Riffice Set to Compete at USTA Winter Wild Card Playoff
Monday, December 16, 2019 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida men's tennis sophomore Sam Riffice has been selected as one of 16 American college players to compete in the second annual Winter Wild Card Playoff hosted at the USTA National Campus from Dec. 17-21 in Orlando, Fla.
Riffice will be joined by seven other men's competitors as well as eight women, all fighting for a total of nine wild cards into 2020 USTA Pro Circuit Tournaments. On the men's side, the winner earns a main draw wild card into the Dallas ATP Challenger 110 (week of Feb. 3) or Cleveland ATP Challenger 80 (week of Feb. 10) and a main draw wild card into one of the summer Challengers (Little Rock, Birmingham or Lexington). The runner-up earns a Challenger main draw wild card and qualifying wild card, to both be used during the summer, while the third-place finisher receives a main draw wild card entry into a M25 event, to be used before the US Open.
Joining Riffice in the men's field are: William Blumberg (North Carolina), No. 57 Trent Bryde (Georgia), No. 25 Brandon Holt (USC), No. 16 Cannon Kingsley (Ohio State), Govind Nanda (UCLA), No. 18 Alex Rotsaert (Stanford), No. 26 Riley Smith (USC).
Riffice turned in a solid fall slate of competition in his second year with the Gators, ending the fall portion of the schedule as the No. 4 men's player in singles. He made a finals run at the Saint Francis ITA All-American Championship, while holding his own in several pro tournaments throughout the fall. Riffice picked up five consecutive singles wins, all over ranked opponents, to advance through the ITA All-Americans main singles draw prior to falling to Texas' No. 2 Yuya Ito in the finals. Additionally, Riffice and Oliver Crawford would bounce back from a first round loss in the ITA All-Americans main doubles draw before rattling off four straight wins to take the consolation doubles title.
Riffice posted a 5-1 singles record and 4-1 doubles record in the fall, with seven of those victories coming against nationally-ranked opponents.
Riffice will be joined by seven other men's competitors as well as eight women, all fighting for a total of nine wild cards into 2020 USTA Pro Circuit Tournaments. On the men's side, the winner earns a main draw wild card into the Dallas ATP Challenger 110 (week of Feb. 3) or Cleveland ATP Challenger 80 (week of Feb. 10) and a main draw wild card into one of the summer Challengers (Little Rock, Birmingham or Lexington). The runner-up earns a Challenger main draw wild card and qualifying wild card, to both be used during the summer, while the third-place finisher receives a main draw wild card entry into a M25 event, to be used before the US Open.
Joining Riffice in the men's field are: William Blumberg (North Carolina), No. 57 Trent Bryde (Georgia), No. 25 Brandon Holt (USC), No. 16 Cannon Kingsley (Ohio State), Govind Nanda (UCLA), No. 18 Alex Rotsaert (Stanford), No. 26 Riley Smith (USC).
Riffice turned in a solid fall slate of competition in his second year with the Gators, ending the fall portion of the schedule as the No. 4 men's player in singles. He made a finals run at the Saint Francis ITA All-American Championship, while holding his own in several pro tournaments throughout the fall. Riffice picked up five consecutive singles wins, all over ranked opponents, to advance through the ITA All-Americans main singles draw prior to falling to Texas' No. 2 Yuya Ito in the finals. Additionally, Riffice and Oliver Crawford would bounce back from a first round loss in the ITA All-Americans main doubles draw before rattling off four straight wins to take the consolation doubles title.
Riffice posted a 5-1 singles record and 4-1 doubles record in the fall, with seven of those victories coming against nationally-ranked opponents.
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