University Tennis

Introduction

The pathway to American college tennis and the potential to receive an athletic scholarship is an incredible opportunity. Not only is US college tennis a great athletic and academic opportunity for a young aspiring tennis player that carries tremendous financial value, but there are many intangible benefits attached to pursuing this worthy pathway.

The US College Tennis Pathway

The US college tennis pathway starts with U10 and U12 players testing their skills at summer community clubs, then joining year-round competitive tennis programs and competing at local, provincial, national and potentially international events during their U10-U18 development years.

After graduating from U18 junior tennis and high school, these youngsters are ready to pursue a US tennis scholarship. This pathway is a way to continue playing the game that many young athletes love while being part of a team working together towards common goals. The build a camaraderie with teammates and develop life-long friendships and relationships.

Note: Although many athletes start playing and competing early in their junior careers, it is important to know that it is possible to pick up a racquet at a later age and obtain an athletic scholarship to a US college.

Why College Tennis?

College tennis in the United States is an exciting and rewarding experience. College tennis gives you, the student athlete, the ability to improve your tennis while furthering your education and earning an accredited bachelors degree.

There is a tremendous financial value attached to pursuing an athletic scholarship.
 

Financial Considerations: The monetary value of a US College Tennis Scholarship

For those who do not receive athletic scholarship aid, some student-athletes are offered a position on their school’s tennis team and receive an academic scholarship (depending on their SAT grades and high school transcripts). Other student athletes may be offered a part academic scholarship and a part athletic scholarship.

Even if you do not receive any type of scholarship, college athletes may collect other significant benefits, such as:

• Priority in scheduling classes
• Help with note taking when a class is missed
• Streamlined registration for courses
• Tutoring help

Resources for players seeking scholarships

• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
• Tennis Recruiting Network
• Universal Tennis Ratings
• How to Contact College Coaches
• Can You Handle the Life of a College Athlete?

The NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA are the governing organizations of collegiate athletics within the United States.

Tennis is one of many amateur sports sponsored by these organizations and have produced some of its great athletes like James Blake (Harvard), Laura Granville (Stanford), Wesley Moodie (Boise State), Bob and Mike Bryan (Stanford), Peter Luczak (Fresno State) and Amer Delic (Illinois).

A number of Canadian players have also taken the NCAA route, including Carson Branstine (Texas A&M), Carol Zhao (Stanford), Brayden Schnur (UNC) and Benjamin Sigouin (UNC).

Intercollegiate Divisions

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The NCAA endorses three divisions of collegiate tennis within the United States:

Division I – Men
Division I – Women

Division II – Men
Division II – Women

Division III – Men
Division III – Women

Note: The top D3 schools offer a very strong level of play equal to many of the D1 programs.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Founded in 1937, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is a governing body of small athletics programs dedicated to intercollegiate athletics. It endorses one division of collegiate men’s and women’s tennis within the United States.

NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION

The National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) is the governing body of junior college, state college and community college athletics in the United States. It endorses two divisions of collegiate tennis for men and women respectively.

MEN

Singles (top 125)

Doubles (top 90)

• #63 – Maxime St-Hilaire (Virginia Tech)

Teams (top 75)

• #1 – TCU (Duncan Chan)
• #4 – Virginia (Keegan Rice)
• #5 – Kentucky (Jaden Weekes)
• #8 – Colombia (Junghee You)
• #9 – Arizona (Sasha Rozin)
• #35 – Georgia Tech (Christophe Clement)
• #52 – USC (Connor Church)
• #58 – Clemson (Stewart Aronson)
• #67 – Indiana (Ilya Tiraspolsky)
• #68 – Virginia Tech (Maxime St-Hilaire)

Unranked

• Penn State (Stefan Simeunovic – Niagara Falls)
• Gonzaga (Sasha Trkulja)
• Dartmouth (Henry Ren, Denny Bao)
• Purdue (Stefan Simeunovic – Oakville)

WOMEN

Singles (top 125)

• #20 – Mia Kupres (Texas A&M)
• #21 – Annabelle Xu (Virginia)
• #30 – Jessica Alsola (California)
• #42 – Bianca Jolie Fernandez (UCLA)
• #54 – Alexia Jacobs (Washington)
• #60 – Reece Carter (Arizona)
• #78 – Cadence Brace (LSU)
• #91 – Mélodie Collard (Virginia)

Doubles (top 90)

• #2 – Mia Kupres (Texas A&M)
• #3 – Mélodie Collard (Virginia)
• #16 – Jessica Alsola (California)
• #17 – Alexia Jacobs (Washington)
• #30 – Annabelle Xu (Virginia)
• #39 – Scarlett Nicholson (Georgia Tech)
• #59 – Cadence Brace (LSU)
• #78 – Naomi Xu (California)

Teams (top 75)

• #1 – Texas A&M (Mia Kupres)
• #8 – Virginia (Mélodie Collard, Annabelle Xu)
• #9 – UCLA (Bianca Fernandez)
• #10 – California (Jessica Alsola, Naomi Xu)
• #15 – Ohio State (Teah Chavez, Alessia Cau)
• #25 – Georgia Tech (Scarlett Nicholson)
• #28 – LSU (Cadence Brace)
• #29 – Washington (Reece Carter, Sarah-Maude Fortin, Alexia Jacobs, Catherine Gagnon)
• #39 – Arizona (Martyna Ostrzygalo, Josie Usereau)
• #41 – Harvard (Anna-Raphaelle Serghi)
• #49 – Utah (Samantha Horwood)
• #52 – UC Santa Barbara (Raphaelle Leroux)
• #55 – Yale (Orly Ogilvy)
• #64 – South Florida (Dharani Niroshan)

Unranked

• Mississippi State (Alexandra Mikhailuk)
• Gonzaga (Ella Nielsen)
• Miami (Ohio) (Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek)

ACADEMICS, ELIGIBILITY AND TENNIS RECRUITING

The United States tertiary education system is based on a philosophy to develop and enhance the education of all students in a variety of areas. This philosophy provides the student with a wide base of education rather than focusing on one specific subject.

