Steady competition
Girls tennis: Athletes stay active with tournaments over the summer
With the start of the high school girls tennis season less than two weeks away, Foothill League tennis players have been getting ready by participating in a multitude of tournaments over the summer.
Seniors Jordyn McBride of West Ranch and Justine Dondonay of Golden Valley, who are both fivestar recruits according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, played in numerous tournaments over the summer. McBride played in five tournaments since June 7 and Dondonay played in three, in both singles and doubles competition.
Most recently, McBride and Dondonay both played at the USTA Billie Jean King Girls National Championships in San Diego, which began on Aug. 3 and concluded Sunday.
McBride competed in the girls 18 bracket winning her first match 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and her second match 7-6 (3), 6-1, before falling in the round of 64 to the No. 8 seed by a score of 6-4, 6-1.
Dondonay was eliminated in the singles bracket in her first match in the girls 16 division, falling 6-1, 6-2, but advanced to the round of 64 in doubles with her partner Arianna Stavropoulos from Marlborough School. The pair won the first match 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (5) before losing 6-4, 6-4.
Chase Eisenberg and Shaira Busnawi, who along with McBride rounded out the top three singles players for the Wildcats last season, also participated in their fair share of summer tournaments.
Eisenberg recently won the Southern California Lakewood Summer Junior Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the girls 18 group. She won her second-round match 6-1, 6-1, her semifinal match 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (5) and the final 6-1, 6-1.
Previously, Eisenberg reached the semifinals at the Jack Kramer Junior Open Tournament in Northridge back in early July and she took home first place at the Glendora Spring Championships at Azusa Pacific University in June, losing just 10 total games in four matches.
Busnawi also competed at the Jack Kramer Junior Open, losing in her first match in the girls 16 bracket. She recently competed at The Paseo Club Junior Open in late July as the No. 3 seed in singles and also played alongside West Ranch teammate Macy Muxlow in doubles.
Nicole Augusta, Zoe Zeidler and Talia Spina, who all played on the
West Ranch JV team last year, also took part in summer contests.
Augusta perhaps had the busiest summer, playing in seven tournaments since June. Her best finish came at the Match Tough Tennis Academy Summer Junior Satellite in Woodland Hills, winning her first two matches before losing in the final 7-5, 6-2.
Valencia graduated a strong group of seniors last year, but is still loaded with talent including senior Brenna Whelan, junior Ashley Villarta and sophomore Maria Cedeno, who all flourished last season.
Cedeno competed at The Paseo Club Junior Open, winning her first match 6-1, 0-6, 10-6 before falling in the quarterfinals.
Villarta also played at The Paseo Club Junior Open, losing in the first round 6-0, 6-1. In June she competed at the Ventura Junior Tournament, where she lost in her first match 6-0, 6-1.
Whelan had a busy summer as she heads into this season presumably as the No. 1 singles player for Valencia.
Whelan played at the Saltz Summer Open Junior Classic in Woodland Hills on Monday, winning her first match 6-1, 6-0 before losing in the final 6-2, 4-6, 10-6.
She also competed at the Santa Maria Junior Grand Prix in early July and also played at the South End Junior Open Tournament in Torrance in June.
Ellie Wingo, a JV player last year for the Vikings, upped her summer tournament schedule by playing in four events. She last competed at the Saltz Summer Open Junior Classic, losing 6-0, 6-0 in her first match.
Most of the Foothill League teams will begin the season with preleague matches on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27, and league competition will start on Thursday, Sept. 19.