In the heart of downtown Atlanta, many current and former stars of college tennis have converged for the 2022 Atlanta Open, which for most will serve as one of the final pit stops before the US Open in late August. 

As an ATP250 event, the Atlanta Open has long had ties to college tennis, as former Georgia Bulldog great, John Isner, has won the Singles Title six times over the Open’s eleven-year history.   

In 2022, over 30 percent of the Atlanta Open Singles Draw has collegiate ties, including two players (Ben Shelton and Andres Martin) who are both still amateur players getting their first taste of ATP Tour action this week. 

Featuring a college showcase night, which highlights all of the rich local and nationwide talent that comes from the collegiate level, the Atlanta Open makes a special effort to elevate the sport of college tennis by giving players like Shelton (Florida), Martin (Georgia Tech), Andrei Duarte (Georgia State), and Alvaro Regalado (Columbus State) a platform to shine when the lights are the brightest.  

Not taking the moment for granted, Shelton would take down Ramkumar Ramanathan for his first ATP Tour win in the Singles Draw on Monday, while in the upset of the Atlanta Open to this point, Martin would make quick work of ATP Top-100 player Thanasi Kokkinakis for his first ATP Tour win as well. 

Across all of the collegiate alum in the Singles Draw at the Atlanta Open, four players picked up first-round victories while Steve Johnson (USC) and Isner (Georgia) received first-round byes for being the top seeds within the Open. 

Play will continue from Atlanta, Georgia through Sunday, July 31st when both the Singles and Doubles Champion will be crowned. Fans can keep up with updates by following the Atlanta Open on Twitter, or following along with updates from the ITA on Twitter.

Atlanta Open Collegiate Singles Players
Player SchoolATP Ranking
Steve JohnsonUSC91
Marcos GironUCLA55
Dominik KoepferTulane141
Andres MartinGeorgia Tech736
Brandon NakashimaVirginia56
Jenson BrooksbyBaylor43
Mackenzie McDonaldUCLA51
Ben SheltonFlorida281
John IsnerGeorgia25
Atlanta Open Collegiate Doubles Players
PlayerSchoolATP Ranking
Austin KrajicekTexas A&M17
Christopher EubanksGeorgia Tech425
Mackenzie McDonaldUCLA210
John PeersBaylor/MTSU13
Andrei DuarteGeorgia StateN/A
Alvaro RegaladoColumbus StateN/A
Steve JohnsonUSC41
Hans Hach VerdugoACU82
Rajeev RamIllinois2
Gonzalo EscobarTexas Tech45
Hunter ReeseTennessee84
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