US College Signings 2019 (and general college chat)

Oakland2002 · All-time great

US College Signings 2019 (and general college chat)

Oakland2002 · All-time great

The University of South Carolinas emergence as an elite tennis programme continues to evolve. They will play an intercollegiate match both mens and womens teams against USC at the Australian Open! A great opportunity for Paul and Megan and a clever way of raising the profile of intercollegiate tennis in Australia. No coincidence perhaps with the change in structure of the professional game at futures level.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

There is a new US Collegiate tournament for the best US collegiate players this weekend at the Collegiate Center in Orlando, Florida.
The champion earns a spot in the main draw of a 2019 $60K tournament. Along with wild cards, players will also compete for a guaranteed spot on the 2019 Collegiate National Team. A member of the squad receives grant money to travel to professional tournaments and coaching from USTA Player Development staff. The British squad lost out last year but beat them in 2017. I dont know what support they get apart from coaching and accomofation around the international event and perhaps a tracksuit. With some very good players in the power conferences and one or two strong players in the U.K. British tennis has to give a similar approach some thought.

Michael D · All-time great

Article posted by Steven to say that the US college tennis system currently doesn't know how it fits within the new ITF structure.... a major omission as has already been stated by several here.

www.tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp

Oakland2002 · All-time great

To be fair college tennis with its 120 plus div 1 schools and squads of 10-12 players of either sex isnt that relevant to professional tennis. For top 50 ITF juniors the road may actually be a bit smoother and the likes of Cam were on the cusp of the top 10.

Axel Geller playing no 2 at Stanford is a bit of a red herring, Tom Fawcett occupied the no 1 slot initially on seniority (ie an alpha male type senior who had played and done well in a lot of local ITFs) and didnt do anything wrong to get knocked off it, he will never come close to the career I think Axel will have. For Axel playing in the no 2 slot impacted his rank which is dependent on the ranking of the players your beating so in reality his ITA rank was a false rank limited by opportunity. 18-7 is still pretty tasty in arguably the strongest college conference. He also beat Sebastian Koda to win in Edwardsville in August.

As hinted at the bottom of the article it will drive the standard of college tennis up, arguably we may then see more pros making it after college. So pleased the ITF gave UTR powered by Oracle the finger as a ranking system.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 18th of January 2019 04:04:53 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I like Luke H, GB's answer to Opelka, Isner and all other ridiculously tall players

twitter.com/CowboyTennis

"Sophomore Luke Hammond (@nanaamdpapa) enters the spring season with 22 career singles wins... And he has his sights set on matching, and passing, some recent Cowboy greats in singles wins across their first two years as a Cowboy."

Elegant Point · Satellite level

ITA pre-season D1 rankings are out, Wake Forest at no 1.

www.itatennis.com/ITA/Results_Rankings/2018-2019%20Rankings/201819DIMen/DI_Men_s_National_Team_Rankings_-_Jan._9__2019.aspx

Also link to ITA results/rankings for all of the divisions (which actually seems to work)

www.r2sports.com/system/rankings/ITArankings.asp

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Congrats to Danielle Collins, 2-time NCAA singles champ, and American former collegiate women's player, who's made the semis at the Aussie Grand Slam (and counting......)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

From Iowa Men's Tennis:

.@WillDavies21 does it again #Hawkeyes win the dual, will finish out Allaf/Larsens matches in the third set.

twitter.com/i/status/1089615616435240965

Will, Oliver Okowkwo and Joe Tyler all doing well here:

pbs.twimg.com/media/Dx8PQ-dU0AUHS6e.jpg

Oakland2002 · All-time great

ITA kick off weekend has just finished.

Emily Arb playing No 4 for Stanford won her two singles matches over the weekend, clinching team victory against PAC 12 rival Washington State and first off against St Marys from across the bay. Stanford qualify for the ITA indoor as do LSU who beat SEC rivals Tennessee 4-1. Eden Richardson lost her doubles and didnt get to win her singles at the No 1 slot but was 5-4 up in the final set when it all finished.

Three British girls in action from or Texas Tech, Nell Miller playing No2, Lana Rush No5 and Olivia Peet at No6 as they beat Wyoming 4-0, Nell won her doubles all the girls wet a set to the good when the matches finished. Olivia was 5-2 down the others close to winning in 2.

Lauryn John Baptiste had a mixed weekend as ASU went down to both Wake Forest and Cal winning her doubles against Cal (shes #8) but having to pull out of the singles due to injury.

Michael D · All-time great

Excuse my ignorance here Oakland, but why are all these matches ending uncompleted? It sounds very unlike US sport which always needs a winner... Is this because there is a regulated time for the event, or because once 4 matches are won that's it, or how does it work?

Oakland2002 · All-time great

You got it! Once a team has got the 4 points everyone walks off, the match is done. 1 point for winning the doubles match ups and then 6 singles. 7 points total to play for. The paradox being the number 1s where there is a miss match often dont finish their matches as the difference in teams is usually depth.

Having a top 30 ITF junior playing at no 4 is the way to win the NCAA team tournament although if you are that good playing the no 4 slot, generally you will be winning in 2. Perhaps better playing for a weaker team? but then if you are no 1 on the all academic PAC 12 team and at Stanford arguably its worth taking the hit to be challenged in other ways.

Michael D · All-time great

Thanks, that's explains it, even if it seems a bit weird. So it is all about the team winning then, and never mind the individuals... but considering that they really like their stats in US sport, how does that sit on Eden's record then, as an example? I mean, does she get given a win, because she was ahead, or is it scored as an incomplete match, in which case a lot of players must have many incomplete matches, which on a record seems really strange... Just having a quick look at Eden's LSU 2017-18 record now, where she is said to have a 28-6 overall singles record, so it doesn't seem that incomplete matches are acknowledged, but are they just discounted, or scored whether you are ahead or behind? The walk off still seems very strange to me... confuse

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Its not from a supporters perspective, when its close ie the teams well matched the match builds to quite a climax generally you start watching the best players but as things evolve the support begins to move between courts with the players who have won or lost their games moving on to support their team mates in the one that matters. A very different spectacle to going to a singles or doubles tournament particularly if you can go to a conference tournament and watch the teams progress, with the seeded teams coming in later.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Monday 28th of January 2019 06:11:18 PM

Elegant Point · Satellite level

A number of Brits were on court at the weekend as Memphis took on #1 Wake Forrest (1-4)

Fresher Oscar Cutting moved up from #6 to play at #5 singles (team member injured) and had the only Memphis win against Wake Forests Siddhant Banthia 6-4, 6-2. Several of the singles matches including Matt Storey were unfinished

gotigersgo.com/boxscore.aspx