SAN DIEGO – (August 7, 2025) – After a thrilling day of quarterfinal action, the Girls’ 16s semifinal pairings for the 2025 USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships are set for Friday at Barnes Tennis Center.

The big surprise of the day took place on Stadium Court as 17th seeded Hannah Ayrault of Atlanta, ousted top-seeded Carlota Moreno of Knoxville, Tenn., 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 in two hours and 55 minutes.

The 14-year-old Ayrault captured the first set after scoring a key service break in the 10th game. Moreno roared back as she raised the level of her game and evened the match, winning the second set at love in 32 minutes.
 
In the third set, Moreno took control and established a commanding 5-2 lead, but Ayrault fought off five match points and broke Moreno’s serve three times to compete an amazing comeback victory to reach Friday’s Girls’ 16s semifinals.

“I stayed positive and my attitude was super good. I played aggressive. I was able to pull out this match because of my attitude,” Ayrault said. “I’ve known her (Moreno) forever, she’s a friend and obviously an amazing player. It felt great to go out and play some great tennis and win.”

Ayrault will play 33rd seeded Brooke Kwon of Diamond Bar, Calif., on Friday at noon.

In other Girls’ 16s quarterfinal singles matches, fourth-seeded Paige Wygodzki of Huntington, N.Y., edged unseeded Kiana Smith of Carlsbad, Calif., 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in three-hours and 49 minutes.  Wygodzki is scheduled to play 17th seeded Yilin Chen of San Diego on Friday at noon.
 
Chen, the only remaining local entrant in the Girls’ 16s singles draw, defeated 33rd seeded Nikol Davletshina of Boca Raton, Fla., 6-2, 6-1.
 
“It’s really exciting to be in the semifinals. I’ve never been this far in a (16s) national, especially hard courts, so it’s really an honor. I didn’t have a lot of expectations, but I wanted to advance as far into the draw as possible. I wanted to win the first three rounds. It’s surreal going this far in this tournament,” said Chen who lives in the San Diego community of Torrey Highlands.

The Girls’ 18s quarterfinals are also scheduled for Friday.

Top seed Akasha Urhobo of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will go up against seventh-seeded Alyssa Ahn of San Diego. Second-seeded Julieta Pareja of Carlsbad, Calif., will face 17th seeded Janae Preston of Henderson, Nev.  Fifth-seeded Alexis Nguyen of El Dorado Hills, Calif., will take on 17th seeded Tianmei Wang of San Marino, Calif., and 17th seeded Maya Iyengar of Paradise Valley, Ariz., will meet 17th seeded Ava Rodriguez of Gainesville, Ga.

All Girls’ 18s quarterfinal singles matches begin at 9 a.m. (PDT).
 
To view singles and doubles draws for each age division, click here.

Nearly 400 of the top junior tennis players in the country, aged 16 and 18 and under, are competing for the title of National Champion. In addition, wild cards for direct entry into the 2025 US Open will be awarded to the tournament’s top finishers.

Admission is free each day of the tournament and there is no charge for parking at Barnes Tennis Center. Matches are scheduled to begin each day at 8 a.m. (Starting times subject to change) To view the official tournament website, please go to: www.ustagirlsnationals.com.
 
About USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships –  The USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s and 18s National Championships are the premiere hard court tennis tournaments for amateur and professional American girls aged 16 and 18 and under in the United States. Tournament participants, who represent nearly every state in the United States, have been endorsed by their respective USTA Section or have received USTA special exemptions based on their results in qualifying tournaments, junior rankings, or results on the WTA Tour or International Tennis Federation. This year marks the 107th Anniversary of this historic event.

The Girls 18s singles champion will receive a wild card for direct entry into the 2025 US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York. The 18s singles runner-up will receive a wild card into the qualifying draw of the US Open. The 18s Doubles Champions will receive a wild card into the main doubles draw of the US Open and the winner of the Girls 16s Championships will receive a wild card for direct entry into the Junior US Open.
 
About Barnes Tennis Center – Barnes Tennis Center is a three-time award-winning multi-racquet sports facility in San Diego. It was constructed between 1995 and 1997 and named after its lead donor family, the “George E. Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center.” Youth Tennis San Diego, owner and operator of Barnes Tennis Center,  has brought the game of tennis right to the backyards of thousands of children and adults across San Diego.