USA Wins Bonnebell Cup

Dallas…The United States defeated the Australian team 24-3 in the 21st BONNEBELL Cup international girl’s team competition held at the Peninsula Tennis Club in Burlingame, California from March 29 – 3, 2007. The event is officially sanctioned by the USTA and Tennis Australia.

The competition consisted of six girls who are 14 and under from each country. They each played two matches per day and the winning country is determined by the best of twenty-seven matches.

Representing the United States: Ellen Tsay (Pleasanton, CA), Monica Turewicz (Lake Forest, IL), Gabrielle DeSimone (Rancho Santa Fe, CA), Sarah Lee (Los Angeles, CA), Sabrina Santamaria (Los Angeles, CA), and Breaunna Addison (New Braunfels, TX). The USA Team Captain was Kimberly Po-Messerli (Rolling Hills Estates, CA).

Representing Australia: Alexandra Nancarrow (Canberra, ACT), Nina Khoury (Hobart, Tasmania), Maddison Tobias (Corowa, NSW), Nicole Hoynaski (Putney, NSW), Jennifer Nguyen (Keiraville, NSW) and Georgina Carswell (Brisbane, Queensland). The Australian Team Captain was Rachel McQuillan (Newcastle, NSW).

The United States team has won the event every year except 1980, 1987 and 2002. The United States continues to lead the competition 18-3. The event alternates countries each year between Australia and the United States. The beautiful silver Bell is a replica of the Liberty Bell and was donated back into the competition by Jess Bell of the Bonne Bell Company, title sponsor of the event.

Brenda Brinker Bottum, Maureen Connolly’s daughter, presented the trophy to the winning USA team. Nancy Jeffett, president and trustee of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation, Connolly Bottom (granddaughter of Maureen Connolly) and Steve Rogers (Tournament Director) were also a part of the Closing Ceremony. Along with the Bonne Bell Company, two other sponsors of the event: the LBH Group (Wimbledon & Lily’s) was the “official warm-up” sponsor and the Coral Beach Club in Bermuda and local sponsors: United American Bank, Mollie Stone’s, RS Tennis Academy and Malouf’s.

This is one of the many tennis tournaments presented by the foundation to further junior tennis development in the United States and throughout the world.