Born November 5, 1995, in Miramar, Florida, Sachia Vickery is one of the most promising young players in American tennis. Her Guyanese mother, Paula Liverpool, formerly of Kwakwani on the Berbice River, has made many sacrifices to facilitate the career of Sachia, which is now paying off with her daughter rising to be among the top junior players in the United States and the world.
Sachia started off on the track with older boys and girls but was not satisfied already sensing she wanted to channel her athleticism in a different direction. She found her true passion at the age of 5 years old during her first tennis lesson and since has become number 1 in every age division.
Sachia winning streak began in July of 2006 when she entered the 12 and Unders tournament placing third in the USTA National Hardcourts and winning four USTA national events that year. In 2007, she continued to a No. 2 National Ranking after making the finals of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Championships, winning the USTA National Spring Championships as well as a National Open and the Peach State Classic in May 2007. And three of those events were in the 14s. She also played in Europe at the Ouatt Cup in France where she beat players from all over the world and won the 12 and under division.
She won the girls’ 14s title at the 2008 Easter Bowl and helped lead the U.S. to consecutive titles at the World Junior Tennis Championships in 2008-09. She played in the first USTA Pro Circuit tournament of her young career at the $10,000 women’s event in Evansville, Ind., in July 2009, winning three straight matches to qualify for the main draw, and then advancing to the semifinals. As a junior, she won the girls’ 16s title at the 2009 Eddie Herr and the singles title at the 2009 AEGON Teen Tennis tournament in England, one of the world’s most prestigious international events for players aged 14-and-under. In 2012 she won the 48th Copa del Café U-18 tennis title in Costa Rico. She has also won a scholarship to the famous Nick Bolletteri Academy in Bradenton, USA and has racked up a slew of accolades including winning her first International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Girls’ 18 years and under event.
Sachia has had professional success at home and internationally including winning tournaments in Mexico, France, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe . She recently established a career high singles ranking of 229 in the world. The 18 year old secured her place at this year’s US Open after winning the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships on August 4, 2013.
Upon returning home from her National Championship victory in San Francisco last Sunday, the tennis star received the city proclamation from her hometown Mayor, Alexandra Davis, declaring Aug. 14, 2013 “Sachia Vickery Day”.
Sachia credits her mother for her tremendous success. Over the years, she has made many sacrifices to facilitate the career of Sachia which is now paying off with her daughter rising to be among the top junior players in the United States and the world. “What she has done for me is inspiring,” Sachia shared. “It’s helped me to grow stronger as a person. When you’re not used to getting everything easily, you fight harder for it. Every time I go on the court, my mentality is, fight, fight, fight. It’s helped me, so I’ll never complain.”
On her website, Sachia expressed her love for the game. “I am crazy about tennis, my mom and Twitter… LOL! I fell in love with tennis when I watched Serena Williams playing. I asked my Mom and Grandma when I was 5 years old to buy me a racquet from the dollar store in Miramar, where I grew up and I’ve been chasing that little green ball ever since.” She has also worked with Richard Williams, father of the Williams sisters, on improving her game. Her motto is “I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive.”
For more information on Sachie, check out her website www.sachiavickerytennis.com. Follow her also on facebook & twitter.
