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Sooners (@OU_MTennis) Booming After Big @ITATennis Indoor Championship Run

Posted by Admin on February 17, 2015
Posted in: Jeff McMillan, NCAA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Sooners (@OU_MTennis) Booming After Big @ITATennis Indoor Championship Run
Jeff McMillan, Tennis Atlantic

Sooners Are Champions (Photo Courtesy of SoonerSports.com)

Sooners Are Champions (Photo: SoonerSports.com)

Last week in my ITA Indoor Championships preview I listed the favorite as Virginia followed by the challengers USC, Baylor and Georgia. I ignored the #2 seed Oklahoma. And by ignored I mean that I listed them as the “pretender” of the top ranked teams in the nation. I did not deny that Oklahoma is a top team or that they had a serious shot at a title come May, but what I did deny was that they could win the ITA indoors event in Chicago… How wrong I ended up being.

OU Sooners were sure to let me know soon after the match.

Hats off to Oklahoma for winning the title, the first in program history.

Now how did this championship happen for OU? How did this team get over the hump and win it all when they were widely expected not to? It can be summed up in two words: Alexandru Ghilea. To truly understand the impact of the sophomore from Neamt, Romania, you must go back to last season. The Sooners of 2014 had the strongest top 4 in the nation: Alcorta, Alvarez, Harris, Webb. It was a fearsome foursome that every team in the nation feared. But early in the season 5 and 6 hindered Oklahoma. An assorted of combinations of Nick Papac, Austin Siegel and Peerakit Siributwong were tried but none of them were able to produce wins in the lower parts of the line-up. Many college tennis enthusiast believed this would be the Sooner’s undoing come crunch time vs the other top teams and the dreams of being elite would eventually fade. Now this is the part where Alex Ghilea enters the fray.

Late in the year, Ghilea stepped up and started winning at #5 and giving OU that extra boost, none more so important than the clutch 6-3 4-6 7-6(5) win over UCLA’s Karue Sell which propelled the Sooners to a massive upset of national darling UCLA in the NCAA semifinals.

The 2015 Sooners look even better than the 2014 Sooners and it is because of Ghilea. He is now one of the best #5 players in the country, ranked #63 nationally and undefeated in this dual season. In Chicago, he rolled past Babic of Ole Miss and dominated Jack Murray of UNC, which is not an easy task. Vs Baylor Ghilea rallied from 4-6 2-5 down and ripped off 11 straight games to beat Mate Zsiga 4-6 7-5 6-0 which ended up being the clinching point. And vs USC The Romanian again clinched the match, this time outlasting Max De Vroome in a 3 set battle.

It looks as if Ghilea will continue to be a rock at #5 for Oklahoma this year, as they will attempt to lift both national title trophies in one season. He is not without help of course. Dane Webb has stepped up big-time and become a real senior leader for the Sooners; he has made obliterating opponents somewhat of a routine as of late. It’s a treat for tennis fans everywhere whenever Axel Alvarez hits a forehand and if you are blessed enough to see it in person you will see that he is probably the most ATP-like player in college tennis. He provides strength at #2. Jose Salazar looks to be a stable #6 which is a big upgrade from a year ago at the #6 position. And of course, Andrew Harris at #1 who has improved a lot from last year. Spencer Papa has not got off to a flying start yet at #4 but one would expect him to get things going as the season progresses.

Can Oklahoma, to borrow a phrase from European soccer, “Do the Double”? It will be an interesting outdoor season to watch. Virginia and USC aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, with both teams will be rearing to take back #1 in the nation. And you know that the Baylor Bears would love to hoist the trophy on their home courts come this May in Waco, the site of the NCAAs. A few outlying challengers will have their say as well.

Oklahoma still has a very tough season ahead. And its starts in just a few days on Friday in College Station vs Texas A&M, who despite not qualifying for indoors is still a salty team, shown by their win over Ohio State a few weeks ago. How well Oklahoma recovers from the emotional high of winning in Chicago and going back to slugging it out in College Station on Friday will show a lot in regards to what this team is all about. I will be there to witness the match between Oklahoma and Texas A&M on Friday (barring rain). You can follow my coverage of that match by following my twitter @jjjtm_clem_uiw . I will give updates as well as provide captured videos after the match.

Jeff McMillan (Clemson)

2015 @ITATennis Indoor Men’s Indoor National Championships Preview

Posted by Admin on February 11, 2015
Posted in: ITA, Jeff McMillan, NCAA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

2015 @ITATennis Indoor Men’s Indoor National Championships Preview
Jeff McMillan, Tennis Atlantic

The ITA Indoor Men’s Indoor National Championships will take place this weekend in Chicago at the Midtown Athletic Club. 16 teams qualified for this event based on winning their kickoff weekend regional, which was recapped previously here on Tennis Atlantic with a kickoff weekend all-star team. The action will be intense in Chicago all weekend, with each team guaranteed 3 matches (teams that make the final will play 4 matches). The teams will be drawn and matched up based on rankings. The draw comes out Wednesday.

 

2015indoors

These 16 teams will be competing in Chicago for the right to be called indoor champion and also for a good shot at quality wins for the rankings.

 

Here are 7 teams in particular to watch that stand out as their designated label:

 

 

The Favorite: Virginia

 

Why the Cavs will win it:

The Virginia Cavaliers enter Chicago as the clear favorite to win the indoor title once again.

  • UVA has made winning the indoor championships almost an annual right of passage in recent years. This year’s team looks to be one of the strongest in their history.
  • Thai-Son Kwiatkowski who is the new #1 ranked player in the ITA rankings has been unbeatable in his early college career and has shown no signs of slowing down.
  • Ryan Shane and Mitchell Frank look to be as formidable as ever.
  • The strength of the UVA top 3 forces former Kalamazoo champion Colin Altamirano to play as low as #4 on the team, which speaks to the Cavaliers insane depth. The strength of the team plus the history of being the top dog indoors, makes Virginia the favorite to win it all in Chicago.

 

Why the Cavs may not win it:

It seems like a pretty safe bet to pick Virginia to win the championship but there are a few reasons why that could potentially not happen.

  • Lack of a challenge thus far. Virginia has not played a difficult dual match yet as a team. The best team they have played to this point has been #43 Louisville. Other top teams have already played a few difficult and testing matches. If the Cavaliers find themselves in a tight match it could lead to some extra pressure being placed on the Cavs.
  • Mental block vs USC. Even though Virginia is the more talented team this year, Southern Cal still has the big advantage in the mental department vs Virginia based on recent history, as the Trojans have owned the Cavs on the biggest stages in recent years even. If these two teams end up facing off, Virginia could again find themselves once again starring down the barrel vs the Trojans in a desperate situation.

 

 

 

The Top Challenger: Southern Cal

 

Why the Trojans will win it:

The biggest obstacle to Virginia waltzing away with the title is Southern Cal. Per usual, the Trojans once again have a very good team.

  • #7 Yannick Hanfmann and #24 Roberto Quiroz are two of the most talented and pro ready players in college tennis and headline a very string lineup. And the two couple to make the #1 ranked doubles team in the land right now.
  • Added to the mix this year is Johnny Wang, who rarely played in the top 6 a year ago but is ranked #20 in the nation early in 2015 and has established himself as a stalwart at #3 for the Trojans.
  • The Trojans are battle tested already, having already beaten #4 Georgia 4-0 in Athens and also have beaten #14 Florida.

 

Why the Trojans will not win it:

Despite the positives there are reasons why to be back the Trojans as your championship pick in Chicago.

