The past weekend marked the start of the 2021 ITA Tour: Summer Circuit by UTR. Players were eager to return to the courts – as evident by the registration numbers. The nine Week One tournaments offered an opportunity for juniors, collegiate student-athletes and pros alike to sharpen their skills.
We’ve crunched the numbers and have everything you need to know.
9 Tournaments Played
The opening weekend of the 2021 ITA Summer Circuit by UTR featured nine different tournaments. The events spanned the country from Maryland to Nebraska to California. The Summer Circuit tournaments marked a return to normalcy as many of the sites offered both singles and doubles play.
198 Different Colleges and Universities Represented
As the pandemic continues to subside, there was a sharp increase in the number of colleges and universities represented in the first week of the ITA Summer Circuit. A total of 198 different institutions had collegiate players competing in Summer Circuit tournaments this weekend.
The Division I schools had, by far, the largest representation. There were 101 DI schools that had student-athletes who participated in tournaments this weekend. Division I had 48 more institutions represented than next division. Checking in next with 53 schools is Division III. Rounding out the NCAA divisions, Division II had 24 schools represented. NAIA and Junior College followed suit and had 14 and six schools represented, respectively.
782 Total Players Competed
The first week of the ITA Summer Circuit saw 782 players compete in singles and doubles competition across the country. Players included top-level juniors, collegiate student-athletes, professionals, and adults.
316 College Players Competed
In total, 316 collegiate student-athletes competed in the first week of the Summer Circuit. Out of the 316, 161 were a part of men’s programs and 155 were part of women’s programs.
Collegiate Players Made Up 40.5% of All Players
Despite being open to all players, college student-athletes made up 40.5% of the players. The collegiate players brought their competitive experience and skill to the Summer Circuit to ensure that the tournaments remain a valuable experience for all competitors.
Collegiate Players Took Home 66.6% of the Main Draw Singles Titles
The collegiate players did not just show up to play. They went to the Summer Circuit tournaments to win. Collegiate players claimed 66.6% of the main draw singles titles for both men and women.
12.69 | Men’s Top UTR Player
Michigan rising sophomore Jacob Bickersteth finished with the top UTR for all men’s players in the first week of the Summer Circuit. In addition to holding the highest UTR, Bickersteth walked away with the men’s singles title at the Evanston, Illinois Summer Circuit event. He won all of his matches in straight sets. His quarterfinal match against five-star Mert Oral was the closest match he played. It was decided with a second-set tiebreak. In the finals, Bickersteth matched up against blue chip recruit Alex Cairo. Bickersteth blanked Cairo in the first set and continued to roll to victory with a 6-4 second set. This is the second ITA Tour tournament win for Bickersteth.
10.60 | Women’s Top UTR Player
Purdue rising junior Csilla Fodor held the top UTR for all women who competed in Week One of the Summer Circuit. Fodor competed at the Evanston, Illinois tournament and fell just short of winning the singles event. However, Fodor paired with incoming Purdue freshman Snells to clinch the doubles title. In singles play, Fodor downed blue chip recruit Ann Guerry and Utah’s Anastasia Goncharova before falling in the semifinals to eventual champion Katie Codd.
Catch up on the rest of the results from Week One of the Summer Circuit!
