Men’s Selections | Women’s Selections
TEMPE, Ariz. (Nov. 1) – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) today announced the initial list of qualifiers, at-large selections and wild cards for the 2019 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships that open Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Newport Beach Tennis Club and The Tennis Club at Newport Beach in Newport Beach, Calif.
The Oracle ITA National Fall Championships features 128 of the nation’s top collegiate singles players (64 men and 64 women) and 64 doubles teams (32 men’s team and 32 women’s teams). In its third year, having replaced the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, it is the lone event on the collegiate tennis calendar to feature competitors from all five divisions playing in the same tournament.
A total of 40 men and 40 women earn automatic qualification into the singles draw based on their performance in a series of prior fall events (Oracle ITA Masters, Milwaukee Tennis Classic, ITA All-Americans, ITA Cup, and ITA Regionals). Additionally, one Oracle Wild Card, two ITA Wild Cards and 21 at-large selections per gender receive an entry into the championships. The doubles championships provide 19 automatic qualifiers per gender, with one Oracle Wild Card, two ITA Wild Cards and 10 at-large selections completing the field. (See selection criteria.)
USC leads the men’s singles draw with four selections (Mor Bulis, Daniel Cukierman, Stefan Dostanic, and Riley), while Ohio State, Texas and Texas A&M each have three individuals expected to compete. Baylor, Iowa and Oklahoma State pace all schools with two doubles teams.
North Carolina tops all schools with four players (Sara Daavettila, Alexa Graham, Cameron Mora, and Alle Sanford) in the women’s singles draw, followed by California, Duke, NC State, Oklahoma State, UCF and UCLA with three individuals. The Bruins lead the doubles draw with three teams, while NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and UCF each have two teams.
Four of the top 10-ranked individuals in the Oracle ITA Division I Preseason National Rankings are in the men’s singles draw, including No.2 Christian Sigsgaard (Texas), No. 4 Yuya Ito (Texas), No. 8 Cukierman (USC) and No. 9 Jack Lin (Columbia). Ito and Cukierman qualified for the Fall National Championships after capturing the ITA All-American Championships and Oracle ITA Masters Championships, respectively.
The men’s singles draw also includes ITA Cup Champions Alejandro Ibanez Gallego (Barry University; NCAA DII), Jose Dugo (Georgia Gwinnett College; NAIA) and Oscar Gabriel Ortiz (Seward County Community College; Junior College).
Seven of the top 10-ranked individuals in the Oracle ITA Division I Preseason National Rankings are in the women’s singles draw, including No.2 Estela Perez-Somarriba (Miami, Fla.), No. 4 Alexa Graham (North Carolina), No. 5 Kelly Chen (Duke), No. 6 Michaela Gordon (Stanford), No. 7 Sara Daavettila (North Carolina), No. 8 Anna Rogers (NC State) and No. 9 Jada Hart (UCLA).
The women’s singles draw also includes ITA Cup Champions Tatiana Simova (ASA Miami; Junior College), Elyse Lavender (Brenau; NAIA), Justine Leong (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; NCAA DIII) and Berta Bonardi (West Florida; NCAA DII).
The second-ranked Texas Tech duo of Parker Wynn/Bjorn Thomson is the highest-ranked men’s doubles team, while the top-ranked tandem of Anna Rogers/Alana Smith highlights the women’s doubles field.
For the most up-to-date information on the Oracle ITA National Championships, visit the official tournament page. Draws are scheduled to be announced on Monday, November 4th.
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 us on Twitter and Instagram.
