Sept. 8, 2016

ACI Draw | ACI Live Scoring

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former Virginia women’s tennis standouts Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) advanced to the semifinals of the American Collegiate Invitational with straight-set wins on Thursday (Sept. 8).

Collins and Elbaba continue play on Friday in the semifinals of the event being played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. in conjunction with the 2016 U.S. Open. Collins will now face Breaunna Addison of Texas on Friday, while Elbaba will face Ronit Yurovsky of Michigan. Matches are set to begin at noon.

Collins defeated Kennedy Shaffer of Georgia 6-1, 6-2 in her quarterfinal match, while Elbaba defeated Hayley Carter of North Carolina 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Carter was the national runner-up in the NCAA Women’s Singles Championships this past May after she fell to Collins in the title match.

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.