  • Lack of indoor success. Southern Cal owns 5 of the past 6 national championships, but has had far less success indoors during hat time.
  • Depth of the line-up is questionable. 4-6 have a few question marks vs the other top teams

 

 

The Other Challengers: Georgia, Baylor and Illinois

Why the Bulldogs could win it:

Georgia has a chance to win the title in Chicago, based on their improved team from a year ago.

  • The strength of the top 3. Freshman #21 Wayne Montgomery joins #21 Austin Smith and #17 Nathan Pasha at the top of the UGA line-up provide the Bulldogs with a good chance to get 4 points vs the other top teams.

Why the Bears could win it:

Baylor is another team that has a chance to win the title.

  • Strength throughout the lineup. Baylor has no weak spots in their top 6 and can challenge any team 1-6.
  • Maxime Tchoutakian’s form. The latest addition to the Bear roster (joined in January) has been on fire recently by qualifying for the Dallas Challenger.

Why the Fighting Illini could win it:

Illinois has an outsider’s chance at winning the title as well

  • Host team. Even though they are not at home in Champaign, the Fighting Illini are the host school and will probably have the most fans attending.
  • Indoor specialty. Illinois is always a stronger team indoors than outdoors.
  • Line-up balance. The Illini have 5 ranked players and have no weak spots anywhere in the line-up.

 

Why the Bulldogs won’t win it:

  • Questions in the lower parts of the line-up, especially at #6 where they are likely to be the underdog in most matches vs other top teams.
  • Already have been beaten 4-0 by Southern Cal and that was at home in Athens.

Why the Bears won’t win it:

  • Doubles question marks. Baylor has no powerhouse doubles team, like the other top teams do, which could prove costly for the doubles point.
  • Lack of results vs other top teams. Baylor has not fared very well vs other top 10 teams recently and that is a big red flag if one is to pick them to win the title.

Why the Fighting Illini won’t win it:

  • Lack of top quality firepower that is needed to win 4 straight matches. Illinois can beat one of the other top teams but is not likely to win 4 matches in 4 days, simply not strong enough in the end.

 

 

The Pretender: Oklahoma

 

Why the Sooners will not win the title:

Now this is not to say that Oklahoma is not a top 5-quality team, because they certainly are. This is just simply stating that they will not win this particular championship. They have a much better shot in May to win the national title than they do to win this title in Chicago.

  • Top players not yet peaking. #26 Andrew Harris hit his peak level in Australian early in January in preparation for the college season, but since then has not been quite as good. He does have a good win over Noah Rubin but overall Harris has shown his more susceptible side in recent dual matches.
  • Spencer Papa not in the best form. On paper seeing Papa at #4 should seem like a slam-dunk win for Oklahoma every match. However it has not played out that way to this point in the season.
  • Lack of doubles depth. While OU has a strong team at the top doubles position, they have twice lost the doubles point already this season to lower ranked teams (USF and Northwestern) due to losing at 2 and 3 doubles.

 

Why the Sooners could prove me wrong:

Despite the negatives, Oklahoma is still a very talented team.

  • Talent could turn on at any time. Oklahoma has the ability to turn on the jets vs other top teams.
  • Experience of #11 Axel Alvarez-Llamas and #31 Dane Webb. The two veterans could lead the team to rally and get big wins.

 

 

The Gatecrasher: TCU

 

Reasons to watch the Horned Frogs:

TCU is a very talented and improved team that could be dangerous to anyone in Chicago and could turn things upside down

  • Form of #18 Cameron Norrie. Norrie has been on fire recently and is already one of the top college players in the nation very early into his freshman season. He can play with any other top player.
  • Veteran leadership of #48 Nick Chapell, #85 Facundo Lugones and Arnau Dachs. These 3 Horned Frogs have been around TCU a while and know what it takes to get big dual wins, they are all ready to taste the success that has alluded them thus far in their careers.
  • #112 Guillermo Nunez being a rock in the lower line-up. He has yet to lose a dual match and will be a very strong spot for TCU whether they decide to play him at 5 or at 6.

 

Why the Horned Frogs could not be ready to challenge teams:

There are a lot of positive things to say about the TCU Horned Frogs, but there are still a few questions that could stymie their growth to a national challenger here in Chicago.

  • Snake-bitten history in tight matches. Last year TCU lost a ton of close matches, some of which in quite fantastically dramatic ways. If they are pit in a tight match here in Chicago, some of those old memories could seep back into their consciousness, especially for the veterans.

 

 

 

The Mincemeat: Penn State

Why the Nittany Lions are out of their league:

Penn State was a surprise qualifier for the final 16 here in Chicago and garnered a lot of praise nationwide for their surprise qualification. However since then, things have not gone so well.

  • Loss to unranked Penn. How did Penn State celebrate their huge Chicago qualification? By losing to unranked and unheralded Ivy League team Penn. It was a shocking loss that set the Nittany Lions back several steps.
  • Soundly beaten by #37 Virginia Tech. Penn State also lost to #37 Virginia Tech over the weekend in straightforward fashion. If Penn State is getting beat soundly by the likes of a team ranked outside the top 30, then how will they fare vs teams that are top 15 in the nation?

 

 

 

Life on Tour with Jean-Yves Aubone (@JYNole): February 2015 Update #2

Posted by Admin on February 3, 2015
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Jean-Yves Aubone, Life On Tour. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Life on Tour with Jean-Yves Aubone (@JYNole): February 2015 Update #2
Jean-Yves Aubone, Tennis Atlantic
Life on Tour ATP
February 2015 Update #2-Atlanta,Georgia, USA

For two full years I’ve been training and staying in shape. I take two months off of tennis because of an injury and the first few days are as if I’ve never trained at any point in my life. I’ve always been astonished at how easy it is for someone to lose their fitness and how difficult it is to get it back. It really isn’t fair. During the last few weeks of recovery from my achilles bursitis I went through some swim and weight lifting programs to get my fitness back. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for a normal training program that is tailored for professional athletes. On the first day back at Ginepri Performance Tennis Academy in Atlanta I found myself getting my tail kicked by a few of the 14 and 15 year olds in the gym. Not only was I slower than them but they were using heavier weights than me! I felt so pathetic that sometimes I just had to laugh. It was a very humbling experience, but I knew it was just part of the process of getting back to professional shape.

JY doing single leg box jumps

As tough as it’s been to get my fitness levels up, it’s been even tougher getting my movement back. When I first started to practice I realized that I still had some discomfort in my achilles. After roughly 7 weeks off this should not have been the case. Both my strength/conditioning coach (Paul Fortunato from Ozone Fitness) and my physical therapist (Barbara Vaughn from SET Physical Therapy) watched me play and noticed that I needed to change the biomechanics of how I run. I was using my calf/achilles/foot area as my main source of energy when going to hit the next shot. This was causing a continuous aggravation of my achilles bursitis. I should have been using my glutes as my main source of energy. In order to achieve this I needed to make sure I was maintaining the athletic position while I moved. Once I’m in the athletic position the hips are loaded correctly and my glutes become my main source of energy. This relieves pressure from the lower leg area and allows me to be lighter and quicker.

To make this adjustment on court I’ve had to go through some practices just doing basic beginner basket feeding drills at a very slow place. If I tried to go too fast then I would move incorrectly and start to feel some discomfort in the achilles area. I spent a lot of time practicing with Robby Ginepri and at first there were many times when I struggled to continue long rallies. My feet couldn’t keep up. If I did keep up it was because I was moving incorrectly causing more discomfort. In the gym we focused a lot on strengthening the glutes through exercises such as single leg dead lifts and lunges.

