Top juniors to play locally

Jim Riggio

FLINT CANYON TENNIS CLUB-- The USTA $25,000 women’s professional

challenger tennis tournament at Flint Canyon Tennis Club in La Canada

Flintridge is less than a month away.

But before the tournament’s main draw begins April 11, there is a lot

of tennis to be played.

Today begins a five-day qualifying round tournament, which will give

one player a wild card into the main qualifier, which will take place

April 9-10.

The field lined up in tournament which begins today includes 15 of the

top-20 girls in the Southern California Tennis Assoc.18-and-under junior

rankings.

Three of the top-5 in the SCTA girls’ 16-and-under rankings are also

in the field as are two of the top three women in the SCTA open division.

Among those in the tournament are San Marino High’s three nationally

ranked players, Luana Magnani, Andrea Yung and Lindsay Irons-Kilmer. Many

other top high school players are also scheduled to participate.

Matches will begin at 11 a.m. in the 64-draw tournament. Throughout

the rest of the week, matches will take place in the afternoon, with the

last matches beginning at 3:30 p.m.

The Challenger, which will take place April 11-16, will feature players that are currently ranked from 100-186 in the world.

The main qualifier will have players that have a current ranking from

187 to 287 in the world.