JON JOHNSON Nearly 200 of the top junior tennis players from throughout the country will converge in Dothan starting Sunday for the eight-day USTA Boys’ 14 National Clay Court Championships Tournament.
As in the past, three Dothan facilities are being used for the competition — the Westgate Tennis Center, the Azalea Swim & Tennis Club and the Dothan Country Club. The three venues feature 34 clay courts, including 20 at the Westgate. Nine clay courts are available at Azalea and five at the DCC. “It’s 14 and under, so if you are a good enough 13-year-old to get in, and some of them are, we’ll have a good many 13-year-olds. We will have some that are repeats from last year … they came as a 13-year-old and they are coming back as a 14-year-old.
Play is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. each day and run throughout the afternoon, with the championship scheduled for Sunday, July 14. The event is open to the public and free for spectators to attend.“Normally the competition gets better and better as the draws advance, but I’m expecting these to be really competitive from the first round on just because of the quality of the players coming in,” Shields said.