by Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
The NCAA singles championships used to have two benchmark rounds that players targeted. Now there are three.
When singles draws were made in the past at the NCAA Tennis Championships, many players, coaches and observers would focus on reaching the round of 16 by winning two singles matches, which would earn a player All-American status. The other target was, of course, winning the title outright, which also, in the past, earned an automatic wild card entry into the U.S. Open, but is now generally only given to American winners of the event by the U.S. Tennis Association.
Now, with the men’s singles tournament, players will also focus on reaching the quarterfinals as that will now qualify a player for special exemption entries in the ATP Challenger level tournaments, which will give them valuable opportunities to gain a foothold in professional tennis.
The ATP Tour and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced a collaboration whereas ATP Challenger Tour special exempt spots will be awarded to the highest-ranked and achieving collegiate male players. Opportunities to gain entry into Challenger events – in the qualifying rounds or main draw – to the top 20 ranked players in the season-end ITA men’s singles rankings and the quarterfinalists at the NCAA singles championships.
Officially clinching spots with victories in round of 16 matches at the 2023 NCAA championships at the USTA National Campus were
Eliot Spizzirri (University of Texas, USA – Greenwich, CT, No ATP Ranking)
Ondrej Styler (University of Michigan, Czech Republic, No ATP Ranking)
Arthur Fery (Stanford, Great Britain – ATP 422)
Murphy Cassone (Arizona St., USA – Overland Park, Ks. – ATP 531)
Chris Rodesch (University of Virginia, Luxembourg, ATP 742)
Alex Bernard (Ohio State, USA, Naples, Florida – ATP 648)
Ethan Quinn (University of Georgia, USA, Fresno, Calif. – ATP 512)
Andrew Fenty (University of Michigan, USA, Washington, D.C. – No ATP Ranking)
Players ranked in the Top 20 of the ITA final singles rankings after the NCAA Championships, who have finished their education, will be granted up to eight (8) Accelerator Spots at ATP Challengers at the 50 and 75 level , with opportunities split between main draw (Top 10) and qualifying (11-20). Players who reach the quarterfinals or better at the NCAAS will also qualify for the Accelerator Programme if not already eligible via their ITA ranking. These opportunities will be available from 1 July each season, beginning in 2023, for a period of 12 months.
In addition, players who remain in education and qualify for the programme will receive six opportunities over six months (July–December), enabling them to benefit from the programme during their college off-season and parts of their individual fall season.
Providing further opportunity, eligible college players who achieve direct acceptance into Qualifying of ATP Challenger events via their ATP Ranking will be eligible for promotion into the main draw.
Said Andrea Gaudenzi, the ATP Chairman, in the official press release announcing the program, “Today’s aspiring players are the future lifeblood of our sport, and we must do everything we can to provide them opportunities to reach their potential. We’re thrilled to be opening new doors to the American college system, which has been a bedrock of talent in our game for decades.”
Said Tim Russell, ITA Chief Executive Officer in the press release, “College tennis is the connective tissue in the global tennis eco-system, an aspirational goal for junior tennis players around the world and a proven educational environment and competitive high performance arena in preparation for success in life, including as a career as a top professional tennis player. As an innovative leader in the world of American intercollegiate athletics, the ITA is honored to partner with the ATP in providing this new coordinated and motivational pathway to talented and dedicated college players.”
