Columbus tennis’ Mary Weston Courville to represent state

Georgia’s team in the United States Tennis Association Southern section’s Icy Hot Junior Cup has won the event 23 consecutive times. With the help of a Columbus High School star, the team looks for No. 24 later this month.

Columbus junior Mary Weston Courville has been selected by USTA Georgia to represent Team Georgia in the 2017 Southern Junior Cup. The Cup will be held Sept. 15 through Sept. 17 at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.

“It’s something everyone talks about as being one of the most fun tournaments of the year,” Courville said. “It’s definitely a huge honor to be asked, especially by Georgia. It’s a really big deal in Georgia.”

The Southern Junior Cup, formerly the Junior Davis/Fed Cup, was created to give juniors an opportunity to experience the thrill and camaraderie of tennis as a team sport. As part of the event, the top three players from the nine states in the Southern Section were selected to take part.

Those young standouts come from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“I don’t know that people appreciate how big of an honor this is, but I want them to,” Columbus head coach Mikel Anna Hill said. “She’s representing the state, and to have somebody from our city do that is a really big deal.”

The selection adds to what has been a productive stretch for Courville. She had a strong sophomore campaign for Columbus, going 18-1 and helping the team capture a region title as the Lady Blue Devils’ No. 1 singles player. For her efforts throughout the year, she was named the All-Bi-City Girls Tennis Player of the Year.

Courville detailed her busy summer, which is the ideal time for major junior tournaments given that there are no time constraints due to school. She played in tournaments in places such as California and Virginia and committed a great deal of her time to getting better.

According to Courville, this opportunity validates all those hours dedicated to the game.

“They emailed me about a month before asking my interest level, and I responded that I was super interested,” Courville said. “It feels like all my hard work from these past junior years of playing tennis, practicing and giving up so many things is paying off.”

Courville’s talent on the tennis court has become abundantly clear, which has led to invitations to events such as the Southern Junior Cup. The pressure of coming through for her state may exist once play begins, but if there’s any junior player able to carry that load, it’s Courville.

“I’m really excited, and I really hope I do well and have some fun,” Courville said. “Hopefully, I can be part of Georgia’s winning streak.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Columbus tennis’ Mary Weston Courville to represent state."