Rancho Santa Fe resident achieves finals finish at the United States Tennis Association National Open Hard Court Championships
Kelly Shaffer, 17, who shares homes in La Jolla and in Rancho Santa Fe, has reached the final round of the National Hard Court Championships held at the Balboa Tennis Club in San Diego receiving a USTA Silver Ball award.
In the women’s singles championship, top-seeded Megan McCray, of Oceanside, overcame a difficult first set and defeated third-seeded Shaffer 6-4, 6-1, to win the title.
“I was very happy to get to win three matches in this tournament,” Shaffer said. “Each match seemed to get more comfortable for me. This was my first national-level tournament back after a three-month injury, so I am happy I made it this far. Megan is a very well respected player and I am thrilled to have had the chance to compete with her.”
Shaffer trains in San Diego with coach Jon Hoffpauir and competes within the Southern California section and on the national level.
She is currently ranked six in San Diego (in the girl’s 18 category) and 12 in Southern California (in the Women’s Open category). She recently was awarded the “2012 Most Improved Player” award for the San Diego District Tennis Association.
Shaffer plays #1 on the Bishop’s Tennis team and ended the season with a 33 win/2 loss record, and achieving a semi -final finish in the district-wide CIF singles championship. Recent USTA win highlights include: Quarter-finalist Southern California Sectional Doubles Championships, November 2012; Winner Desert Cities Grand Prix Masters Invitational Championships, October 2012; champion team member Jim Buck Team Championships (8 wins 1 loss); National Zonals Team member (7 wins 1 loss) July 2012; Finalist USTA Regional Segment Irvine, July 2012; Quarter-finalist US Open Sectional Qualifier June 2012; and Semi-finalist Southern California Designated Santa Barbara, June 2012. Shaffer was a USTA wild card recipient at the 2012 USTA National Championships; and won three singles and 2 doubles matches at the National Clay Court Championships in Virginia Beach this past summer.
She was a featured player and “Hot List” recipient in both August and September 2012 on a leading college tennis recruiting website: tennisrecruiting.net.
Shaffer’s great-aunt is the famed tennis player Helen Wills Moody Roark (1905-1998), winner of 31 Grand Slam titles and two Olympic medals.
Shaffer has attended The Bishop’s School in La Jolla since 2008 (taking a year off for tennis training in her freshman year). She has just concluded her junior year.
A total of 161 players participated in the 2013 USTA National Open Hard Court Championships at the Balboa Tennis Club. The men’s singles main draw featured a total of 99 players.
“It was a great week of tennis at the 2013 USTA National Open Hard Court Championships. This tournament has really become a community event thanks to the support of our sponsors and the fans that came out to watch the matches each day,” said Tournament Director Colleen Clery Ferrell. “The players love the tournament atmosphere and enjoy playing at a historic venue like the Balboa Tennis Club. We’re already looking forward to next year’s event.”
For complete tournament draws and results, go to:
https://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=125688