Rybakov Selected for USTA Event
12/14/2018 4:29:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The senior was one of 16 current student-athletes selected to compete in the USTA Blizzard Wild Card Challenge.
FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU men's tennis senior Alex Rybakov was one of 16 current NCAA Division I tennis student-athletes selected to compete in the USTA Blizzard Wild Card Challenge that will take place from Dec. 15-18 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
Eight men and eight women will be divided into two groups for round-robin play, with the top two in each group advancing to the semifinals on Dec. 17 with the finals taking place Dec. 18. The men's winner will receive a main-draw wild card to the Orlando ATP 80 Challenger event that starts Dec. 31, while the women's champion will earn a spot in the main draw of a 2019 $60K tournament.
Along with wild cards, the student-athletes will also be competing for a guaranteed spot on the 2019 Collegiate National Team. A member of the squad receives grant money to travel to professional tournaments and coaching from USTA Player Development staff. The event is being hosted by USTA Player Development and the USTA Collegiate Department. Live streaming will be available on USTANationalCampus.com, and live scoring will accompany the semifinals and finals.
A two-time All-American and six-time All-Big 12 selection, Rybakov enters his senior season at TCU with 63 wins in singles and 54 victories in doubles. The Coral Springs, Fla., native has a .808 winning percentage in singles matches and a .783 winning percentage in doubles matches while also defeating 51 ranked opponents in his career. Rybakov has helped TCU to five Big 12 regular season and tournament titles during his three years in Fort Worth and led the Horned Frogs to an appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championship each of the last three seasons.
TCU will open the spring season by heading to Tulsa, Okla., to take on Tulsa on Friday, Jan. 18 before beginning the home season by hosting the ITA Kick-Off Weekend from Jan. 26-27 at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
USTA Blizzard Wild Card: Competitors
Men
Alafia Ayeni, Cornell
Brandon Holt, USC
John McNally, Ohio State
Emily Reinberg, Georgia
Sam Riffice, Florida
Alex Rybakov, TCU
Keegan Smith, UCLA
Tanner Smith, USC
Women
Kelly Chen, Duke
Sara Daavettila, North Carolina
Salma Ewing, USC
Michaela Gordon, Stanford
Makenna Jones, North Carolina
Ashley Lahey, Pepperdine
Brienne Minor, Michigan
Sophie Whittle, Gonzaga
Eight men and eight women will be divided into two groups for round-robin play, with the top two in each group advancing to the semifinals on Dec. 17 with the finals taking place Dec. 18. The men's winner will receive a main-draw wild card to the Orlando ATP 80 Challenger event that starts Dec. 31, while the women's champion will earn a spot in the main draw of a 2019 $60K tournament.
Along with wild cards, the student-athletes will also be competing for a guaranteed spot on the 2019 Collegiate National Team. A member of the squad receives grant money to travel to professional tournaments and coaching from USTA Player Development staff. The event is being hosted by USTA Player Development and the USTA Collegiate Department. Live streaming will be available on USTANationalCampus.com, and live scoring will accompany the semifinals and finals.
A two-time All-American and six-time All-Big 12 selection, Rybakov enters his senior season at TCU with 63 wins in singles and 54 victories in doubles. The Coral Springs, Fla., native has a .808 winning percentage in singles matches and a .783 winning percentage in doubles matches while also defeating 51 ranked opponents in his career. Rybakov has helped TCU to five Big 12 regular season and tournament titles during his three years in Fort Worth and led the Horned Frogs to an appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championship each of the last three seasons.
TCU will open the spring season by heading to Tulsa, Okla., to take on Tulsa on Friday, Jan. 18 before beginning the home season by hosting the ITA Kick-Off Weekend from Jan. 26-27 at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
USTA Blizzard Wild Card: Competitors
Men
Alafia Ayeni, Cornell
Brandon Holt, USC
John McNally, Ohio State
Emily Reinberg, Georgia
Sam Riffice, Florida
Alex Rybakov, TCU
Keegan Smith, UCLA
Tanner Smith, USC
Women
Kelly Chen, Duke
Sara Daavettila, North Carolina
Salma Ewing, USC
Michaela Gordon, Stanford
Makenna Jones, North Carolina
Ashley Lahey, Pepperdine
Brienne Minor, Michigan
Sophie Whittle, Gonzaga
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