Long Islander Julia Elbaba Among Juniors Competing for Australian Open Junior Championship

The USTA has named  the 10 girls and four boys who have been accepted into the main draw and the qualifying draw at the 2012 Australian Open Junior Championships. The main draw will be played Jan. 22-Jan. 28 at Melbourne Park in Melbourne; qualifiers will be played Jan. 19-20. Among those selected is Julia Elbaba of Oyster Bay, N.Y. who is in the qualifying draw to compete in the Australian Junior Open which commences later in the tournament.

In addition to Elbaba, the following juniors have been accepted into the girls’ and boys’ singles draws and will represent the United States:

U.S. Girls–Main Draw & U.S. Boys–Main Draw
Gabrielle Andrews, Pomona, Calif.
Samantha Crawford, Tamarac, Fla.
Connor Farren, Hillsborough, Calif.
Christina Makarova, San Diego
Kyle McPhillips, Willoughby, Ohio
Stephanie Nauta, Bradenton, Fla.
Taylor Townsend, Stockbridge, Ga.
Sachia Vickery, Miramar, Fla.

U.S. Boys–Qualifying Draw
Mackenzie McDonald, Piedmont, Calif.
John Harrison Richmond, Pawley’s Island, S.C.
Trey Strobel, Bradenton, Fla.

U.S Girls–Qualifying
Julia Elbaba, Oyster Bay, N.Y.
Krista Hardebeck, Santa Ana, Calif.
Catherine Harrison, Germantown, Tenn.

Townsend, a 15-year-old who trains full-time at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., is the highest-ranked American girl in the field at 24th in the ITF World Junior Rankings. She is currently the top-ranked player in the USTA Girls’ 18s National Standings. Farren, 17, is the only American boy to earn direct entry into the main draw, and is the highest-ranked American in either field at 16th in the ITF World Junior Rankings after reaching the final at the Coffee Bowl in Costa Rica earlier this month. Vickery, 16, has had strong performances of late, reaching the semifinals of the 2011 Orange Bowl before capturing the Coffee Bowl to start 2012. Andrews, 15, is the reigning USTA Girls’ 18s National Clay Court Champion.

Madison Brengle (2007) was the last American to reach a junior singles final at the Australian Open. Three Americans, Donald Young (2005), Andy Roddick (2000) and Kim Kessaris (1989), have captured Australian Open junior singles titles in the Open Era, while Lindsay Davenport (1992), Brian Dunn (1992), Andrea Farley (1989), Tim Wilkison (1977) and Jay Dilouie (1976) were also singles finalists.