USTA Florida & Team USA Have Successful Weekend at 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier

The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier held at Delray Beach Tennis Center, on April 14 and 15 was a great host to a few USTA Florida community events. 

Taking place on Friday, April 14, girls aged 6 to 16 came together with women coaches from around the state for an All-Girls Camp. At the camp, girls were given level-specific coaching and educated on the history of women in tennis. The educational sessions were preparation for the Champions of Equality Luncheon that featured tennis icon Billie Jean King, Coco Gauff’s grandmother and community leader, Yvonne Odom, and Tori Burch COO, Gabrielle McGee. Girls were able to ask their questions of the inspirational panel.  

When asked how did you start playing tennis, Billie Jean King told the group how her friend Susan Williams invited her out to play at a public park and after her second time playing, she went to her mom and told her, “Mommy, mommy, I know what I want to do with my life. I want to be the number one tennis player in the world.” Billie Jean King said if it weren’t for her friend Susan she wouldn’t have the life she has had. 

The all-girls camp was a massive success for women in tennis.

After more playing some more tennis, the camp was topped off with appearances by Billie Jean King Cup Team USA Captain Kathy Rinaldi and top American player, Jessica Pegula.  

Held both Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15, USTA had fifteen women attend an All-Women Coaching Workshop to earn their level 1 certification to coach the game to beginners. 

Heading up the workshop, Amanda Shaw, was excited to welcome women from all over Florida and even one from out of state. Shaw wants to see more women involved with coaching because she knows the impact a coach has on athletes.  

“I got interested in coaching because I wanted to give back to the sport,” she said. “I played tennis growing up and my coach was my role model, I would go to them for anything.” Now, Shaw heads up training at USTA Level 1 and Level 2 Coaching Workshops around the country.  

Aside from the girl’s camp and women’s coaching workshop, there was plenty of fun for the whole family to get involved with. On Saturday, April 15, USTA Florida invited everyone out to Family Day. Over 40 people came out to the courts and enjoyed an hour of fun with mini-nets, King & Queen of the Court, and were surprised with special visit from ACE, Team USA’s eagle mascot. Volunteers from Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Club Tennis Team helped facilitate the family fun. 

Amanda Shaw was leading the future of women tennis coaches at the workshop.

Love Serving Autism (LSA), one of UTSA Florida’s partners, was out in Delray over the weekend. LSA put on an amazing clinic in front of an audience, teaching spectators fundamentals for adaptive tennis and showcasing the positive impact the sport has on individuals with autism. 

Team USA, led by Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff put on an amazing performance for the fans who came out to cheer on the Americans at the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier. USA swept Team Austria, winning with a score of 4-0. Opening up the competition, hometown hero Coco Gauff won her sole singles match against Julia Grabher 6-1, 6-3, while Pegula also defeated Grabher on Saturday with the same score line. Pegula  took down Austria’s No. 1 Sinja Kraus 6-0, 7-5 in the opening night of competition. In Team USA’s final match, Gauff paired up with Caty McNally to defeat the Austrian duo of Melanie Klaffner and Sinja Kraus 6-1, 6-4. 

LSA hosted a showcase for adaptive tennis players to learn some drills and so the audience can learn some of the fundamentals to teaching people with autism.

By winning this series, Team USA has advanced to the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, which will be held in November. There, USA will join others in group play, with the best teams advancing to the bracket play. The pools and schedule for that will be revealed at a later date. 

To stay informed on all the latest USTA Florida pro player news, make sure to check out our Twitter and Instagram or visit ustaflorida.com/news. In March, USTA Florida expanded its Women in Tennis initiative, committing more resources to opening more opportunities for girls of all ages. The All-Girls Camp and All-Women’s Coaching Workshop were the first results of this increased commitment to women in tennis. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit ustaflorida.com/women-in-tennis. 

To stay informed on all the latest USTA Florida pro player news, make sure to check out our Twitter and Instagram or visit ustaflorida.com/news. In March, USTA Florida expanded its Women in Tennis initiative, committing more resources to growing the game of tennis for girls of all ages. The All-Girls Camp and All-Women’s Coaching Workshop were the first results of this increased commitment to women in tennis. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit ustaflorida.com/women-in-tennis.