There were definitely some moments of frustration during this training block. We are always making technical or strategical adjustments in my game but relearning how to move is a rare one. Throw in the fear of re-injuring myself and my patience was definitely tested. I’ll never forget how happy I was when I first started to really feel a big improvement with my movement. It was about two weeks in to my training and I was in the middle of my first full on practice set at Georgia Tech against one of their players. In between one of the points I turned to my coach Joseph O’Dwyer and said, “man, I’m losing but I’m so happy to be playing.”

JY with Kenny Throne of Georgia Tech Tennis

Jean-Yves Aubone
February 2, 2015

Tennis Atlantic’s @ITATennis Kickoff Weekend All-Star Line-Up

Posted by Admin on January 27, 2015
Posted in: ITA, Jeff McMillan, NCAA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Tennis Atlantic’s @ITATennis Kickoff Weekend All-Star Line-Up
Jeff McMillan, Tennis Atlantic

NCAA_Tennis_Logo

This past weekend the dual college tennis season finally got into full gear after the long off-season with the ITA kickoff weekend. Fifteen schools hosted regionals of four teams, with each team guaranteed two matches. The fifteen regional winners will join host Illinois in Chicago for the national indoor event in February.

There were many close matches, upsets and near upsets and showed that this college tennis season will be one to follow closely with the plethora of talent spread across the country.

After all the matches, Tennis Atlantic has chosen our All-Star Line-Up based on the players’ performance to help their team qualify for the national event in Chicago.

ITA Kickoff Weekend All-Star Line-Up:

1. Soren Hess-Olesen, Texas

Soren Hess-Oleson (Photo Credit: NCAA)

Soren Hess-Oleson (Photo Credit: NCAA)

Heading the top spot in the all-star line-up is senior Soren Hess-Olesen from the Texas Longhorns. Hess-Olesen entered the weekend as one of the nations top players coming in at #13 in the ITA rankings and the Aarhus, Denmark native backed up his ranking in impressive fashion. Texas was heavily favored to win their region in Austin, but was tested a bit more than expected with stern challenges coming from Minnesota and Florida State. Hess-Olesen was the solid rock that kept the team from succumbing to the oncoming challengers. He took care of the 17th ranked player in the nation, Leandro Toledo of Minnesota in routine 6-1 7-5 fashion, which set the tone for the 4-1 win over Minnesota. On Sunday he absorbed everything that talented Zimbabwean Ben Lock threw at him and breezed past the FSU #1 6-2 6-3 which was a key point in a tight 4-3 win.

2. Nicolas Alvarez, Duke

At the #2 spot in the all-star lineup is the Duke freshman from Lima, Peru. Alvarez announced his presence on the college tennis scene in the fall with several big wins, as he quickly became one of the top players in the nation already as a freshman. He entered the kickoff weekend ranked #18 in the nation and he would face stout competition at the #2 slot in the Durham region. He began the weekend with a huge 7-6(1) 6-3 win over #12 Romain Bogaerts of Wake Forest that became a huge point in an important early season win for Duke over upstart ACC rival Wake Forest. Wake is thought to have one of the best top 2 combos in the country with Noah Rubin and Romain Bogaerts, but Alvarez disrupted that with his huge win over Bogaerts. Alvarez followed up the impressive win vs Wake with another impressive win over the talented freshman from Memphis Andrew Watson 6-4 6-4 who is ranked #23 in the country to lead Duke to Chicago.

3. Matt Barry, Penn State

The biggest surprise of the kick-off weekend was Penn State’s qualification for the final 16. The underdogs from the Big Ten upset host Kentucky before knocking off favored USF to qualify for Chicago despite only being ranked #26 heading into the weekend. A big part of Penn State’s qualification was the play of junior Matt Barry from Lido Beach, NY. Barry actually played at the #4 slot in the first match vs. host Kentucky. Barry took out crafty Kevin Lai 6-4 6-4 in a match that many would consider a surprise result. His win was the most solid keg in Penn State’s sweep of the 3-6 positions that gave the Nittany Lions the huge win over Kentucky. On Sunday Barry backed up his great win over Lai with a huge comeback win at the #3 position vs USF. Barry dropped the first set vs Oliver Pramming 5-7 which put Penn State in a perilous position. Barry started a rally for his team on court 3 by taking the 2nd set 6-4 and eventually closing the rally by winning the 3rd set 6-2 and sending Penn State tennis to an unprecedented level.

4. Ashok Narayana, Columbia

Representing the Ivy League in Chicago will be Columbia who had a close win over Tennessee and then an epic win over host Notre Dame. The standout for Columbia in these two wins was Houston, TX senior Ashok Narayana. Narayana took care of Luis Valero of Tennessee in a 7-5 6-2 solid win that was a key point in the Lions 4-3 win over the Vols. On Sunday Columbia and Notre Dame would battle in what is already an early season candidate for match of the season. Each of the 6 singles courts went to a 3rd set with the result entirely in the air. Narayana’s turnaround proved to be the key in the match. After dropping the first set 1-6 to Eric Schurrenberger, Narayana would rally. In the end Narayana out dueled the Notre Dame junior, who had just won the decisive 3rd set tiebreaker in the previous match that lead Notre Dame past Oklahoma State and set up the matchup with Columbia. 1-6 7-5 6-4 Narayana def Schurrenberger and Columbia will be in Chicago amongst the best teams in the nation.

5. Jose Antonio Salazar, Oklahoma

Oklahoma is considered to be one of the top favorites to win the national title this season and if they wish to achieve this goal the key is how some of the new pieces fit into the team. Jose Salazar is one of those new players. The Canary Islands native fit right into the Sooner lineup this weekend and had two solid wins. He defeated James Hignett of New Mexico 7-5 6-1 in the first round to give the Sooners a no drama win over the heavy underdogs. On Sunday though it was a different story as the Northwestern Wildcats gave Oklahoma everything they wanted. Salazar was blitzed in the first set 2-6 by Alp Horoz from Turkey and it was looking like Oklahoma may be headed for an unexpected exit from the kick-off weekend. But Salazar rallied and dominated the next two sets 6-2 6-0 which proved to be instrumental in shifting the momentum of the match and led the Sooners to overcoming the stiff challenge from the Wildcats in a 4-1 win.

6. Ricardo Jorge, Ole Miss

Rounding out the kickoff weekend all-star is Ole Miss sophomore Ricardo Jorge. The Tavira, Portugal native came through with two 3 set wins that lifted his Ole Miss Rebels to Chicago after two very close wins over Florida and South Carolina. Ole Miss looked dead to rights vs Florida after going down 3-0 in Gainseville as did Jorge who had lost the first set to Oliver Landert 3-6. But Jorge kept the hopes alive for Ole Miss after a tense 2nd set tiebreak in which he emerged the victor 7-6(5) he rode his momentum into the 3rd set and took the match with a 6-4 3rd set win as Ole Miss beat Florida 4-3. Jorge provided his team with another 3 set win on Sunday when he defeated Thomas Mayronne of South Carolina 6-1 3-6 6-2. Jorge’s two huge wins at #6 over the weekend was a big boost for Ole Miss as they became one of the only two SEC teams to qualify for Chicago.

