After a solid trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Irish now look ahead to next week when they will take their best shot at the St. Francis Health System ITA All-American Championships. This intensive tournament will span from Saturday to Monday, featuring pre-qualifying, qualifying and main draw competitions.
Notre Dame will send several members of the team to participate down at the Michael D. Case Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to compete for the All-American Championships. This contingent includes four individuals to enter the pre-qualifiers for singles: sophomores Matt Gamble and Guillermo Cabrera, junior Grayson Broadus, and senior Brendon Kempin. Furthermore, the latter two of these players will also compete in doubles qualifiers.
Junior Alex Lebedev will also be competing in Tulsa; however, after his victory at the ITA Summer National Championship earned him a wild card bid for next week. This means that Lebedev advances directly to the main draw and will begin competition later next week. Last year, Lebedev started the ITA All-American Championships with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Eastern Michigan’s Victor Pereira, but bowed out in the Round of 128 to Texas A&M’s Hady Habib in a 6-4, 6-2 decision. Carrying his summer success with him into the fall season, Lebedev and the rest of the Irish look to improve and make their mark upon the tournament.
Pre-qualifiers will occur Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, qualifiers from Oct. 2-3, and the main draw will last the duration from Oct. 5-9.
