Capturing Pro Titles

American collegiate players had a memorable run through the NCAA Tournament in May, with Michigan’s Brienne Minor (Mundelein, Ill.) and Virginia’s Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) winning singles titles.

Now as these student-athletes tackle the USTA Pro Circuit this summer, they have already started experiencing incredible success, with three members of the 2017 USTA Collegiate National Team captured titles on June 18.

At the Sumter $25K, Pepperdine freshman Ashley Lahey (pictured - Hawthorne, Calif.) edged Ohio State sophomore Francesca Di Lorenzo (New Albany, Ohio), 6-3, 7-6(4), for the crown. 

The men, meanwhile, rolled in New York and North Carolina. After dropping the first set in the finals against Japan’s Naoki Nakagawa, TCU sophomore Alex Rybakov (Coral Springs, Fla.) battled back for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 decision to hoist the Buffalo $15K crown. In the Winston-Salem $25K title match, Georgia Tech junior Chris Eubanks faced a fellow Yellow Jacket in Kevin King, who last played for GT in 2011-12. It proved to be one for the ages as Eubanks slipped past King, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(6).

In Europe, Virginia senior J.C. Aragone reached the finals of the Martos $15K, beating three higher-ranked players along the way.  

The 2017 USTA Collegiate National Team is being led by a very talented group of coaches. The men’s roster features Devin Britton (Mississippi), Andrew Goodwin (Michigan), Scoville Jenkins (Wisconsin), Robert Kendrick (Winter Park, Fla., Racquet Club), Adam Schaechterle (Notre Dame), Jonathan Stokke (Duke) and Michael Woodson (Baylor).

The Women’s National Team coaches include Kelcy McKenna (Wisconsin), Courtney Nagle (North Carolina), Caroline Price (Charlotte) and Lauren Spencer (Auburn), while strength coaches Mike DeMaria and Vanessa Fernandez-Torres are working with all of the players throughout the summer.