Honorable Mentions
Max Schnur, Columbia
Dragos Ignat, Columbia
Guillermo Nunez, TCU
Gustav Hansson, Ole Miss
Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Virginia

Jeff McMillan (Clemson)

2015 NCAA Men’s Tennis Preview: #25-#20 Ranked Teams

Posted by Admin on January 12, 2015
Posted in: Jeff McMillan, NCAA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

2015 NCAA Men’s Tennis Preview: #25-#20 Ranked Teams
Jeff McMillan, Tennis Atlantic

NCAA_Tennis_Logo

With the preseason ITA rankings being released Monday here is a look at the fringe top 16 teams, those who check in the rankings from 25-20 and what we can expect from them during the 2015 dual season.

#25 Oklahoma State

Oklahoma_State_University_Logo

Last season: (#25 year end ranking) Oklahoma State got back on the college tennis map last year with a great season in coach Jay Udawia’s 2nd season after taking over from Fresno State following the 2012 season. The Cowboys started red hot before faltering a bit in the brutal Big 12 schedule. Overall the 2014 campaign was highly successful one for Oklahoma State and launched the program from out of the doldrums it had been floundering in for a few seasons following the graduation of Alexander Nedovyesov.

Looking ahead to 2015…

 

Lost pieces: (team position in 2014)

Matt Campbell (backup)

Brandon Champagne (backup)

Brady Borhnstedt (#5 mainly)

Sebastian Sachs (#1-2)

 

Returning players:

Nicolai Ferrigno (#6 rotation)

Lukas Fizelberg (Redshirt)

Lucas Gerch (#4)

Arjun Kadhe (#3)

Nathan Roper (#6 rotation)

Jakob Sude (#1-2)

 

New faces:

Jurrence Mendoza

Trent Botha

Leonard Gerch

Tristan Meraut

 

Players in the 2015 pre-season rankings:

Arjun Kadhe #74

Jakob Sude #98

 

2015 outlook and keys: Last year was a re-emergence year for Oklahoma State, 2015 is the establishment year. They gain several good players and while the loss of Sachs at #1 is a big loss it is not a crippling one as Sude can certainly step up into the #1 slot while Sadhe can be a solid #2 for the Cowboys. The key for Oklahoma State is getting consistency from the new players and simply believing that they belong in the very tough Big 12 conference.

Consensus: At the end of the day Oklahoma State will get a few nice wins but will also struggle to beat the top teams which will prevent them to jump any higher this year than they were in 2014. 25-30

Projected end of year ranking range: 25-30

 

#24 Clemson

Photo: Clemson University

Last season: (#22 year end ranking) Clemson had a second straight solid season under Chuck McCuen in 2014. Despite the loss of Yannick Maden, Clemson was able to duplicate their 2013 success and in some ways even surpass it. Clemson just missed out on a monumental upset of Virginia, which would have vaulted them into the top 16 giving them a hosting slot for the NCAAs. As it was Clemson’s season ended in Lexington, KY in a 4-3 heartbreaker to Kentucky in the NCAA 2nd round.

Looking ahead to 2015…

 

Lost pieces:

Dominique Maden (#2, important #1 doubles player)

 

Returning players:

Austin Ansari (#4)

Robert Dudley (#6 rotation)

Alejandro Augusto (#3)

Hunter Harrington (#2)

Luke Johnson (#5)

Brent Lett (#6 rotation)

Fernando Sala (backup)

Christian Harris (backup)

Daniel Strawn (backup)

 

New faces:

Hampton Drake

Daffra Sanon (Washington transfer)

 

Players in the 2015 pre-season rankings:

Hunter Harrigton #69

2015 outlook and keys: The 2015 season for Clemson will be defined by how much the returning players have improved. The loss of Dom Maden is a big one as he was an elite doubles player and had an incredible 2014 season in singles but that is the only loss for the Tigers and if the returning players have improved than his loss can be mitigated. Harrington can be a solid #1 player. New pieces Sanon and Drake can hold down the bottom of the line-up. The area where Clemson needs to show strength in is the 2-4 positions. Ansari must show more consistency while Augusto and Johnson will need to show immense improvement in order to lock down their higher positions on the team this year. The rather soft non-conference schedule will allow the Tigers to sort out the lineup and get ready for the tough ACC.

Consensus: Clemson will have almost an identical year as they did last year. The loss of Maden will cut down the amount of wins at the top and in doubles but that will be offset by improved play in the lower line-up and in particular at #6.

Projected year-end ranking range: 22-30

 

#23 Memphis

 

Memphis Logo

Last season: (#21 year end ranking) Memphis continued their recent success last year and maintained their image as one of the strongest non-power 5 programs in the nation. Despite the positive season there were some disappointments such as being supplanted at the top of their conference by South Florida and the crushing heartbreaking loss to Illinois in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. Those two losses were particularly crushing considering that every single starter except for one was a senior and will never be a Memphis Tiger again. 2014 was the last chance for the Memphis golden generation.

Looking ahead to 2015…

 

Lost pieces:

Ian Chadwell (#5)

Cedric De Zutter (backup)

Johnny Grimal (#3)

David O’Hare (#6)

David O’Leary (#4)

Joe Salisbury (#2)

 

Returning players:

Connor Glennon (#1)

Louis Asser (backup)

 

New faces:

Shakeel Manji

Patrick Mayer (Utah transfer)

Ryan Peniston

Andrew Watson

Players in the 2015 pre-season rankings:

Connor Glennon #79

 

2015 outlook and keys: Predicting the 2015 campaign for the Memphis Tigers is a near impossible task considering the lack of continuity. The last few years were an amazing ride for Memphis tennis and only Glennon remains from that generation. The new players have very large shoes to fill and it is asking them too much to duplicate that success in year 1.  Andrew Watson will fit right into the top of the line-up alongside Glennon and be productive. But the other new players are largely a mystery and it will take a while for them to adjust to the college game.

Consensus: Getting big scalps vs higher ranked teams will prove to be difficult for Memphis this year and that lack of big wins will hurt their ranking in the end.

Projected year-end ranking range: 37-43

 

#22 South Florida

 

USF-logo

Last season: (#23 year end ranking) The USF Bulls brandished their way into the college tennis hierarchy in 2014 in coach Matt Hill’s 3rd season at the helm. Starting the year with no expectations the Bulls went on to win the conference title over Memphis and finish the year in the top 25, something that USF tennis was very new to. The season also included a big win over Florida State in the NCAA tournament 1st round, before their great campaign finally came to an end in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament with a loss to Florida.

Looking ahead to 2015…

 

Lost pieces:

Frederico Sabogal (#6)

 

Returning players:

Roberto Cid (#1)

Oliver Pramming (#2)

Sasha Gozun (#3)

Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (#4)

Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz (#5)

Everth Dzib (backup)

Finn Meinecke (backup)

 

New faces:

Dominic Cotrone (Transfer from Florida State)

Justin Roberts

Players in the 2015 pre-season rankings:

Roberto Cid (#19)

 

2015 outlook and keys: USF returns nearly their entire team for 2015 and adds two big players in highly touted recruit Roberts and FSU’s #1 player for the past two seasons Dominic Cotrone. All signs point to 2015 being a huge year for the Bulls. 2014 showed that the Bulls were a ahead of schedule and that 2015 will be an even bigger year for them. Roberto Cid is an elite player at the top of the lineup, which is something every team with big aspirations needs at the top. He can play with anyone in the country. Cotrone is a big addition and will no longer have to press himself by playing over his head at #1 like he was forced to do at Florida State. The rest of the line-up will be fine with good pieces everywhere. There are no real holes on this team. The key to just how successful USF can be is finding a one rock in the lower part of the line-up.

