Scholarship named for Julie Ditty Qualls

The Southern Tennis Foundation, the charitable affiliate of United States Tennis Association (USTA) Southern Section, announces the establishment of the Julie Ditty Qualls Memorial Endowed Scholarship to honor one of the best tennis players from Kentucky.

The scholarship was created by her parents, Juanita and Jack Ditty, of Ashland, Ky., her siblings, and the Julie Ditty Qualls Foundation.

Ditty Qualls was ranked No. 89 in singles and No. 65 in doubles in the WTA world rankings. She holds the record of 39 titles on the USTA Pro Circuit. She was inducted into the USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019, into the USTA Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. She was a three-time All American at Vanderbilt and won the second-most tennis matches in Vanderbilt history.

She passed away at the age of 42 on August 31, 2021, after a six-year battle with breast cancer.

Her college coach, Geoff MacDonald, said that she “was an even better human being than she was a tennis player, and she was one of the top 100 tennis players in the world.” Her obituary can be found here.

The Julie Ditty Qualls Memorial Scholarship is one of more than 23 Southern Tennis Foundation college scholarships. Students receive $1,000 a year for four years as long as they maintain a 3.0 GPA. Applicants must have participated in at least two years of high school tennis, but being a top-ranked player or continuing collegiate tennis is not a requirement and winners are not expected to play college tennis.

The STF is an independent, volunteer-led 501(c)3 organization that provides need-based scholarships, grants to assist competitive junior players, grants for youth-oriented programs, and grants for adaptive and wheelchair athletes and programs. Donations are tax-exempt.

Donate online at the Southern Tennis Foundation website. If you prefer, you may mail your check to Southern Tennis Foundation/USTA Southern/5685 Spalding Drive/Peachtree Corners, GA  30092. Please indicate Ditty Scholarship on the check. If you want to make a multi-year pledge or some other special arrangement, contact USTA Southern Executive Director & COO Matt Olson.