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The USTA Middle States Section Women's 5.0 Hungarian connection.
© Garrett Ellwood
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By J. Fred Sidhu, special to USTA.com
Indian Wells, Calif. -- For the six women representing the USTA Middle States Section at the League 5.0 Adult National Championships at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the connection between them goes beyond the tennis court.
All six team members are either Hungarian or come from Hungarian descent, including Luca Somorjai, who was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary.
Somorjai came to the United States from Hungary in 1998 and played collegiate tennis on full scholarship at Oklahoma Christian University before transferring to Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama.
She currently teaches tennis in Philadelphia and when she joined her current 5.0 team earlier this year she knew there was something special about her teammates. After some discussion, She discovered that her teammates were from Hungarian descent.
"I think the Hungarians have a sort of special sense of humor. I could see right away that we clicked," Somorjai said with her strong Hungarian accent."We say what we feel. It's interesting for sure." Somorjai says the sense of humor she shares with her teammates borders on sarcasm.
When asked about what she thought about playing in the USTA League National Championships In the desert this weekend with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, Somorrjai said, "It's great! We really want to do well. It's a little hot here. It's not like Hungary."
The USTA Middle States split their two matches on Friday to end the day at 1-1. Heading into Saturday's action, they are still in contention for a spot in Sunday's semifinals.
Middle States Women's 5.0 Hungarian Connection
- Sally Allen (Grandmother)
- Jaclyn Williamson (Grandmother)
- Shari Lynn Webber (Grandfather)
- Jennifer Dubow (Grandfather & Grandmother)
- Gabriella Collard (Born of Hungarian parents in Romania)
- Luca Somorjai (Born and raised in Budapest, Hungary)