Consensus: USF will be very good in 2015. They will beat a lot of teams and should win the American conference going away. Hosting an NCAA regional is doable. While bad losses will be avoided, the question will be whether the schedule has enough beef on it to get good wins that boost the ranking.

 

Projected year-end ranking range: 12-16

 

#21 Mississippi State

 Mississippi_State_Bulldogs

Last season:(#19 year end ranking) 2014 was another under the radar very good season for the Bulldogs from Starkville.  Coach Per Nilsson did another remarkable job of bringing in new talent and molding the team into one that was top 20 and threatened some of the best teams in the nation. Despite all the personnel losses from the previous year, the Bulldogs didn’t miss a beat in 2014, which bodes very well for the team in 2015 as well. Mississippi State ended the year at #19 in the country after a 2nd round loss to the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

Looking ahead to 2015…

 

Lost pieces:

Malte Stropp (#2)

Zach White (#4)

Jordan Angus (#3)

 

Returning players:

Florian Lakat (#1)

Rishab Agarwal (#6,5 rotation)

Robin Haden (backup)

Tassilo Schmidt (#6 rotation)

New faces:

Mate Cutura (JC transfer)

Julian Cash

Juan Cruz Estevarena

 

Players in the 2015 pre-season rankings:

Tassilo Schmidt (#63)

 

2015 outlook and keys: Mississippi State has proven in recent years that no matter which players they lose, they will still come back the next year just as strong. The transfer of Roman Bogaerts was thought to be a big hit, but the team did not suffer all that much. And again upcoming in 2015 Mississippi State has empty slots to fill, as they have lost their 2-4 players. But they fill these holes with arguably stronger players than before with the addition of one of the top 10 newcomers in 2015 Julian Cash and as well as strong junior college player Mate Cutura to compliment Lakat and the greatly improved Schmidt at the top parts of the line-up. The bottom of the line-up could use some shoring up if Mississippi State is to remain a top 20 team in 2015 and depth could be an issue as the roster only has 7 players on it, which leaves the team vulnerable to injuries.

Consensus: It will be more of the same in 2015 for Mississippi State, solid and a tough out for anyone and a team that can never be overlooked in the SEC. Getting a big-time signature win will be hard though

Projected year-end ranking range: 18-23

 

#20 Wake Forest

Wake_Forest_Demon_Deacons

Last season: (#30 year end ranking) Ending the year at #30, 2014 was a bit of a disappointing year for Wake Forest, especially the 3-9 record in the ACC. There were some high expectations going in but the team never truly gelled completely and did not live up to the lofty expectations as the season ended in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Ohio State.

Looking ahead to 2015…

 

Lost pieces:

Adam Lee (#2)

Aws Laaribi (#5,6 rotation)

Nicky Kunz (#6 rotation)

Jaya Billa (backup)

Pedro Dumont (#5 rotation)

 

Returning players:

Romain Bogaerts (#1)

Jon Ho (#4)

Maksim Kan (#3)

Matt Erdman (redshirt)

Nicholas Oserling (backup)

Christopher Seraphim (redshirt)

Sam Bloom (backup)

Anthony Delcore (#6 rotation)

 

New faces:

Noah Rubin

Skander Mansouri

 

Players in the 2015 pre-season rankings:

Romain Bogaerts (#12)

Jon Ho (#52)

Maksim Kan (#102)

 

2015 outlook and keys: Wake Forest will be one of the most interesting to follow in 2015. There is turnover with players but there is also enough stability that leads to high expectations. They add Noah Rubin who is the top rated newcomer in the country and a former junior grand slam champion, he is widely expected to immediately be one of the best players in the college game. Him couples with Bogaerts create one of the fiercest top 2 combos in the nation. Kan and Ho are going nowhere and will continue to be very good mid line-up players. The bottom of the line-up will have several capable players, Seraphim had good results in the fall, Mansouri is expected to be a very good college player in his first year from Tunisia and Delcore is always around ready to provide a shot of adrenaline to the line-up. Wake Forest is short on weaknesses in 2015. The middle of the line-up will be the key vs other top teams, Kan and Ho will need to play their absolute best of Wake is to go on to achieve their lofty goals.

Consensus: 2015 is the year that Wake Forest will make a move up the rankings. They have been primed and prepping for a few years now and this is the season they have been preparing for.

Projected year-end ranking range: 8-14

Jeff McMillan (Clemson)

Life on Tour with Jean-Yves Aubone (@JYNole): January 2015 Update #1

Posted by Admin on January 9, 2015
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Jean-Yves Aubone, Life On Tour. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Life on Tour with Jean-Yves Aubone (@JYNole): January 2015 Update #1
Jean-Yves Aubone, Tennis Atlantic
Life on Tour ATP
Tennis Atlantic is proud to begin our partnership with ATP professional Jean-Yves Aubone, Jean-Yves is a former two time All-American NCAA college player at Florida State University, and he has won multiple ITF futures titles in his career. He is currently ranked in the top 500 in the world and you can track his journey on tour, and efforts to move up in the rankings here on Tennis Atlantic. He will be providing a down to earth, and detailed account of his life as a professional player, and an up close and personal take on the ITF futures and ATP challenger tour from a players perspective. We look forward to his contributions on a bi-weekly basis for our site. To get to know JY better please visit our writer bio section.-The Editors
January 2015 Update #1-Miami, Florida, USA

While everyone else has been preparing and even begun the 2015 season, I’ve been at home patiently waiting to start my offseason training. It’s been seven weeks since I played my last match. It’s also been seven weeks since I last played any real tennis. I’ve missed so much time due to achilles bursitis. Achilles bursitis occurs when the bursa (small fluid filled sac located at the back of the heel) becomes inflamed. I played with it throughout 2014. I never stopped because it never became inflamed enough for me to stop playing.
Athletes tend to make the mistake that if the pain is manageable then they will play. At the end of the day that’s all we want to do. We just want to play. Why stop because of a tiny amount of pain? Well because that tiny amount of pain, if not treated correctly, can turn into a lot of pain. That’s what happened to me. By the end of the year I was struggling to run, jump and even walk. The pain was too great and I had to cut my season short by a few weeks.
After seeing a doctor in South Florida I was informed that the recommended treatment for achilles bursitis is rest of 4-6 weeks, lots of ice to remove the inflammation, and loosening the calf muscle through stretches and massages.
Unfortunately I’ve had to take the entire 6 weeks away from the court. The only exercise I’ve been allowed to do is swimming and non-impact exercises in the gym. Fortunately these things have kept me in somewhat decent shape so once I get back on the court it won’t take me long to get into my normal form. After all this time I feel close to 100% but I still need to take it slow because of how delicate the injury is. I’m hitting some balls down the middle but with very little movement. Hopefully in a week I can have a full practice.
One of the toughest parts about having to take so much time off is how to spend that time. I’ve continued to wake up early to maintain the same routine as if I were training like normal. This way it’s not so much of a shock to my body when I return to a normal practice schedule. Unfortunately by the time I’m done swimming, going to the gym, and start icing it’s only 11am. By 2pm I start to lose my mind. One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is play golf, but I can’t do that because it aggravates the injury. All my friends and family are at work so I can’t meet up with anyone. I’ve been reading and watching Homeland a lot but that can only provide so much entertainment. I clean my apartment every other day. The only thing that keeps me calm is that I’m doing what is necessary to lengthen my career.
By far the most difficult thing has been taking so much time off when I finished the year so well. I made a really good run during the back half of the year and was excited to keep it going. I reached four ITF singles finals and won one of them. This injury has been a big reminder that an athlete can never do enough to take care of his own body. It’s always worth it to spend extra time doing things such as stretching, seeing the doctor and getting massages. I’m glad I was reminded of this now rather than after a serious injury that could have forced me to miss an entire year or even end my career.
For the moment my only goal is to get back to being healthy. I don’t want to have ranking goals in the back of my mind right now because I can’t risk coming back too soon and hurting myself again. I know with the help of my team it will only be a matter of time before we get back to making runs deep into events.
Jean-Yves Aubone
January 8, 2015

Five Shine @ITATennis Tulsa Fall All-Americans

Posted by Admin on October 12, 2014
Posted in: Jeff McMillan, NCAA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Five Shine @ITATennis Tulsa Fall All-Americans
Jeff McMillan, Tennis East Coast

ncaa-tennis-logo

Players from around the country competed in the Tulsa Fall All-Americans the past week and a half. The event in Tulsa is an annual tournament, mammoth in size and comprising players from nearly every D1 team in the nation. The tournament started in the pre-qualifying, continued through the qualifying draw and concluded in the main draw Monday. The players were placed in each draw based on pre-season ranking and previous season accomplishment. Players starting in the pre-qualifying draw had to win 7 matches in order to get into the 64 player main draw. 4 players fought their way all the way form the pre-qualifying draw and into the main draw: Jack Murray of North Carolina, AJ Catanzariti of Texas A&M, Jonathan Ho of Wake Forest and Thomas Stillman of Texas-San Antonio.
The 10-day event was full of great matches, upsets, emerging players and overall great play. Of the many players who played in Tulsa 5 in particular stood out:

Ben Lott: Drake. Junior from Newcastle, England.
Tulsa results
QR1: def Wayne Montgomery, Georgia, 6-1 6-4
QR2: def Benjamin Lock, Florida State, 6-2 6-3
QR3: def Ashok Narayana, Columbia, 7-5 6-3
R1: lost to Jared Hitzlik, Illinois, 6-4 7-5
CON: def Harrison Adams, Texas A&M, 6-4 6-4
CON: lost to Chris Diaz, Ohio State, 7-5 6-2

Lott came into Tulsa as an unseeded player in the qualifying draw. He announced his presence in Tulsa with a dominating win over Wayne Montgomery of Georgia who was the hottest young player in the nation prior to this tournament, having just won the Southern Intercollegiate event in Athens. He followed that up with a routine win over Lock, who will likely be the #1 player for Florida State this year. He qualified for the main draw with a win over Narayana. His dream of winning it all was lost with a first round loss to Hitzlik but he backed up his qualifying success with a straight sets win over Texas A&M’s top player Harrison Adams. His tournament ended with a loss to eventual consolation draw runner-up Chris Diaz. Overall, it was a very impressive result for Lott of Drake, who always puts out a very solid tennis program.

Nicolas Alvarez: Duke. Freshman from Lima, Peru.
Tulsa results
QR1: def Nathan Rakitt, Georgia Tech, 6-4 6-4
QR2: def Stefan Lindmark, Ole Miss, 6-4 7-5
QR3: def Tin Ostojic, Wichita State, 6-2 7-5
R1: def Andre Goransson, Cal, 6-0 3-6 6-2
R2: def Jared Hitzlik, Illinois, 2-6 7-5 6-4
R3: def Roberto Cid, USF, 6-3 5-7 6-4
QF: lost to Yannick Hanfmann, Southern Cal, 6-1 6-1

Alvarez was a highly touted freshman coming into Duke this year. He is an accomplished ITF player and figured to immediately make a big impact for the Duke Blue Devils. He proved those thoughts to be exactly right this week in Tulsa with his impressive display. He began his run with a win over Georgia Tech’s #1 player Rakitt and followed that up with two straight set wins over Lindmark and Ostojic. He then won 3 straight 3 set matches to get all the way to the quarterfinals. His wins over Hitzlik and Cid are the particularly good ones considering the elite nature of those two players on a national scale. He will be a big player in the ACC and the nation as a freshman this year.

A.J. Catanzariti: Texas A&M. Freshman from Pittsburgh, PA
Tulsa results
PR1: def Sergio de Vilchez, Wichita State, 6-4 6-0
PR2: def Simon Freund, LSU, 6-2 6-3
PR3: def Matt Frost, Drake, 6-3 6-4
PR4: def Ben Davis, MTSU, 7-5 6-1
QR1: def Eric Johnson, Southern Cal, 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3
QR2: def David Biosca, ETSU, 7-6(2) 6-1
QR3: def Chris Diaz, Ohio State, 7-6(4) 4-6 6-3
R1: lost to Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Virginia, 7-6(5) 6-4
CON: def Albert Wagner, Louisville, 6-1 6-2
R2: lost to Ronnie Schneider, North Carolina, 7-5 7-5

Catanzariti was the only player in the entire field to win 7 matches in a row to get into the main draw (the other 3 pre-qualifiers had byes in R1 so they only won 6 matches to get in the main draw). He mowed down players in the pre-qualies with the signature win being over Davis of MTSU. In qualifying he knocked off Eric Johnson, one of the key parts of USC’s national title team from last year. His win over Chris Diaz is the standout win of the tournament for the freshman. Catanzariti’s two losses were to two of the best players in college tennis and he was able to give them two tight sets each. Catanzariti proved this week that he will play a role in A&M’s season this year in the SEC.

Thai-Son Kwiatkowski: Virginia. Sophomore from Charlotte, NC
Tulsa results
QR1: def Kevin Metka, Ohio State, 3-6 6-2 6-3
QR2: def Martin Redlicki, UCLA, 6-2 7-6(4)
QR3: def Felipe Rios, Baylor, 6-2 6-4
R1: def AJ Cantazariti, Texas A&M, 7-6(5) 6-4
R2: def Winston Lin, 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3
R3: def Austin Smith, Georgia, 6-1 6-7(3) 6-3
QF: def Julian Lenz, Baylor, 6-2 6-3
SF: lost Sebastian Stieflemeyer, Louisville, 6-1 3-6 6-1

The Virginia sophomore was a quiet rock last year as a freshman. He went through the whole season with only 1 loss with little fanfare. His stellar record may have gone unnoticed on the national scale because he was playing lower in the UVA line-up. But in Tulsa, Thai-Son showed that he will be unnoticed no longer. In his first match he avenged his only collegiate loss by rallying to beat big serving Buckeye veteran Kevin Metka. He then dispatched highly touted UCLA freshman Michael Redlicki, who is expected to be one of the best freshmen in the nation this year before finishing the qualifying campaign with a dominating win over Felipe Rios. After beating Catanzariti in round 1 of the main draw, Kwiatkowski showed his true potential. He defeated Winston Lin and Austin Smith, both of whom were top 15 players in the country last year. Thai-Son showed solid mental strength in each match after he lost the 2nd set and the momentum in both before putting together rock solid 3rd sets. In the quarterfinals Kwiatkowski dominated the #1 seed in Tulsa and Baylor kingpin Julian Lenz in a match that shows just how good the Cavalier is going to be this year. His run came to an eventual end to red-hot Sebastian Stieflemeyer in 3 sets but nonetheless it was an immense week for Thai-Son Kwiatkowski and shows that he will be one of the nation’s top players this year and will be a big part of UVA’s attempt to recapture the national title.

