Five Gators Begin Riviera/ITA All-American Championships Qualifying Tuesday
Monday, September 29, 2014 | Women's Tennis
Five members of the University of Florida women's tennis team will compete in the qualifying leg of events at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships that open at the Riviera Tennis Center Tuesday.
Brooke Austin, Kourtney Keegan and Josie Kuhlman each hope to win three singles matches and earn one of eight spots available for the main draw of the national event considered the first of the collegiate grand slam.
Austin, who earned the Blue Draw Singles crown at the Duke Fab Four Invitational earlier this month, plays Ashvarya Shrivastava of New Mexico State at approximately 4:00 p.m. ET, in her first-round match. Shrivastava secured her place in the qualifying draw after advancing through three rounds of pre-qualifying matches.
Keegan is ranked No. 51 and faces UNC's No. 35- ranked and 9-16 seeded Caroline Price at 1:30 p.m. ET, while Kuhlman, who played her way through three rounds of the pre-qualifying draw to earn a place in the qualifying event, takes on Arizona State's No. 46-ranked Stephanie Vlad at 3:15 p.m. ET.
Kuhlman starts the day teaming up with fellow Gator freshman Peggy Porter on the doubles court. The duo earned a qualifying spot after playing through the pre-qualifying draw and faces Troy's No. 50 Anja Cosovic and Trang Huynh at 12 p.m. ET. Austin and Gator junior Brianna Morgan pair up to play the No. 4-seed, Virginia's No. 22-ranked Julia Elbaba and Stephanie Nauta at 12 p.m. ET.
Complete Singles and Doubles Qualifying Draws Available
NEED TO KNOW INFO ON THE RIVIERA:
The Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., will again serve as the host site for the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. The national championship, considered the first leg of the collegiate grand slam, began on Saturday, September 27 with pre-qualifying singles and doubles matches, which was hosted by UCLA. Qualifying competition will be held September 30-October 1 and main draw action is slated for Thursday, October 2-Sunday, October 5 at the Riviera Tennis Club.
HOW IT WORKS:
The qualifying rounds are comprised of a singles draw of 64 and a doubles draw of 32. Just as with pre-qualifying, a singles player or doubles tandem must win three consecutive matches to stay alive and move into the main draw. Eight spots in the singles main draw are reserved for qualifiers, while the doubles main draw will feature four teams from qualifying.
GATORS SELECTED FOR RIVIERA/ITA ALL-AMERICAN:
• Brianna Morgan received an automatic berth into the singles main draw
• Brooke Austin, Kourtney Keegan and Josie Kuhlman earned a spot in the singles qualifying draw
• Belinda Woolcock is No. 4 on the qualifying singles draw alternate list
• Austin & Morgan have been selected to the qualifying doubles list
• Kuhlman and Peggy Porter advanced through pre-qualifying doubles and earned a spot in the qualifying draw
WHAT'S AT STAKE:
Singles semifinalists, doubles finalists and consolation champions will receive automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships November 6-9 in Flushing, New York.
FOLLOWING THE ACTION:
Follow the ITA on Twitter for updates and news from California, or search for the hashtag #RivieraITA to find other tweets from those tweeting about the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. Check out the ITA Facebook page or the 2014 All-American Championships Tournament Hub for more updates.
FOLLOW THE GATORS:
