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Shelby Baron at World Team Cup in S. Africa
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Shelby Baron
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Cajun Jr doubles in Louisiana
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Shelby Baron competes in South Africa as a member of the USA Jr. Wheelchair World Team Cup.
Shelby Baron is one of the nation's top wheelchair tennis players to compete against participants from around the globe, April 25-May 1 at the University of Pretoria in Pretoria, South Africa in the 2011 World Team Cup. She will represent the United States in the junior division with team members, Ryan Nelson (Utah) annd Katherine Stuteville (Texas).
South Africa will become the 16th nation to host the prestigious event. This is the equivalent to the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup competitions. The ITF World Team Cup brings the world's best wheelchair tennis players to compete for national pride in one of the world's premier team tennis events.
2011 World Team Cup press release
Shelby Baron recently returned from Baton Rouge, Louisiana capturing both singles and doubles titles at the Cajun Tennis Championships. She beat the nation's no. 1 junior player, Ryan Nelson 7-5 , 6-3 and then paired up with him to take the doubles crown, 6-0, 6-0 beating Chris Herman and Alex Saporito.
Baron also competed in the Women's Division and advanced to the 2nd Round by beating Chilean Rejane Candida, 6-2, 6-4. She lost to the no. 2 ranked woman in the world, Aniek Van Koot from the Netherlands, 2-6, 1-6.
In the last 9 months, Baron's tennis experience has been a fast track of exciting opportunties and accomplishments. 16 years old, she is the youngest wheelchair tennis player from Hawaii to have this monumental success. She continues to inspire those around her and we support her as she takes this to an international level.
Baron remarked how so much has changed in the last 12 months, “Last year, this same time – I was hoping to win my JTT matches to help the team make it to the Sectional Championships,” said Baron, “ I’m still in shock that I’ll be representing the United States at the World Team Cup in a couple of weeks. My goal is to play my hardest, bond with my team mates and have a good time. I’m anxious to meet a lot of other wheelchair tennis players.” She’ll get to practice with her team mates for a week upon reaching Pretoria, followed by a week of match play.
Baron is planning to play 7 more tournaments before the year ends. Some of these will take her offshore again. “This is the most tennis I’ve ever played,” said Baron.
Her recent tournament experience fuels a new determination. “On the court, I’m staying more positive. I don’t get down on myself anymore. I talk to myself to stay focused,” said Baron. Playing the no. 5 woman player in the world, Aniek Van Koot was a great experience for her. “She was really good, she had some powerful shots, she was physically stronger and she was fast. And she had great court sense,” said Baron.
Baron’s goal is to be one of the top 25 women players in the world. She started playing at age 9 with the Ala Moana Park wheelchair tennis program.
Her favorite player is Rafael Nadal.
Her favorite food is Chicken Katsu Curry.
Her favorite school subject is French Language Class.
Her favorite shot is the her topspin backhand.
Shelby attends Punahou School and plays Jr. Team Tennis with the Kilauea Jr. Tennis Club. She is also an active volunteer with the USTA/Hawaii Pacific Section, helping to share the game of tennis at community events that include Youth Day at the Capitol, The Great Aloha Run Health & Fitness Expo, Tennis Weekend, The Pro Circuits and more.
Shelby Baron wins Doubles Title with Sirimat Traiphuenk at Taipei Open
November 12, 2010
Her first time out of the country, 16 year old Shelby Baron returned from the Taipei Open this month earning points towards her ITF world ranking by winning the Doubles Championship and reaching the semi-finals in the singles competition. She paired up with Sirimat Traiphueak from Thailand to beat the Taipei team, Chia-Yi Lu and Yi-Shan Wu 7-5, 6-4. Winning two rounds of singles, Shelby reached the semi-finals and fell to the eventual Singles Champion, Sirimat Traiphueak 7-5, 6-1. Largely experienced in USTA Hawaii’s Jr. Team Tennis Competition with able bodied players, Shelby competed in her first Open Women’s Wheelchair Tennis tournament. This is the first of many tournaments she is planning to play in order to establish a world ranking that could give her an invitation to play on the USA Jr. Wheelchair Tennis team and represent her country. Dan James, USTA National Manager of Wheelchair Tennis believes that Shelby could do it. He met her for the first time at the USTA-ITF Junior Wheelchair Tennis Camp this past July in California and was amazed at her ability. So much that she is on his schedule this December, making a visit to Hawaii to exclusively help her train for national and international competition in 2011.
After returning from the summer wheelchair tennis camp, Shelby has been training nearly every day. She has a goal to make the US team. “I feel that it’s in my reach and I’m very motivated. Although I’ve been playing tennis for almost 4 years now, playing in the Taipei Open gave me experience playing other competitive wheelchair tennis players. Their ball flight is different from able bodied players. There’s more loop and topspin, the balls come over the net lower.”
Accompanying Shelby on the Taipei trip, her mom Rhoda and Coach Paul Yu also learned what it will be like at these competitions. They share the excitement and pride. Paul devoted countless hours and on a volunteer basis, vastly improving Shelby’s serve and backhand during the Ala Moana Park Wheelchair Tennis clinics on a weekly basis every Tuesday for a couple of years now. Rhoda has been the parent/coach for Shelby’s Jr. Team Tennis team, Kilauea Jr. Tennis, when she started at age 12 and has supported Shelby’s passion to play with enthusiasm and courage. Shelby is the only competitive wheelchair tennis junior player in Hawaii. She is now preparing to take her journey out of Hawaii to be perhaps the youngest wheelchair tennis player from Hawaii to compete at the world class level.
Shelby Baron, Stand Out at USTA-ITF Junior Wheelchair Tennis Camp
August 1, 2010
Soon to be 16 year old, Shelby Baron from Honolulu makes a big impression while attending the USTA-ITF Jr. Wheelchair Tennis Camp in MIssion Viejo, California this past July. The camp gave her an opportunity to train with the world's best coaches and players. Her competition experience with able-bodied juniors in the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section's Jr. Team Tennis program for the last 4 years and her weekly trainings at the Ala Moana Park wheelchair tennis clinics prepared her to reach the finals of the camp's tournament. Click here to read more about Shelby's incredible camp experience.
Shelby attends Punahou School and plays for the Kilauea Jr. Team Tennis program.
She is an active volunteer for the USTA/Hawaii Pacific Section and for a number of years has annually helped at Youth Day at the Capitol, Tennis Weekend, The Pro Circuits, Jr. Team Tennis Section Championships and the Great Aloha Run's Health and Fitness Expo.
Many thanks to Kahiau - A Tennis Foundation that provided funds to support Shelby's first time tennis camp experience. Kahiau also donated a sport wheelchair to the USTA Ala Moana wheelchair tennis program in 2007 where it is actively used.
Watch Shelby's awesome video on wheelchair tennis!