Elizabeth Profit, left, and her younger sister, Mary, flank their coach, Richard Williams, after winning championships at the Jackie Tatum Tournament in L.A. Elizabeth, 12, won the open women’s division and Mary, 10, took the age 14 division. (Photo by Charles Thomas)
Story Created:
Jul 15, 2009 at 11:51 AM PST
Story Updated:
Jul 15, 2009 at 11:51 AM PST
Anybody wondering who the next Serena and Venus Williams will be might want to check out the Rancho Cienega Sports Center Saturday.
Sisters Elizabeth and Mary Profit, two of Southern California’s rising junior tennis players, will be introduced to the public at the center’s tennis shop from noon to 3 p.m. The center, next to Dorsey High School, is located at 5001 Rodeo Road in L.A.
The event is being billed as a celebration of the Williams’ sisters success at Wimbledon. Serena and Venus grew up in Compton before going on to world-wide fame in tennis. Serena recently defeated Venus in the finals at Wimbledon.
Free lessons for children 4-12, food, drinks and a raffle for the Williams’ Wilson racquet are part of the event. Though, the event is free, pre-registration is required. The deadline is 6 p.m. Friday. For more information, call (310) 290-0908 or email to fow39@aol.com.
The Profit sisters are being hailed as possible successors to the Williams.
“Mary and Elizabeth have a chance because of the role their mother (Yvonne) plays in their training and helping the girls maintain their focus,” Richard
Williams, their primary coach, said. “The girls have the mental fortitude and the desire to keep pressing forward. That’s what it will take to propel them to the top in this sport.”
Despite having juvenile diabetes type 1, Elizabeth, 12, is ranked No. 2 in Southern California after three tournaments. Her match record is 12-2.
She made it to the finals of the 107th annual Southern California Junior Sectional Championships in the girls 12 age division out of 256 players. She complained of chest pains after completion of the first set and took a three-minute medical timeout plus a two-minute break. Her blood sugar had skyrocketed to 351. Though her competitive instinct compelled her to continue, her mother made her retire, unwilling to risk Elizabeth having a heart attack.
The problem was a growth spurt, which caused her to become more insulin resistant. She is the only player in the tournament’s history to have won it in one age division and made it to the finals of another in spite of having juvenile diabetes type 1.
Elizabeth recently reached the semifinals in the girls’ 18s open singles tournament before losing a tough third-set tie-breaker. Her opponent, the No. 1 seed, is ranked 26th in the girls’ 18s singles division.
On the same day of the 18s open tournament, she upset the top seed in an open women’s singles tournament, the Westcoast Tennis Championship.
Mary, 10, is 10th-ranked in the girls’ 10s. She also plays in the 12s (ranked 50th) and 14s (133rd) singles. Mary was the top seed, in the 14s of the Jackie Tatum Classic and went on to win the tournament. Elizabeth won the women’s open division in the same tournament.
The Profits train at the Venus & Serena Williams Tennis Academy, which operates out of the Rancho Cienega Tennis Shop. The academy’s main objective is to help high school players earn tennis scholarships.
To follow the tennis progress of the Profit sisters, visit their website at theprofitsisters.com.
Their mother, Yvonne, has created the website lizziworldfoundation.com, which helps families deal with childhood diabetes.
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