Three Cavaliers To Play in American Collegiate Invitational

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July 16, 2015

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The University of Virginia will be well represented at the second annual American Collegiate Invitational at the 2015 US Open, held Sept. 10-12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y.

Current Virginia players Ryan Shane (Falls Church, Va.), Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.), Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) are among the group of top American collegiate players slated to compete in the tournament.

Shane headlines the men’s field after earning a wild card into the 2015 US Open with his NCAA singles championship in May. Elbaba will make her second appearance at the American Collegiate Invitational after finishing runner-up to North Carolina’s Jamie Loeb last year. Kwiatkowski reached No. 1 in the ITA singles rankings and advanced to the NCAA singles semifinals.

Shane, the top-seeded player in the men’s field, will play UCLA’s Dennis Mkrtchian in the opening round. Kwiatkowski, the No. 3 seed, will play Illinois’ Jared Hiltzik. Mitchell Frank (’15) was originally selected to play in the tournament but has withdrawn.

Robin Anderson (UCLA), Brooke Austin (Florida), Lauren Herring (Georgia), Josie Kuhlman (Florida), Maegan Manasse (California) and Loeb join Elbaba in the women’s field.

The men’s/women’s American Collegiate Invitational champions will receive main draw wild card entries into the 2016 US Open if either is ranked No. 120 or better by the US Open entry deadline next summer. Otherwise, the winners will receive qualifying wild cards. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one.

Grounds admission on the first day (Thursday, Sept. 10) is free.