Huntsville to host USTA Clay Court Tennis Championship July 5-12

HUNTSVILLE – The elite players in the U16 age group will converge onto North Alabama July 5-12 for the USTA U16 Clay Court National Championships held at the Athletic Club of Alabama located on Leeman Ferry Road in Huntsville for the sixth time.

Eddie Jacques, tournament director and club owner, said of the expected talent that will set foot on the clay courts in Huntsville, “There’s not a ton of talent who are repeat players, but historically we have had some of the best players in the country play here. We’ll have the number one girl ranked in the country as a rising seventh grader out of Florida at age 13 and she is one of the favorites to win the title.”

Each year the national tournament has been hosted at the local tennis facility, a local player, based at the Athletic Club of Alabama, has made the elite field of talent. This year, that talent is in the form of 13-year old Ocie Barran, who lives in Decatur and is homeschooled. “I know being a local player there tends to be a little extra pressure, a kind of heaviness on her shoulders, so I have told her to relax and know everyone is here to support you, especially in the early rounds,” added Jacques.

For the No. 8 ranked player in the U.S. among rising eighth graders and No. 1 ranked in the 14U in Alabama, Barran has been through a remarkable last seven months, having gone through some injuries, but the tall and slender early teen is ready to face many players who are older and stronger than she.

“I think I need to get back to the basics as I know they are older and just give it my best,” said Barran. “I’m really aggressive on the court and my serve is good and I feel I’m playing better.”

Jacques, who himself played in major tournaments in the USTA at the club while growing up in Huntsville, knows what it takes to prep for a national event such as this. He added, “The word about how we handle our tournaments has gotten out there as we help with training for a lot of the girls before the event starts. Then, we like to care of people, after all, we are in the South and we take care of people, as it’s not just tennis and then go to the hotel. We have a lot to do for the players. We have a dinner for the players, coaches and parents and serve lunches for the players. We just try and take care of the players much like a professional event.”

The Clay Court National Championships is open to the public with the Athletic Club of Alabama located at 3250 Leeman Ferry Road in Southwest Huntsville.