Name: Petra Jurova
Age: 18
Grade: 12 (home schooled)
Hometown: Carlsbad, CA, and Bratislava, Slovakia
Accomplishment: Through an extended stint of training at the ISA Tennis Academy in Carlsbad, Jurova became one of the top 100 ranked junior players in the world for doubles. She made it to the finals of the US Open Eastern Playoffs. The championship match is scheduled for Thursday morning at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY.
The winner of the playoffs advances into a national tournament this August in New Haven, CT, where the winners from each sectional tournament will face off. The winner of the national tournament receives a wild card into the qualifying draw of the women’s singles event at this year’s U.S. Open, held from Aug. 23-Sept. 11.
Key to Awesomeness: Introduced to tennis at the age of 6 by her family, Jurova says she has always known that she wanted to have a long career in tennis.
“As soon as my junior career ends, I want to be a pro player on tour,” said Jurova, who will no longer be eligible for junior competition this August.
To help realize her dreams, Jurova spent six months in a high performance training academy at the ISA Tennis Academy. Spending several hours a day on court, the results began to quickly show. In addition to winning the 18-and-under junior championships in her native country of Slovakia, Jurova also racked up international junior titles across the globe on the ITF circuit. In 2008, she won a singles title in the United Arab Emirates, while also racking up three doubles titles at events in Syria and Tunisia.
“My game got a lot better a lot in Carlsbad,” said Jurova, who moved back to Bratislava six months ago. “The coaches at ISA worked with me a lot on improving my serve, and the fitness coaches there helped all of us get into really good shape for tournaments.”
What’s Next: Jurova says she hopes to make it into the finals of the U.S. Open Eastern Sectional Playoffs, which will be held on April 22. As of press time, Jurova is into the second round, having won her opening round match on Sunday morning with a 6-1, 6-0 scoreline.
To follow Jurova’s progress in the event, visit the tournament drawsheet.
Also, just to update: Petra won the US Open Eastern Section Playoffs yesterday. She will move into the national finals this August for a shot at the US Open qualifying wild card.