Sebastian Stieflemeyer: Louisville. Senior from Vienna, Austria
Tulsa results
QR1: def Ace Matias, UNLV, 6-1 6-2
QR2: def Ricky Medinilla, Purdue, 6-0 0-6 7-6(3)
QR3: def Robert Kelly, North Carolina, 6-2 1-6 6-2
R1: def Bruno Semenzato, Duke, 4-6 6-2 6-0
R2: def Soren Hess-Olesen, Texas, 6-4 6-2
R3: def Samir Iftikhar, New Mexico, 6-1 7-6(1)
QF: def Dominic Koepfer, Tulane, 4-6 6-3 6-2
SF: def Thai-Son Kwiathowski, Virginia, 6-1 3-6 6-1
F: def Yannick Hanfmann, Southern Cal, 6-3 6-2

After the 10 day event, the many many matches and the players from around the country competing in Tulsa, an unlikely winner emerged. That unlikely winner was Sebastian Stieflemeyer, a senior from Austria for the Louisville Cardinals. Stieflemeyer has always been a solid #1 player for the Cardinals but never considered one of the nation’s elites. But that changed through a week of inspired play. His championship run almost ended in the qualifying draw after he barely survived a roller-coaster match with Purdue’s Ricky Medinilla. After the two traded bagel sets, Stieflemeyer outclassed the Mexican in the 3rd set tiebreak to keep his tournament alive. He then beat two ACC players in three sets each in order to get to a 2nd round showdown with Soren Hess-Olesen. Hess-Olesen was a big favorite coming in and a seemingly bad matchup for Stieflemeyer but the Louisville senior rolled through the Longhorn in two sets. Two fellow surprise players, Iftikhar and Koepfer, were Steiflemeyer’s next victims as he kept rolling into the semifinals. As previously mentioned, he knocked off the on-fire Kwiatkowski to set up a final with Southern Cal’s Yannick Hanfmann. Hanfmann, now a veteran, is one of the best players in the nation and arguably the one with the most ATP potential. He was expected to dismiss the upstart Stieflemeyer but the opposite occurred as Sebastian shockingly routined the USC Trojan to capture the title.

An overall amazing week that comes out of nowhere for Sebastian Stieflemeyer and it will be very interesting to see how he backs up this All-American championship.

2014 NCAA Tennis Kick-Off at Southern Inter-Collegiate Championships in Athens, GA

Posted by Admin on September 23, 2014
Posted in: NCAA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

2014 NCAA Tennis Kick-Off at Southern Inter-Collegiate Championships in Athens, GA

Jeff McMillan, Tennis East Coast

 

ncaa-tennis-logo

 

September 21, 2014–The 2014-2015 college tennis officially kicked off this past weekend in various fall individual tournaments. The dual (team vs team) season will begin in January, but in the fall, college tennis players compete in individual events that help their rankings and prepares their teams for the grueling season ahead. It is the only collegiate sport to have two full seasons (fall and spring).

The major tournament of the past weekend was the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Georgia at the University of Georgia’s Dan Magill tennis center, which is the premier college tennis facility in the country. Players from various schools around the south competed in 3 flights of singles with the Division 1 draw being the premier draw of this tournament.

There were many storylines during the weekend results. Freshman Aleks Vukic from Australia showed up in his collegiate debut representing the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Vukic knocked of hometown UGA senior star Nathan Pasha 1-6 6-2 7-5 in the round of 16 in a surprising result showing that Vukic will be a name to watch this season. Vukic eventually fell in the semis to Oklahoma Sooner sophomore Alexandru Ghilea of Romania. Ghilea had a very interesting year last year as a freshman at OU. He started the year with big expectations but found himself outside of the top 6 for most of the year. As the year wound down, however, OU started to struggle at the 5 and 6 positions, which was putting their national title chances on hold. Ghilea was inserted at 6 and it made an immediate impact for the Sooners. Ghilea knocked won a 7-6(5) 3rd set breaker vs Karue Sell of UCLA in the clincher that propelled Oklahoma to a big 4-3 upset of many people’s national title favorite UCLA in the final four. Ghilea looks like he has improved dramatically from last year based on his run this weekend to the final in Athens. A runner-up result for Alexandru Ghilea is a very impressive result for a player who played #6 last year. He will be an even bigger contributor to OU this season.

The biggest story of the weekend was Wayne Montgomery taking the title. Montgomery finally made his long- awaited collegiate debut this past weekend. Montgomery, a freshman from South Africa was actually supposed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs last year, but eligibility requirements prevented him from competing in the 2013-2014 season. But this year, Montgomery is ready to instantly become one of the top players in the NCAA. Entering as the 4 seed, Montgomery lost 9 games in total in his first 3 matches, rolling to the semifinals where he would face his first huge test as a college player.

Looming in the semis was top seed Axel Alvarez-Llamas of Oklahoma.

Alvarez-Llamas, the junior from Spain, was one of the top players in the country throughout the season last year. He eviscerated eventual NCAA champ Marcos Giron of UCLA in the NCAA team semifinals in two easy sets, showing what type of player he is. After dropping the first set 1-6, Montgomery came roaring back with the help of the home crowd to claim his first big scalp, knocking off Alvarez-Llamas 1-6 6-0 6-3. Montgomery won the championship by beating Ghilea 6-1 3-6 6-2 in the final and cementing himself as a top NCAA player.

This regional tournament (full draw here) served as a good primer for the upcoming college season. College tennis fans will have their appetites whet even more with the national individual event in Tulsa beginning in late September.

Defending Champ UVA Dominates USTA @TennisOnCampus Fall Invitational Day 1

Posted by Admin on October 20, 2012
Posted in: USTA, Virginia. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Defending Champ UVA Dominates USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational

Cavaliers Post Convincing Wins Over Kentucky, UNC-Charlotte

and Macon State To Win Pool 1 and Advance to Gold Bracket On Saturday

HILTON HEAD, S.C, Oct. 19, 2012 – Shortly after noon on a sun-splashed, gorgeous first day of the USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational, Clemson University team captain Tom Orban gathered his team for a final word of encouragement before it headed out to face College of Charleston.

“OK, guys, what’s the No. 1 rule out there today?” Orban asked.

“Foot work!” screamed Tigers player Olivia Elswick, sure she’d answered correctly.

“No, just HAVE FUN!” Orban screamed back as he sent his pumped up “A” team out for a 24-18 victory on Friday in the kick-off event for the USTA Tennis on Campus season.

Having the finest foot work was all good and well on this day, and there was a lot of it, but having fun was definitely the theme as 32 teams from 26 universities converged on the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center competing for a shot a two automatic qualifying bids into the TOC National Championships to be played in Surprise, Ariz., next April.

Ohio State and Dayton TOC 2012

On Friday, the mood was festive, the weather incredible and some very competitive matches were played, including one pool which saw three of six matches decided by just one game.

One team even managed to pull off a nice mixed doubles chest bump after an exceptional point. Did that really just happen, tournament director Meghan Houk was asked? “This is USTA Tennis on Campus,” Houk smiled. “Anything can happen.”

Anything, indeed. The University of Alabama showed its school spirit by arriving to their 8 a.m. match in matching white robes taken from the host Marriott Resort Hotel. The robes were all returned unscathed and never missed.

“We did it to psyche out our opponent,” said Alabama captain Joe Chow. “Hey, it seemed to work. We beat Ohio University by one game (26-25). We’ll do it again tomorrow. As long as it’s working.”

