News

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., – The USTA today announced that two-time NCAA champion Danielle Collins and 2015 NCAA champion Ryan Shane, both of the University of Virginia, lead the group of top American collegiate players selected to play in the third annual American Collegiate Invitational at the 2016 US Open, September 8-10 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

The American Collegiate Invitational, open only to American college players, began in 2014 as a way to spotlight college tennis during the US Open. Eight men and eight women play single-elimination singles tournaments Thursday to Saturday during the second week of the US Open, with the winners receiving a wild card into the 2017 US Open, main draw or qualifying, depending on their ranking next summer.

Men’s Field:

Christopher Eubanks (Soph., Georgia Tech; Atlanta)

Tom Fawcett (Soph., Stanford; Winnetka, Ill.)

*Jared Hiltzik (Sr., Illinois; Wilmette, Ill.)

Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Jr., Virginia; Charlotte)

Mike Redlicki (Jr., Arkansas; Chicago)

*Ryan Shane (Sr., Virginia; Falls Church, Va.)

*Austin Smith (Sr., Georgia; Cumming, Ga.)

**Paul Oosterbaan (Soph., Georgia; Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Women’s Field:

*Breaunna Addison (Sr., Texas; Boca Raton, Fla.)

Brooke Austin (Soph., Florida; Indianapolis)

Hayley Carter (Jr., UNC; Hilton Head Island, S.C.)

*Danielle Collins (Sr., Virginia; St. Petersburg, Fla.)

Francesca Di Lorenzo (Fr., Ohio State; New Albany, Ohio)

Maegan Manasse (Jr., Cal; Redondo Beach, Calif.)

*Ronit Yurovsky (Sr., Michigan; New Kensington, Pa.)

**Kennedy Shaffer (Soph., Georgia; Rossford, Ohio)

*Indicates player is a graduating senior and/or has turned pro/exhausted collegiate eligibility;

** USTA Wild Card Selection

The fields are comprised of the top two players in the ATP/WTA rankings (as of July 18) and the top five players in the year-end Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings (excluding those selected by pro ranking), including at least two graduating seniors or players who have turned pro/exhausted their collegiate eligibility.

The American Collegiate Invitational men’s champion will receive a main draw wild-card entry into the 2017 US Open if he is ranked No. 250 or better by the US Open entry deadline next summer; the women’s champion will receive a 2017 US Open main draw wild card if she is ranked No. 150 or better. Otherwise, the winners will receive wild-card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will receive one.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Emirates Airline US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships and helps under-resourced youth and individuals with disabilities, and supports wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans and their families. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com, “like” the official Facebook page, facebook.com/usta, or follow @usta on Twitter.