Harkelroad Tops Best Chattanooga Girls Tennis Players

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Producing state, Southern, national and international champions, Chattanooga has long been known for its top quality girls tennis players from juniors to the pro circuit.

 

As the Tennessee state qualifying (16s and 18s) for boys and girls begins today (Fri. May 31) at the Champions Club in Hixson, it’s worth ranking the top junior players from the Scenic City for the last five plus decades.

 

No.1 is Ashley Harkelroad who won her first Southern title (16s) at age 13 and also captured a Wimbledon Junior Doubles championship before rising to a top 40 ranking on the pro tour.

 

One’s junior career is the major factor (no current high school players are considered), although college and pro accomplishments are also taken into consideration.

 

s&d=singles and doubles.

 

Top 20 Girls Tennis Players from Chattanooga Area

 

1 Ashley Harkelroad (Chattanooga Christian)… Wimbledon junior doubles champ … at 13 won Southern Clay Courts 16s … Pro Ranking: No.39 (s&d) .. reached third round of French and Australian Opens

 

2 Susan Hill (Red Bank/Clemson) TSSAA - 3x state singles champ (1975-77)... 2x doubles champ – lost one high school singles match in three years … Southern singles titles – 14s, 16s, 18s (2) … ACC singles champ at No.1, four years … 10-0 at No.1 in national AIAW team matches …. Beat previously unbeaten No.1 player from UCLA … Chattanooga City Champion – (Singles and doubles, 6x) ... first female in Clemson Hall of Fame and also only female in Clemson Athletics Ring of Honor

 

3 Cindy Kemp Battle (GPS/Alabama) … Southern 13s singles champ … ranked in national top 10 in every junior age group (s or d) … No.1 Southern rankings – 13s (s), 16s (s/d) also No.2 in 18s (s) … No.1 Southern Junior Wightman Cup team … National AIAW tourney … quarterfinals in singles and doubles in 1966… played No. 1 for 4 years at GPS; 1961-65... Mother-Daughter Southern Champs and national runners-up

 

4 Marilyn Voges Brown (City HS/U. of Chattanooga) … Southern 15s (2x, singles and 1x doubles) and 18s (2x singles, 1x doubles) in the mid-1950s … Orange Bowl runner-up ... Nationally ranked top 10 in 15s … No.2 nationally in 15s (doubles) … Southern Junior Wightman Cup … played No.2 on Chattanooga men’s tennis team … multiple city, state and Southern titles

 

5 Kappie Clark Boles (GPS/Virginia) TSSAA - state singles champ (1973) and doubles (1974) … Southern singles/doubles titles – 12s 14s, 16s … No.17 nationally in 12s …. Chattanooga City Champion (4x singles)

 

6 Stephanie Harris (GPS/U. of Tenn.) ... TSSAA - 3x state singles, 2002-04-05 … Chattanooga City Player of the Year (3x) … Tenn. Tennis Assoc. Outstanding Female Player of the Year … 2002 Nike Open national champion … in 16's - Easter Bowl runner-up … Copper Bowl runner-up … Nike National junior finalist …competed in sectionals (2x) and junior fed cup (2x)… Top 5 in the south in 14s, 16s, and 18s … national ranking – 16s (No.6) and 18s (No.45) …

 

7 Claire Bartlett (GPS/UVa/Florida) … TSSAA 3x state singles, 2006-07-08 … Chattanooga City Player of Year (3x) …. Tenn. Outstanding Jr. Player of the Year … ranked No.16 in girls18s in 2007 … 2007 USTA National Open champion …. … 2007 U.S. Jr. International Grass Court Championships, singles and doubles finalist ….National Open 16s (3rd) … 2006 Tennessee Outstanding Junior Player … Southern 14s singles runner-up … Easter Bowl (14s), 5th …mother-daughter national doubles champion in 2003

 

8 Debbie Herring (Notre Dame/William & Mary ) TSSAA- state singles champ (1985) … Prince High School All-American … Southern doubles champion in 14s ... No.3 nationally in 14s doubles … Tenn. State singles (2x) … William & Mary – conference champion, #5 singles (1990, ’92), #3 doubles (1990-91-92) … team was 4x CAA champion

 

9 Audra Brannon (Hixson/Fla State) – TSSAA state runner-up in 1990 … top 10 Southern ranking in 16s and 18s … 2x All-American at Fla. State in doubles … Chattanooga City champion (2x, singles) … played on pro satellite tour

 

10 Elisabeth Donnovin (GPS) – TSSAA- state singles (1982) and doubles (1983) champ ... Prince All-American … 1983 Southern 18s singles champion in first year ... last Chattanooga area girl to win the Southern 18s singles title … ranked 9th in nation in 16s doubles ... 1982 USTA state, Southern and national Tennis Family of the Year

 

11 Kathy Herring (Saddlebrook Academy (Fla)/Indiana U.-U. of Kentucky) …. Grew up in Chattanooga and attended high school in Fla … Florida prep state runner-up (singles) in 1994 … College – her win at No.5 singles as a freshman clinched Big 10 title for Indiana … played No.2-3 at UK … Academic All-SEC

 

12 Kim Brannon (Hixson/Auburn) TSSAA- region champion and state semifinalist in 1985 … set Auburn school record for career wins

 

13 Brooke Cordell (Baylor/U. of Tenn/Fla. State) …. TSSAA – state singles (1999) and doubles (1997) champion … 5x state qualifying champion … won indoor Southern 14s … played No.6 at UT as a freshman … played No. 5 at Fla. State.

 

14 Julie Downey (Hixson/Indiana/UTC) … TSSAA state singles champ, 1983 … Southern doubles champion … ranked top 10 nationally in doubles in 18s …

 

15 Ellen Rogers Wilson (Chattanooga Christian/Wofford) … TSSAA – 3x state singles champion, 1999-01-02 … College - 4x All-Southern Conference … tied school record for wins in a season (s&d) … Wofford Athletics Hall of Fame

 

16 Betsy O’Dell Scanlan (GPS) … No.1 in South in 10s and 12s … No.4 nationally in 12s doubles … No.19 nationally in 12s singles … won city and TVI junior titles as well as state closed ..and Southwestern and Mississippi juniors tourneys…

 

17 Sholar Clark (GPS) … TSSAA- state singles (1984) and doubles (1983) champion … Prince HS All-American

 

18 Lauren O’Dell Ling (GPS) in 12s …No.4 or 5 in the South in singles and No.14 nationally

 

19 Laura Duffy (GPS) … TSSAA - state doubles title (1971)

 

20 Sarah Evans (GPS/Wofford) … TSSAA – state singles champion, 2010 … holds record for most career singles wins at GPS … College - played No.1 singles for Wofford in 2013. ‘

 

Contact B.B.Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

Edited June 1, 2013 by bbb