CARSON, CALIFORNIA (March 31, 2006) - The 2nd Annual USTA International Spring Championships begin Monday, April 3 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.  The seven-day tournament through April 9, 2006 is free to the public and features more than 400 players from 20 different countries in one of the top international junior tennis events in the world. 

The International Spring Championships is an International Tennis Federation (ITF) sanctioned event, and players from across the globe annually compete for a top ranking for this tournament.  This is an ITF grade 1 event, which is the second highest ITF junior tournament in the world.

Junior tennis players will compete in one of four divisions: Boys' and Girls' 18-and-under and 16-and-under.  The highest ranked player in the Boys' 18s is world No. 7 ranked Kellen D'Amico, 17, a native of Torrance, Calif., who now lives in Parker, Colo.  In the Girls' 18s, the highest ranked players is also an American, Julia Cohen, 17, of Miami, ranked No. 13 in the world.  Of the top 16 players entered in the Girls' 18s division, 13 are American.  In the Boys' 18s division, 12 of the top 16 are American.     

By competing in the USTA International Spring Championships, junior players can gain valuable ITF points for entry into the Jr. French and Jr. Wimbledon championships.  This event, along with the Easter Bowl provides the last two opportunities in the United States for players to improve individual rankings for selection into major grand slam events.

Player	Nation	ITF Ranking
Julia Cohen	USA	10
Lauren Albanese	USA	41
Elizabeth Plotkin	USA	45
Anna Tatishvili	GEO	49
Chelsey Gullickson	USA	52
Kseniya Milvenskaya	BLR	58
Lena Litvak	USA	64
Madison Brengle	USA	65
Pavel Chekhov	RUS	13
Kellen Damico	USA	29
Jaime Hunt	USA	36
Dennis Lajola	USA	45
Clint Bowles	USA	47
Nathaniel Schnugg	USA	48
Chris Racz	USA	72
Johnny Hamui	USA	80

 

Local California standout players to watch include Jason Jung (Torrance), Jason McNaughton (San Diego), Bradley Klahn (Poway), Andy Magee (Rolling Hills), Ryan Thacher (Studio City), Bozhidir Katsarov (Ojai),  Kristen McVitty (Woodland Hills), Yasmin Schnack (UCLA Freshman), Gail Brodsky (Ojai), Hilary Barte (Chatsworth), Julia Boserup (Los Angeles), Nelly Radeva (Costa Mesa) and  Thien-Trang Nguyen (Long Beach).

The draws for the tournament can be found on the USTA's homepage at www.usta.com.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S.  It owns and operates the US Open, the largest annually attended sporting event in the world and, in 2004, launched the US Open Series which links 11 summer tournaments to the US Open.   In addition, it owns the 96 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games.  A not-for-profit organization with more than 665,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grassroots to the professional levels.  For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.

For more information contact:        John Lansville, USTA, 310-630-4504