TEMPE, Ariz. (October 2) – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced today (Oct. 2) that the men’s and women’s singles finals of the Saint Francis Health System ITA All-American Championships will air live in prime time on ESPNU.
The Saint Francis Health System ITA All-American Championships, which features the country’s top NCAA Division I players, opens Oct. 5 with pre-qualifying draws and concludes with the singles main draw and doubles finals Oct. 13 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the University of Tulsa campus in Tulsa, Okla.
The women’s singles final will air live on ESPNU beginning at 6 p.m. (CT) followed by the men’s final at 8 p.m. (CT) on Championship Sunday. The live airing of the finals marks another milestone for the ITA and college tennis as the ITA All-American Championships will air live on broadcast television for the first time.
The All-American Championships is one of three ITA-hosted tournaments to have its singles finals air live on the ESPN family of networks. ESPN3 aired the Oracle ITA Masters championships on Sept. 29 and will broadcast the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships finals on Nov. 10.
Among those selected to play and currently in the All-American Championships men’s main draw is six of the top 10 players in the Oracle ITA Preseason National Rankings. Christian Sigsgaard (Texas; No. 2) boasts the highest ranking and is followed by Oliver Crawford (Florida; No. 3), Yuya Ito, (Texas; No. 4), Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois; No. 6), Jack Lin (Columbia; No. 9) and Sam Riffice (Florida; No. 10).
Selections and those currently in the women’s main draw include nine of the top 10 players in the Oracle ITA Preseason National Rankings. The list includes top-ranked Katarina Jokic (Georgia), Estela Perez-Somarriba (Miami, Fla.; No. 2), Makenna Jones (North Carolina; No. 3), Alexa Graham (North Carolina; No. 4); Kelly Chen (Duke; No. 5), Sara Daavettila (North Carolina; No. 7); Anna Rogers (NC State; No. 8), Jada Hart (UCLA; No. 9) and Kenya Jones (Georgia Tech; No. 10).
Pepperdine’s Ashley Lahey, who captured the Oracle ITA Masters last weekend and is ranked No. 14, has also been selected to compete in the main draw.
Draws for the pre-qualifying rounds will be available on Friday (Oct. 4) with play beginning Saturday (Oct. 5) at the University of Tulsa and LaFortune Tennis Center.
The men’s and women’s singles quarterfinalists, consolation finalists, plus the doubles semifinalists and consolation finalists for each gender will earn automatic entry into the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships slated for Nov. 6-10 in Newport Beach, 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.
