Men’s Preseason Rankings | Women’s Preseason Rankings
TEMPE, Ariz. (September 17) – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced on Tuesday the 2019-20 Oracle ITA Division I preseason national rankings.
University of Georgia junior All-American and 2019 NCAA runner-up Katarina Jokic topped the women’s rankings while University of Virginia senior All-American Carl Soderlund begins the year as the No. 1-ranked men’s player.
Joining Jokic in the top five are 2019 NCAA singles champion and University of Miami (Fla.) senior Estela Perez-Somarriba, University of North Carolina teammates Makenna Jones and Alexa Graham and Duke junior Kelly Chen. Jokic and Perez-Somarriba finished one and two in last year’s final rankings, while Jones ended the season ranked No. 5.
North Carolina, which advanced to the NCAA Championships semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Stanford, led all schools with three players ranked in the top 10. Senior Sara Daavettila is the third Tar Heel in the top 10 after earning a No. 7 ranking.
Soderlund garnered the top spot in the men’s ranking after concluding his junior campaign ranked No. 5 in the Oracle ITA final national rankings. In addition to earning All-American honors, the Cavaliers’ standout was tabbed ACC Player of the Year and earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Singles Championships.
University of Texas senior Christian Sigsgaard, who helped the Longhorns capture their first NCAA championship last spring, is ranked second and followed by Oliver Crawford (Florida), Yuya Ito (Texas) and Brandon Holt (USC). Texas and USC each have two players in the top 10 as Trojan junior Daniel Cukierman is ranked No. 8.
Cukierman is one of seven Top 25 men’s players who will compete in the Oracle ITA Masters that opens Sept. 26 in Malibu. Joining Cukierman in the field are Jack Lin (Columbia; No. 9), Carlos Aguilar (Texas A&M; No. 13), Matias Soto (Baylor; No. 14), Hady Habib (Texas A&M; No. 16), Keegan Smith (UCLA; No. 20) and Alex Brown (Illinois; No. 23).
The tournament will also feature six top 25 women’s players including Jokic (No. 1), Graham (No. 4), Jada Hart (UCLA; No. 9), Ashley Lahey (Pepperdine; No. 14), Anna Turati (Texas; No. 17) and Asuka Kawaii (Illinois; No. 20).
The Oracle ITA Masters is scheduled for Sept. 26-29 at the Malibu Racquet Club and Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.
About the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is committed to serving college tennis and returning the leaders of tomorrow. As the governing body of college tennis, the ITA oversees men’s and women’s varsity tennis at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College divisions. The ITA administers a comprehensive awards and rankings program for men’s and women’s varsity players, coaches and teams in all divisions, providing recognition for their accomplishments on and off the court. For more information on the ITA, visit the ITA website at www.itatennis.com, like the ITA on Facebook or follow @ITA_Tennis on Twitter and Instagram.
