USTA NorCal Player Development would like to recognize junior player Connor Farren as our Junior Spotlight. Connor is a 17 year old from Hillsborough, CA, and his most recent great result was reaching the finals at the prestigious 48th Copa Del Café in Costa Rica. This tournament is unfamiliar to many of us as it is part of the ITF World Junior Circuit. The best of the best junior players have practiced tirelessly to earn their way into these special ITF circuit events.
Here is a little more information about the ITF. The International Tennis Federation is the world governing body of tennis. The ITF overseens the following 5 areas of the game: administration and regulation, organizing international competition, structuring the game, developing the game, and promoting the game
The ITF also sanctions the ITF Juniors’ Circuit, ITF Men’s Circuit, ITF Women’s Circuit, ITF Seniors’ Circuit, NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the Hyundai Hopman Cup.
To become more familiar with the ITF please click here: http://www.itftennis.com/
Tennis is truly a global sport and Connor Farren is a great example of this. Farren has made quite a splash on the national and international tennis scene over the past 12 months with a current #12 world ranking. This is really an astounding achievement!
We all wish Connor Farren continued success in the new year which begins in Australia at the Aussie Open. Farren is the only US boys to gain direct entry into the main draw of the Australian Open Boys Singles Draw.
Ten girls and four boys have been accepted into the main draw and the qualifying draw at the 2012 Australian Open Junior Championships. The main draw will be played Jan. 22-28 at Melbourne Park in Melbourne; qualifying will be played Jan. 19-20. The following juniors have been accepted into the girls’ and boys’ singles draws and will represent the United States:
U.S. Girls – Main Draw
Gabrielle Andrews, Pomona, Calif.
Samantha Crawford, Tamarac, Fla.
Christina Makarova, San Diego
Kyle McPhillips, Willoughby, Ohio
Stephanie Nauta, Bradenton, Fla.
Taylor Townsend, Stockbridge, Ga.
Sachia Vickery, Miramar, Fla.
U.S. Boys – Main Draw
Connor Farren, Hillsborough, Calif.
U.S. Boys – Qualifying Draw
Mackenzie McDonald, Piedmont, Calif.
John Harrison Richmond, Pawley’s Island, S.C.
Trey Strobel, Bradenton, Fla.
U.S Girls – Qualifying
Julia Elbaba, Oyster Bay, N.Y.
Krista Hardebeck, Santa Ana, Calif.
Catherine Harrison, Germantown, Tenn.
Farren, 17, is the only American boy to earn direct entry into the main draw and is the highest-ranked American in either field at No. 16 in the ITF World Junior Rankings.
To follow Connor at the Aussie Open click here:
Here is a list of our most recent NorCal spotlights:
Doubles Spotlight - Hadley Berg and Mary Closs
10 and Under Spotlight - Aidan Mayo
College Spotlight - Nick Andrews
Junior Spotlight - Cameron Klinger
Junior Spotlight - CiCi Bellis
Junior Spotlight - Sam Riffice