Ena Shibahara • Junior • Palos Verdes Peninsula
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| Peninsula's Ena Shibahara crushes a forehand this season against Mira Costa. Daily Breeze File Photo/Steve McCrank |
The Peninsula (Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA) junior is one of the most decorated tennis players in CIF Southern Section history. A blue chip recruit, Ena Shibahara has not only dominated Southern California tennis as an individual, but led her Peninsula team to the back-to-back Bay League, CIF Southern Section Division I and CIF Southern California Regional championships. Shibahara was honored as the Daily Breeze Player of the Year for the third straight year last fall. She has won the CIF-SS Individual singles crown for the two straight years with an unblemished record, she hasn't lost a single set.
The success of Shibahara has not only been with her high school program. The UCLA commit recently made history at the prestigious 115th Ojai Valley Tournament. The Peninsula star teamed with fellow junior Jada Hart to capture back-to-back Ojai Valley Open doubles titles. The repeat marked the first time since 2001-02 that a team has repeated as Open doubles champions at Ojai. Shibahara sealed her place in history capturing her first women’s Open singles title. The victories put the junior on a historic list featuring former UCLA star Noelle Hickey (2013), Billie Jean King (1966) and Tracy Austin (1977), as the only women to win the Open singles and doubles titles in the same year.
Shibahara was also the youngest player to make the mixed doubles championship portion of the U.S. Open National Playoffs last fall. Teaming with older brother Shuhei Shibahara, the Southern Cal sensation made it to the finals just one match short of gaining a wildcard entry into the US Open Mixed Doubles Draw. Her efforts were enough to gain her one of eight coveted wildcard spots into the US Open Junior Championships though.
Shibahara was also the youngest player to make the mixed doubles championship portion of the U.S. Open National Playoffs last fall. Teaming with older brother Shuhei Shibahara, the Southern Cal sensation made it to the finals just one match short of gaining a wildcard entry into the US Open Mixed Doubles Draw. Her efforts were enough to gain her one of eight coveted wildcard spots into the US Open Junior Championships though.
There is no doubt that the future is bright for Shibahara. The scary part for the rest of the junior tennis world is that she still has her senior year ahead of her. There is nothing Shibahara hasn't accomplished in high school tennis, and she has done it in humble fashion capturing numerous sportsmanship awards along the way.
