Winter Nationals
Ma Joins Exclusive Company by Capturing Girls 18s Titles
by Rhiannon Potkey, 10 January 2019
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Connie Ma planned to play in the Girls 18s at the USTA Winter National Championships regardless of the surface because she wanted to face better competition.
But having the matches on hard court instead of clay was an added bonus for the 15-year-old blue chip.
Singles and Doubles Champion Connie Ma
© Manuela Davies/USTA
Ma showcased her impressive talent by becoming only the third player in the event’s 18-year history to win both the singles and doubles titles, joining Gabrielle Andrews (2010) and Jamie Loeb (2011, 2012).
The fourth-seeded Ma rallied from an early deficit to win the final eight games and defeat No. 3 Alana Wolfberg 6-4, 6-0 in the singles final at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida.
The 5-foot-3, 95-pound Ma didn’t lose more than four games in any set of singles play, dropping 27 total games in seven matches (with a retirement in the first set by her opponent in the Round of 16).
Ma teamed with fellow Northern Californian Anna Campana to win the doubles title. The 15th-seeded tandem defeated No. 4 Allie Gretkowski and Anna Ross of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
“I have never really done too well in doubles, but this time I was pretty happy with the results,” said Ma, a Dublin, California native. “I think I played pretty solid, and definitely played better throughout the tournament as I got used to the Florida temperatures and humidity.”
