Collins, Elbaba Open Play At American Collegiate Invitational Thursday
Sept. 7, 2016
ACI Women’s Draw | ACI Live Scores
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former Virginia women’s tennis standouts Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) begin competition in the third annual American Collegiate Invitational at the 2016 U.S. Open on Thursday (Sept. 8).
The event runs September 8-10 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Collins will face Kennedy Shaffer of Georgia in the first round, while Elbaba will face Hayley Carter of North Carolina. Collins is the No. 2 seed in the event.
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.
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 winner of the event receives a wild card into the 2017 US Open main draw or qualifying round depending on their ranking next summer. If the player is ranked in the top 120 by the US Open entry deadline next summer, they will receive a wild card entry into the main draw of the 2017 US Open. If ranked below 120, they will receive a wild card into the qualifying tournament.
2016 ACI Women’s Draw
*Breaunna Addison (Texas; Boca Raton, Fla.)
Brooke Austin (Soph., Florida; Indianapolis)
Hayley Carter (Jr., UNC; Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
*Danielle Collins (Virginia; St. Petersburg, Fla.)
Francesca Di Lorenzo (Fr., Ohio State; New Albany, Ohio)
*Julia Elbaba (Virginia; Oyster Bay, N.Y.)
*RonitYurovsky (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