The inaugural Oracle/ITA Masters marks the first national collegiate championship of the 2015-16 season. The event will be played Sept. 18-20 at the Malibu Racquet Club in Malibu, California, with Pepperdine University helping to facilitate the championships and serving as an official event partner. The field has been finalized, as announced by Oracle and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Sixteen of the top returning Division I men's and women's singles players will compete, along with eight outstanding men's and women's doubles teams. Each participant is guaranteed two matches.
"We are very excited to partner with Oracle, the Malibu Racquet Club and Pepperdine University for this inaugural event and the ITA's first national championship of the 2015-16 season," said ITA Chairman of the Board David A Benjamin. "Many of the top Division I players will be competing in the tournament and that should make for very exciting tennis across the board."
The men's singles draw features six players that ended the 2014-15 season ranked in the top 15 of the Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, including the top two players in Oklahoma's Axel Alvarez Llamas (No. 1) and Virginia's Ryan Shane (No. 2).
Alvarez Llamas, who won his second straight USTA/ITA Central Regional Singles Championship in 2014, rattled off 23 consecutive victories in the spring and finished the year with a 39-6 record. Shane became just the second player from Virginia to win the NCAA singles title. Shane and the Cavaliers topped Alvarez Llamas and the Sooners in the NCAA Championship 4-1.
Baylor's Julian Lenz (No. 4) is the third top 5 player in the singles field, while Notre Dame's Quentin Monaghan (No. 7) and Oklahoma's Andrew Harris (No. 8) comprise the remaining top 10 competitors. Rounding out the men's singles draw are Duke's Nicolas Alvarez (No. 11), Tulane's Dominik Koepfer (No. 18), Wake Forest's Romain Bogaerts (No. 20), Illinois's Jared Hiltzik (No. 21), North Carolina's Ronnie Schneider (No. 24), TCU's Cameron Norrie (No. 25), Georgia's Wayne Montgomery (No. 26), Austin Smith (No. 27) and TCU's Guillermo Nunez (No. 31). Baylor's Max Tchoutakian received Oracle's wildcard berth into the tournament, while Texas Tech's Felipe Soares garnered the ITA wildcard.
In doubles, two top 5 teams highlight the draw. Georgia's Ben Wagland and Austin Smith ended 2014-15 ranked No. 2 in the nation, with Virginia's Shane and Luca Corinteli at No. 5. LSU's Boris Arias and Jordan Daigle (No. 12), Florida State's Benjamin Lock and Marco Nunez (No. 20) and Notre Dame's Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar (No. 35) are other returning duos to compete in Malibu. Lenz, who was ranked No. 1 in doubles with Diego Galeano last year, will partner with Tchoutakian at the Oracle/ITA Masters. Notre Dame's Monaghan and Alex Lawson are the Oracle wildcard entry and Guilherme Hadlich and Gabriel Sidney from Pepperdine are the ITA wildcard.
The women's singles draw contains four top 10 ranked players and 10 that concluded 2014-15 in the top 20. Virginia's Julia Elbaba is the top-ranked player in the field, having ended last season at No. 5 in the Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Elbaba won the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Singles Championship last fall. A three-time ITA All-American, Elbaba has recorded 30+ singles wins in each of her three seasons at Virginia and posted a 30-7 record last season.
California's Maegan Manasse (No. 6), Miami (FL)'s Stephanie Wagner (No. 9) and Vanderbilt's Sydney Campbell (No. 10) are the other top 10 players in the field. The remainder of the women's singles tournament features Virginia's Danielle Collins (No. 11), North Carolina's Hayley Carter (No. 14), USC's Giuliana Olmos (No. 15), Clemson's Joana Eidukonyte (No. 16), Oklahoma State's Viktoriya Lushkova (No. 17), Miami (FL)'s Sinead Lohan (No. 20), Vanderbilt's Astra Sharma (No. 21), California's Klara Fabikova (No. 23), Texas A&M's Rachel Pierson (No. 30) and Michigan's Ronit Yurovsky (No. 31). Baylor's Kiah Generette will be the Oracle wildcard entry, while Pepperdine's Luisa Stefani enters as the ITA wildcard.
In women's doubles, California's Manasse and Denise Starr are the top-ranked team in the field, as the Golden Bears duo were the No. 9-ranked doubles team at the end of last season. Vanderbilt's Campbell and Courtney Colton (No. 13), Pepperdine's Matea Cutura and Christina Maddox (No. 25), Kentucky's Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi (No. 26), North Carolina's Carter and Whitney Kay (No. 43) are other top returning teams to compete in Malibu. In addition, USC's Olmos and Gabby Smith and Miami (FL)'s Wagner and Lohan garnered main draw invites. Texas A&M's Pierson and Gavrilovska are the Oracle wildcard entry.
Tournament pairings for all four draws will be announced in the coming weeks.
Men's Singles Competitor List
Axel Alvarez Llamas, Oklahoma
Ryan Shane, Virginia
Julian Lenz, Baylor
Quentin Monaghan, Notre Dame
Andrew Harris, Oklahoma
Nicolas Alvarez, Duke
Dominik Koepfer, Tulane
Romain Bogaerts, Wake Forest
Jared Hiltzik, Illinois
Ronnie Schneider, North Carolina
Cameron Norrie, TCU
Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
Austin Smith, Georiga
Guillermo Nunez, TCU
Max Tchoutakian, Baylor
Felipe Soares, Texas Tech
Women's Singles Competitor List
Julia Elbaba, Virginia
Maegan Manasse, California
Stephanie Wagner, Miami (FL)
Sydney Campbell, Vanderbilt
Danielle Collins, Virginia
Hayley Carter, North Carolina
Giuliana Olmos, USC
Joana Eidukonyte, Clemson
Viktoriya Lushkova, Oklahoma State
Sinead Lohan, Miami (FL)
Astra Sharma, Vanderbilt
Klara Fabikova, California
Rachel Pierson, Texas A&M
Ronit Yurovsky, Michigan
Kiah Generette, Baylor
Luisa Stefani, Pepperdine
Men's Doubles Competitor List
Ben Wagland/Austin Smith, Georgia
Luca Corinteli/Ryan Shane, Virginia
Boris Arias/Jordan Daigle, LSU
Benjamin Lock/Marco Nunez, Florida State
Eddy Covalschi/Josh Hagar, Notre Dame
Julian Lenz/Max Tchoutakian, Baylor
Alex Lawson/Quentin Monaghan, Notre Dame
Guilherme Hadlich/Gabriel Sidney, Pepperdine
Women's Doubles Competitor List
Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr, California
Sydney Campbell/Courtney Colton, Vanderbilt
Matea Cutura/Christina Maddox, Pepperdine
Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi, Kentucky
Hayley Carter/Whitney Kay, North Carolina
Giuliana Olmos/Gabby Smth, USC
Stephanie Wagner/Sinead Lohan, Miami (FL)
Rachel Pierson/Saska Gavrilovska, Texas A&M
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