Virginia beat Macon State (28-9), Kentucky (30-12) and UNC-Charlotte (30-6) to win Pool 1 and advance to Saturday’s Gold Bracket. The other three teams to win their pool and go undefeated on Friday were the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Georgia Tech and Central Florida. The remaining four pools will finish up pool play at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. The top two teams advance to the Gold Bracket with the third place team sent to the Silver Bracket and the fourth place team the Bronze Bracket.

Central Florida’s “A” team won three big matches to advance to the Gold Bracket on Saturday during the USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational

“It was a really good team effort today,” said Virginia captain Derek Gale. “Everybody seemed to be able to step up well in the big moments against some good competition. It’s a different team dynamic this year as we were able to bring a larger squad, but the added depth should really help as the weekend progresses.

“Obviously there is some pressure coming back as a defending champ but eight of our 10 have never played the tournament before and seem just as hungry for another UVA win as we have been in the past. ”

Faby Chaillo

One of Gale’s new players, freshman Faby Chaillo of Vienna, Va., played the match of the day in singles, beating Kentucky’s Sara Federschmidt, 6-4, after being inserted into the lineup (per World Team Tennis rules) down 0-2.

“I just tried to be offensive and stay in every point,” the 18-year-old Chaillo said. “I came in down 0-2 but just I had to keep coming in and pressuring my opponent. There is pressure on us since we won it all last year. We can feel it.”

Federschmidt was playing in just her second Tennis On Campus match and had never had a player inserted mid-set. “It’s OK. I’m up for the challenge,” she said. “Sure, it’s different to face someone else after you kind of have a rhythm. But that’s what makes this format unique.”

Georgia captain Scott Slezak would probably admit he’d never imagine former Bulldog and current world-ranked No. 11 John Isner arriving to a collegiate match against USC in a robe. But that’s OK. He encapsulated what USTA Tennis on Campus is all about.

“I can tell you that no team has more fun than UGA,” Slezak said. “We stay positive, loud and proud. We’ve got some new players on the roster this year who are really solid and will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.”

—S. Pratt

ABOUT USTA TENNIS ON CAMPUS: The USTA TOC program features more than 35,000 college students competing nationwide in intramural coed club play. Developed by the USTA in partnership with the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association, World Team Tennis and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association  the program gives college students the opportunity to build leadership skills, network in a coed sports environment and compete on a college team without the rigors of playing in a varsity program. With year-round match play, and sectional and national championship competition, students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years. Since its inception in 2000, Tennis On Campus has grown significantly and today has programs on more than 600 college campuses across the country.

Friday’s Pool Play Results

A: A team; B: B team

Pool 1

Virginia def. Macon State, 28-9

Kentucky def. UNC-Charlotte, 28-10

Virginia def. Kentucky, 28-10

UNC-Charlotte (A) def. Macon State, 21-17

Virginia def. UNC-Charlotte (A), 30-6

Kentucky def. Macon State, 29-12

Note: Virginia wins the pool with a 3-0 record and advances to the Gold Bracket, as does Kentucky in 2nd place at 2-1; UNC-Charlotte goes takes 3rd and goes to the Silver Bracket with a 1-2 record and Macon State goes to the Bronze Bracket (0-3).

Pool 2

Georgia def. Central Florida (B), 26-20

UNC-Greensboro def. Cincinnati, 21-20

UNC-Greensboro def. Georgia, 24-23

Cincinnati def. Central Florida (B), 25-24

Cincinnati def. Georgia, 29-13

UNC-Greensboro def. Central Florida, 24-13

Note: UNC-Greensboro advances to the Gold Bracket with a 3-0 record, ad does Cincinnati (2-1); Georgia (1-2) goes to the Silver Bracket and 0-3 Central Florida (B) to the Bronze Bracket.

Pool 3

Colorado School of Mines (A) def. Clemson (B), 30-8

Ohio State def. Tennessee, 25-17

Colorado School of Mines (A) def. Ohio State, 26-15

Tennessee def. Clemson (B), 30-6

Note: Final round of pool play is Saturday at 8 a.m.

Pool 4

Minnesota def. College of Charleston (B), 27-15

Clemson (A) def. Ferris State (A), 23-20

Minnesota def. Ferris State (A), 27-20

Clemson (A) def. College of Charleston (B), 24-18

Note: Final round of pool play is Saturday at 8 a.m.

Pool 5

Duke def. UNC-Charlotte (B), 30-12

Old Dominion def. East Tennessee State, 20-17

Duke def. East Tennessee State, 30-3

Old Dominion def. UNC-Charlotte (B), 26-19

Note: Final round of pool play is Saturday at 8 a.m.

Pool 6

North Carolina State def. Vanderbilt, 30-15

Dayton def. College of Charleston (B), 23-20

College of Charleston (A) def. North Carolina State, 27-21

Dayton def. Vanderbilt, 22-21

Note: Final round of pool play is Saturday at 8 a.m.

Pool 7

Georgia Tech def. Colorado School of Mines (B), 30-11

Alabama def. Ohio University, 26-25

Georgia Tech def. Ohio University, 25-10

Alabama def. Colorado School of Mines (B), 30-8

Georgia Tech def. Alabama, 26-11

Ohio University def. Colorado School of Mines (B), 29-17

Note: Georgia Tech goes 3-0 to advance to the Gold Bracket, as does Alabama (2-1); Ohio University (1-2) goes to the Silver Bracket and 0-3 Colorado School of Mines (B) to the Bronze Bracket.

Pool 8

Central Florida (A) def. Ferris State (B), 30-3

Auburn def. Elon, 30-12

Central Florida (A) def. Elon, 30-7

Auburn def. Ferris State (B), 30-9

Central Florida (A) def. Auburn, 24-10

Elon def. Ferris State (B) 30-10

Note: Central Florida goes 3-0 to advance to the Gold Bracket, as does 2-1 Auburn; Elon (1-2) goes to the Silver Bracket and Ferris State (B) goes to the Bronze Bracket.

Saturday’s Schedule

All matches being played at the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center

8 a.m. – Final Round of Pool Play

10 a.m. – Gold Bracket Play

Noon – Silver & Bronze Bracket Play

2 p.m. – Gold Bracket Play

4 p.m. –Silver & Bronze Bracket Play

Sunday’s Schedule

8 a.m. – Gold & Silver Bracket Playoffs

10 a.m. – Gold, Silver & Bronze Bracket Playoffs

10 a.m. – TOC National Fall Invitational Gold Bracket Championship Match

Past USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational Champions

2010 – University of Alabama

2011– University of Virginia

NCAA Champion Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) Faces Big US Open Warm Up vs. Petra Kvitova Tonight

Posted by Admin on August 22, 2012
Posted in: New Haven Open, New York, US Open, USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment


NCAA Champion Nicole Gibbs already has a wild card to the main draw at Flushing Meadows next week, thanks to her stellar season at Stanford. The best way to warm up for a Slam is to win in a WTA main draw. She did just that on Monday against Alexa Glatch. As a result of that debut main draw win, she’s earned the right to face 2011 Wimbledon Champion and world #5 Petra Kvitova tonight under the lights of Stadium Court at New Haven for a place in the quarterfinals.

I spoke with her on Monday about the Open, the NCAA rule change proposals, her decision to stay in school and what keeps her motivated. I’d tell you what she said, but you’ll have to watch the video as I am horribly late for the ITF matches in College Park, Maryland this morning. Let’s just say that the NCAA protest movement has found its new leader!