON LA’S PUBLIC COURTS
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sabrina Santamaria hopes to use her platform as a tennis professional to inspire other players who are growing up playing on public courts like she did.
SERENA WAS TOUGH TO BEAT, EVEN AT JUNIOR SECTIONALS
An hour before Serena Williams took to the court for the final match of her career at the US Open, Morisa Yang recalled facing the all-time great on the SoCal junior circuit more than 30 years ago.
#TEAMSOCAL GRABS HEADLINES AT THE US OPEN IN NEW YORK
While Serena may have captured the spotlight at the US Open, the eyes of #TeamSoCal focused directly on USC alum Brandon Holt and his stunning victory over top American Taylor Fritz.
BRUCE KLEEGE RENEWS TENNIS DREAMS FOR A NEW GENERATION
Former All-American and Rancho Santa Fe businessman Bruce Kleege says his hope is for the new SoCal Pro Circuit to be a model for other USTA sections to follow.
