The annual Women & Girls Who Ace Award recognizes an outstanding Southern California-based leader and role model, dedicated to the mentorship and advancement of women in sport.
In 2022, the recipient was Sherri Stephens for her storied career as head coach of the University of San Diego Toreros Women’s Tennis Team.
This year, USTA Southern California is pleased to present the award to Jami Yonekura-Jones, Head Women’s Tennis Coach for San Diego City College. Jami has been a leader and mentor in the San Diego tennis community for many years, inspiring numerous young women on and off the court. Join us in celebrating Jami on August 6!
Women & Girls Who Ace – 2023 Award Winner
Jami Yonekura-Jones
Head Women’s Tennis Coach, San Diego City College
Jami Yonekura-Jones grew up in San Diego as a top ranked junior player, earning national rankings of #17 in singles and #3 in doubles with partner, Stella Sampras. She later attended the University of Miami on a tennis scholarship, where she was an All-American, reaching the finals of the NCAA doubles tournament with partner, Ronni Reis, in 1988.
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude with a degree in English Literature, Jones became the Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach at the University of Arizona. In 1993, Jones became the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Long Beach State University. In addition to coaching the women’s tennis team, she taught adult tennis classes at Long Beach State and started the Forty-niner Junior Tennis Program and Summer Camp.
Jones has been a USPTA member since 1991, coaching both adults and juniors of all skill levels. After taking a break from tennis to raise her three sons, Jones returned to coaching in 2012 as the Head Women’s Tennis Coach for San Diego City College. At City, Jones has coached several PCAC All-Conference and state-ranked individual singles and doubles players. Her teams have been consistently ranked in the top 20 in California. She takes pride in the fact that many of her players have earned ITA scholar-athlete honors and transferred to four-year universities. Additionally, her 2017 team was awarded the ITA Community Service and Outreach Award.
Jones herself remains active in the San Diego tennis community. She has served on the Boards of both the San Diego District Tennis Association and the USPTA San Diego Division. In 2016, she was the SDDTA Female Pro/Coach of the Year as well as the USPTA San Diego Female Player of the Year. In 2022, she completed her Master of Science degree in Sport Administration from Arkansas State University. She has extensive experience as both a competitive player and coach. She currently resides in Del Mar, with her husband, Eugene Jones.
