Colleen Ferrell

Ginny Beneke Wins First USTA Ball at age 70!

At the 2024 USTA National Clay Court Championships played in Palm Beach, a new champion emerged in the 70s division. Wendy McCloskey defeated Becky Timmis for the gold and silver, respectively, in the final. The 3/4 playoff for the bronze ball was won by first-time ball winner Ginny Beneke, after battling Helga Immerfall for two days in a 4 ½ hour match winning 7-6, 7-6.

Having played tennis for 50 years and winning the coveted bronze ball at age 70 for the first time in her life, this experience was completely exhilarating for Ginny. Every emotion raced through her body after match point – happy, relieved, tired, and stunned. The tournament director said to Ginny after the match, “We have a ball for you.” She thought to herself, “This is surreal. I was in a fog. The adrenaline and excitement were amazing.” 

Legendary women’s tennis icon Dodo Cheney won 391 gold balls in her lifetime on the court and this is a credit to her perseverance, talent, and dedication. What a tremendous career for Dodo. Equally as satisfying is the fact Ginny Beneke put in years on the tennis court in search of the ultimate prize for tennis players, which is a coveted USTA ball. In this case, Ginny’s achievement needed to be celebrated and hoisted up as evidence that one never gives up the hope of winning a ball as long as the effort is being put out there to try. “I couldn’t sleep that night,” she said.

Ginny knew the feeling of being a champion in her younger years as she played field hockey and lacrosse at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Both sports were played on opposite seasons so she was able to play and excel in each. She made the All Midwest Team for lacrosse all four years in college and received honors for All-State in Field Hockey for three years of her collegiate career. Ginny was inducted into the Bowling Green State Hall of Fame for both sports in 2017. 

With a very accomplished professional working career, Ginny moved around the East Coast for many years. She started tennis while working for Xerox in Washington DC and getting her MBA concurrently. She ventured to the public park, Cabin John, and hit on the wall for hours, which she always enjoyed even in her younger years. “I was too embarrassed to ask anyone to play,” she said. Eventually, other players discovered her and invited Ginny to play. An indoor facility nearby only offered court time at 11:00 p.m. Since this was her only option during the winter, she made time to play “night owl” tennis. 

Ginny relocated for work briefly in Connecticut and then to Philadelphia, where she started playing tournaments. She found ways to get her tennis fix by playing after work and on weekends. She claimed she changed clothes in her car and then headed to the tennis court – a true priority in life! Here, she participated on a 4.5 league team that was “a lot of fun.” She met her husband Jim during this period while working out at the local YMCA. They both played in a Dominoes Team Tennis League. She continued her league play when she moved to Boston and her team made it to nationals in Tucson.

The next stop was Florida where she worked for AT&T, living there for seven years. She belonged to two clubs and played after work. Now in her 40s, she bumped up to the 5.0 level and played many tournaments. Ginny finished the year as the #1 singles player in the 40 division, which was played mostly on a Har-Tru tennis surface. She quit AT&T and began consulting for Qualcomm, which eventually led to a San Diego relocation in 1991. 

The next 15 years of tennis she played local tournaments until 2015 when more free time allowed her to ramp up her game. Ginny played the La Jolla Hard Courts in 2015 and won the back draw singles in 2016. She also traveled to Bocage for a Category 1 as well as Washington State for a Category 2 that she won in 2019. Three stints on the So Cal Intersectional team also primed her up for this recent big BRONZE BALL win in Florida.

So at 70 years young, Ginny achieved a lifetime goal of winning a USTA ball. The first one has inspired Ginny to take some lessons. “I know what I need to get better,” she said. This is just the beginning for this fit, energetic, and motivated senior player. Ginny’s treasured bronze ball now sits in her living room on the mantel. She made this pursuit a reality.