Just reflecting on an excellent performance in the NCAA tournament of which Emily was a major component. When you look at the team of the tournament the only two players to miss out ie. not Stanford are their two most highly ranked junior players ie Micheal Gordon and Emily. The remainder were strong US juniors we would not have heard of probably because they were working very hard academically to get in. Duke is also academically very selective but I think Ema probably finds herself in a similar position in a very strong programme there. Lets hope for s couple of Brits in next years final!

Well done Emily and her team - National Champions!!

Just something I posted in the Osprey 25k thread that sits well here.

Emily Appleton allegedly turned down a place at Vanderbilt who reached the finals of the NCAA College team tennis tournament. I just wonder where she would sit in that team ie. the position she would have played. I think she would have probably settled in the no 4 slot and possibly played Emily Arbuthnot who has had a very good 2nd season in college tennis. She is likely to win plenty of trophies but realistically I dont think will ever play in the no 1 slot for Stanford and although hypothetical Emily App would have found herself in a similar position in a very competitive programme.

Although they lost, their no 1. Astra Sharma was selected as the best no 1 in the whole tournament she was part of the championship winning team in 2015 and ranked 397 WTA. She played doubles in the AO at the beginning of the year and although ranked slightly lower in doubles beat the no 3 pair our Emily Arbuthnot and the freshman and ex top US junior Micheala Gordon (JCH 21, ITF CH 478 ). She beat Michela in the no 1 singles match over 3 sets, a 25K standard match up?.

Over the last year she has played AO doubles, Hobart QWC, 2 60Ks 8 25Ks (1 Final) 5 15Ks (winning 3, a SF and a QF). Astra has been at college for 5 years ie. redshirted her freshman year but it has been a very positive experience and she will base herself there (in Nashville) ie. probably maintaining college links as she attempts to make the LTA.

With the changes due in terms of a reduction in the number of players with WTA ranking and as I understand it 15Ks disappearing I can see US college Tennis becoming more attractive and there being a real bump up in the quality of players playing on the back courts in the power conferences ie at nos 4, 5 and 6 in the power conferences ie. PAC 12, SEC, ACC, with Big 10 and Big 12. If you are really dominating as a sophmore or junior (as Cam did) there is the option to drop out early, generally players would be at a level where they would dominate 15 k fields and be very competitive at 25k.

__________________

An article from the New York Times on college tennis / new structure in professional tennis

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/sports/tennis/ncaa-tournament-itf-transition-tour.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsports&action=click&contentCollection=sports&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

You get taken to an ad page and have to press the CONTINUE TO NEW YORK TIMES button - can't work out a way of getting round it......

-- Edited by The Optimist on Thursday 24th of May 2018 11:41:56 AM

The Optimist wrote:

---

An article from the New York Times on college tennis / new structure in professional tennis

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/sports/tennis/ncaa-tournament-itf-transition-tour.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsports&action=click&contentCollection=sports&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

You get taken to an ad page and have to press the CONTINUE TO NEW YORK TIMES button - can't work out a way of getting round it......

-- Edited by The Optimist on Thursday 24th of May 2018 11:41:56 AM

---

Thanks for that an interesting perspective. I can see the top programmes hosting tournaments to generate wildcards for their players. 

NCAA mens

Congratulations go to Ryan Peniston who also gets all American status making the round of 16.

Henry Pattern fell just short in the round of 32

The same fate befell South Carolina freshman Paul Jubb losing to Danish Davis cup Player Torpegaard. What a great start to your college career

Virginias Aswin Lizen lost in the first round.

All done in the NCAA singles. Emily Arbuthnot lost in the round of sixteen to the Australian and Vanderbilts no 1 Astra Sharma. 6-2 6-4

She has probable had the best season of our girls in college tennis this year although Eden Richardson and Lauryn John-Baptiste both started their college careers as Freshman playing in the no 1 slots at two great athletic colleges in power conferences ie. LSU and Arizona State with a bang.

Emily at the start of the tournament was ranked No. 43 nationally.
Record for the season 29-9 overall, 17-3 duals (team play) tied for the most victories at Stanford this year.
With an 11-2 record at the No. 4 spot... to get an NCAA singles birth from that slot is impressive and reflects her success in the autumn.
An All-Pac-12 honorable mention pick.
team-best eight clinching points.
12-2 record in three-setters
12-6 against nationally-ranked foes.
NCAA team champion
All American

NCAA Doubles are definitely not done and we will definitely have a semi-finalist

Quarterfinals

No. 29 Eden Richardson/Jessica Golovin (LSU) vs. No. 12 Lauryn Jean-Baptiste/Ilze Hattingh (ASU) at TBA

Lauryn and Eden are also all American (doubles). Lauryn only lost one doubles tie in the PAC 12 and is still going strong in the NCAA doubles tournament. She was also selected to the all PAC 12 second team. Eden is in my opinion in the toughest conference but to quote the LSU website

Richardson concluded one of the most dominant freshman singles campaigns in program history with a 28-6 overall singles record with four wins over ranked opponents

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Saturday 26th of May 2018 06:01:28 AM