TEMPE, Ariz. (April 12) – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced the future host sites for its premier regular-season championship series, the DI Men’s and Women’s ITA Indoor National Championships Friday.
For the 2020 edition of the Division I tournaments, the University of Wisconsin will play host to the elite on the men’s side, and Illinois will welcome the best in women’s college tennis to the shores of Lake Michigan at the XS Tennis Village.
The Nielsen Tennis Stadium is no stranger to the Championships as the Badgers’ home courts have hosted the event for decades. The women’s Championship was held in Madison from 1988 to 2010, and twice again in 2016 and 2018. The men’s tournament takes the center stage Feb. 14-17 next year.
One of Chicago’s great tennis institutions will open its doors for the women’s championships for the first time in 2020 when the Illini and 15 other programs take to the courts inside the XS Tennis Village. The top tier in tennis will clash in Chicago just before the men lace up in Madison Feb. 7-10.
The tournament hosts in 2021 will be the same as 2018 with Washington once again providing the venue for the women’s championship and Illinois passing hosting duties on from the women in 2020 to the men the following year.
“We are honored to be hosting the National Indoor Championships again in 2021,” Washington coach Robin Stephenson said. “It is such an incredible event, and to be able to host it here in the great city of Seattle and showcase the University of Washington is such a privilege. The ITA and our support staff do a tremendous job making sure it is a first-class event and we are thrilled to bring the best teams in the nation back here.”
This past season’s men’s tournament was held at the Midtown Athletic Club, but with a plethora of world-class facilities in the Chicago area, a final decision on the 2021 host facility has yet to be made.
“We are looking forward to once again hosting these prestigious championships,” Illinois coach Brad Dancer said. “The championships are a tremendous experience for our student-athletes, fans, and alumni. It’s an opportunity to showcase the best of the ITA here in the Midwest.”
The showcase in Seattle will continue in 2022 as the Washington women’s team will pass the hosting duties on to men’s coach Matt Anger’s Huskies, and the women will travel back to Badger State.
“We love hosting the ITA National Indoors for a couple of reasons,” Anger said. “First, it is obvious that playing a national championship on your home courts is great for our players and fans. However, I am also amazed at how much the event means for the sport of tennis in our region. It is a true destination event.”
The Oracle ITA Division I National Women’s Team Indoor Championship is in its 34th year of existence, while the men’s tournament is in year 46. Fifteen men’s teams and 15 women’s teams will qualify for the events by winning their respective ITA Kick-Off Weekend four-team regional, while the host programs receive automatic bids for serving as the host site. The teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament over a four-day span to crown a national indoor champion. Each team is guaranteed three matches at the event.
