On a rainy weekend in Orlando, 23 of the best American college tennis players faced off for spots at the US Open. Eight of them left with their place secured.
In the second edition of the American Collegiate Player Wildcard Playoffs, the new format awarded two singles main draw wild cards, two singles qualifying wild cards, and two doubles main draw wild cards to the selected players and doubles teams that either made the NCAA individual final or qualified based on ranking. The event rewarded the feats of American players throughout the season and gave them a chance to compete at their home Grand Slam.
Women’s Singles
NCAA singles champion and top seed Reese Brantmeier of North Carolina came out swinging as she faced No. 3 seed Piper Charney of Michigan. Brantmeier had just lost to Charney a month ago at the NCAA Tournament, but she completely flipped the script here. Going up a break in the first game of the match, Brantmeier was ahead the whole time and won the match in straight sets to secure at least a qualifying wild card.
The other semifinal wasn’t as straightforward, with No. 2 seed Katrina Scott of Tennessee and No. 4 seed Luciana Perry of Ohio State playing a three-set match with the momentum constantly flipping. Scott went up a set and a break, but Perry managed to push the match to a third set and nearly pulled off the upset. But Scott righted the ship just in time, breaking for the match in the eleventh hour for a spot in the final.
The match between Brantmeier and Scott two days later was close, but ultimately Brantmeier was the better player as she took the match in two tight sets, ensuring her first appearance in US Open singles will be in the main draw, while Scott will compete in qualifying.
Men’s Singles
The two men’s singles semifinals couldn’t have been more different. No. 2 seed Sebastian Gorzny of Texas made quick work of No. 4 seed Matthew Forbes–formerly of Michigan State, but transferring to Ohio State. His straight-set win was never in doubt, a sharp contrast to the contest between No. 1 seed Trevor Svajda of SMU and No. 3 seed Aidan Kim of Ohio State.
Kim took the first set, but Svajda shut down his hopes of a straight-set win with an immediate break in the second. Svajda capitalized on that momentum, but couldn’t do the same with a similar advantage in the third, being broken back twice to send the set to a tiebreak. There, though, Svajda was dominant, taking the tiebreak 10-3.
But Svadja couldn’t challenge Gorzny in the final and exited the event with a qualifying wild card. A win for Gorzny felt like it was never in doubt as he consolidated every advantage and saved all the break points he faced. Like Brantmeier, this is Gorzny’s first appearance in singles at the US Open and it will be in the main draw.
Women’s Doubles
Brantmeier was on double duty as she and Alanis Hamilton, the top seeds, attempted to win this event for the second year in a row. Their campaign started strong, as they defeated No. 3 seed Valeria Ray and Bridget Stammel of Vanderbilt in dominant straight sets.
The other semifinal wasn’t as straightforward, with second seed D.J. Bennett and Ava Esposito of Auburn taking the scenic route in a win over No. 4 seed Jessica Bernales and Lily Jones of Michigan. After dropping the first set, Bernales and Jones were in control for much of the match, but couldn’t maintain a break advantage in the third set, allowing for Bennett and Esposito to win it in a tiebreak.
The final, taking place late at night due to Brantmeier being in the singles final, was another escape act for Bennett and Esposito as they came back from a set and a break down against Brantmeier and Hamilton to win it in three and claim a US Open doubles main draw wild card.
Men’s Doubles
Of all four events, this was the one that was never in doubt. Top seed and NCAA finalists Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin were a stronger doubles team than anyone else in the field throughout the season, and they played to meet that standard in Orlando.
They cruised through their opening match against No. 4 seed Greyson Casey and Carter Pate of Northwestern, never getting broken and winning in straight sets. The other semifinal between No. 2 seed Alex Chang and Alexander Razeghi of Stanford and No. 3 seed Michael Andre and Matteo Antonescu of Indiana was much closer, but still ended in straight sets as the Indiana duo pulled off the upset.
It was more of the same in the final from Carpico and Filin, facing only one break point in a dominant win that will send them to the US Open.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
