USTA development camp offers girls a shot at pros

Altamonte Springs native Maya Rusosuav was one of 16 girls excited to see their perseverance pay off this week.

They were invited to compete at the U.S. Tennis Association Player Development playoff-style camp, during which 16 of the country’s top junior girls competed for the opportunity to play in two $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit events in the fall.

“It means a lot because it just goes to show how much my hard work has paid off and it’s really exciting to know that you can compete with the best,” Rusosuav said.

The stakes were high the final two days of the camp at Orlando’s USTA National Campus.

Ellie Coleman went up against Alexandra Yepifanova in one tournament semifinal game. Yepifanova routed Coleman 6-1, 6-2.

Elise Wagle faced off against Charlotte Owensby in the other semifinal match and Owensby defeated Wagle 6-4, 6-3.

On Friday, Owensby and

“It’s really exciting to know that you can compete with the best.” Altamonte Springs native Maya Rusosuav

Yepifanova faced off in the finals while Wagle and Coleman matched up to see who would finish in third place.

Coleman defeated Wagle 7-5, 6-3 to take third place. Yepifanova came from behind to defeat Owensby 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the final to win the tournament.

Yepifanova, Owensby and Coleman all qualify for the opportunity to play in two $15,000 Pro Circuit tournaments in the fall. The fourth coach’s selection will be announced at a later date.

Competing against the best in the country might come with pressure, but Yepifanova said she enjoys seeing where she stacks up.

“It’s a lot of pressure knowing that these girls are really good, too, and that the USTA considers them also the best in the country,” Yepifanova said. “It’s also really fun because you can see what level you’re on.”

Owensby, the No. 3-ranked 14-year-old in the country, didn’t view the event at Orlando’s USTA National Campus as a normal tournament. The Boca Raton native is used to playing older competition and sees this as a different challenge.

“Mostly, we play up a lot to get better competition,” Owensby said. “It’s a different tournament than playing up. It’s a lot more pressure playing girls your own age.”

National men’s and women’s tennis coach Maureen Davis and the USTA Player Development staff chose girls from across the country based on age and different national rankings.

“They have to be born in the year 2003 and they have to turn 14 by the time the [Pro Circuit] tournament starts, which is the end of September and the beginning of October. From there, we went through the International Tennis Federation rankings and then we went by national ranking and went with the top 16 from there.”

Aventura native Alexandra Yepifanova, the No. 11 ranked 14-year-old in the country, said she earned her selection by being committed to improving.

“It’s really a lot of physical work and a lot of working through stuff,” Yepifanova said. “Just working through the pain and just working as hard as you can each practice and trying as hard as you can. For me, it’s all about getting better.”

Owensby has embraced the work it takes to be successful.

“To be one of the top tennis players in the country, you have to give up a lot,” Owensby said. “You give up your school and your social life to devote most of your life to training every day for many years. Friends that don’t play tennis, they don’t understand it at all.”

Despite making those sacrifices, Owensby is still committed to tennis.

“The prize is an opportunity to play in a better tournament, so I feel like it’s better than just winning any regular tournament,” Owensby said. “It gives you the opportunity to play in another tournament to get even better.”

The USTA developed the camp to prepare junior girls for the competition, rules and lifestyle of the Pro Circuit.

“It gives them an opportunity to see the top 16 players in their age division and compete against the best in the country,” Davis said. “We are trying to have Pro Circuit rules and trying to treat this as much like a pro tournament to get used to being exposed to the Pro Circuit life.”