This system provides students with the opportunity to pursue their undergraduate degree with the possibility of continuing their education to earn a Masters degree followed by a Doctorate/PhD.

Pre-University: High School

To be admitted to a United States College or University, you must have graduated from an accredited high school in your respective country. The average high school graduate in the United States is 18 years of age.

Upon being admitted to a College or University, you must provide evidence of your high school graduation and official grade transcripts. If you graduated from a foreign high school, an English translation must accompany each official high school document.

Eligibility

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) have different eligibility requirements for international athletes looking to attend a college or university in the United States.

NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER

The following documents must be provided to the NCAA Eligibility Center to ensure timely registration:

1. Standardized testing scores (SAT or ACT)
2. Official high school grade transcripts
3. High school graduation certificate

NAIA ELIGIBILITY CENTER

Aspiring NAIA athletes are required to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center and provide the appropriate documentation to prove they meet the eligibility requirements. Usually, this is done following the athlete’s junior year of high school or early in their senior year.

Academic Entrance Exams

As a Canadian citizen, you will be required to take the SAT exam. Your score on the SAT will determine your tertiary enrollment and athletic eligibility:

1. SAT: Standardized test for high school graduates
2. TOEFL: If English is not your native language, this must be taken in addition to an SAT exam

UTR AND TENNIS RECRUITING

Tennis Canada recommends two important tools for prospective U.S. College student-athletes that will help them find the right school and help college coaches recruit Canadian athletes.

The two tools are used across the globe. The first is called Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) and the second involves creating a profile on the Tennis Recruiting Network.

Find a Team Using the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR)

The Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) is the principal resource that college tennis coaches use for prospecting student-athletes from around the globe.

This rating system was not only created as a tool for coaches to use to assess tennis athletes, but it is also used for athletes to seek out teams that are recruiting.

Learn more about How UTR Works and make sure to watch the below video for more information also.

WHY REGISTER ON THE TENNIS RECRUITING NETWORK?

Registration at on the Tennis Recruiting Network is free – and it is your ticket to all the tool’s services and resources.

For junior players, registration allows you to update information for college coaches to query. You can also validate your graduation year to ensure that you are included on their lists.

Everyone who registers gets access to the complete College Recruiting and TennisRPI Lists – along with access to player profiles and exclusive content.

Partnership for Progress

USPORTS, recognized nationally for its role in university sports, has introduced tennis as the first Pilot Sport (P3), partnering with Tennis Canada to facilitate the University-level Tennis National Championships. This collaboration underscores a shared Vision of providing competitive opportunities and promoting positive experiences for all those involved in the sport.

Exploring the World of Canadian University Tennis

University tennis offers a compelling pathway for athletes, providing a platform to hone skills and compete at a high level while pursuing higher education. University tennis isn’t just about competition; it’s about building lasting friendships, being part of a vibrant community, and creating bonds that last a lifetime.

Starting a USPORTS Tennis Program

Interested in launching a USPORTS tennis program at your school? Tennis Canada offers support to coaches and players alike in facilitating the growth of tennis at the collegiate level.

Qualification and Participation

Regional qualification processes, outlined in the chart below, ensures equitable access to the National Championships. Universities across Canada with tennis teams or clubs contribute to the vibrancy of collegiate tennis.

1. Community Spirit: University tennis isn’t just about matches; it’s about being part of a supportive community where friendships flourish both on and off the court.

2. Building Resilience: Managing pressure and embracing hard work are integral aspects of university tennis, equipping athletes with essential skills for success both on and off the court.

3. Balancing Sports and Education: University tennis provides a unique opportunity to pursue athletic ambitions alongside academic pursuits, offering a well-rounded approach to personal and professional development.

4. Strategic Investment: Investing in a university tennis career offers players the chance to simultaneously advance their athletic prowess and educational aspirations, positioning them for success in an increasingly competitive sporting landscape.

For those considering their future in tennis, university tennis stands as a formidable pathway, bridging the gap between amateur and professional ranks while nurturing the holistic development of student-athletes.

The Experience of a Lifetime

The Canadian University Tennis Championships is an annual event held on-site during the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. The tournament runs in both Toronto and Montreal with the men’s draw alternating cities alongside the ATP event and the women’s draw alternating cities alongside the WTA event. Players receive first class treatment and a variety of additional benefits, including:

• Playing matches on-site during the National Bank Open
• Representing your school while competing against other top universities from across Canada
• Complementary grounds passes for the week as well as a ticket to an evening session at the National Bank Open
• The chance to win a National title for your university

2024 provided another championships to remember as schools from across the country took to the courts at the Sobeys Stadium and IGA Stadium.

Consult the complete list of past champions.

Tennis Canada is the national governing body for tennis, who, alongside its regional partners, aims to provide quality competitive opportunities and positive experiences for university tennis players across the country.

USPORTS is nationally recognized for being the governing body of Canadian University sport with their mission being to lead, promote and celebrate university sport by organizing national championships.

USPORTS has accepted tennis as a sport and will be collaborating with Tennis Canada to organize the University-level tennis National Championship and their goals to the development of tennis in Canada. Currently, the Championship is delivered collaboratively between Tennis Canada and its regional partners in conjunction with the Men’s (ATP) and Women’s (WTA) professional Tennis event (the National Bank Open). USPORTS and Tennis Canada have agreed to principles that will govern its partnership development process.

The below chart summarizes the qualification process for each region while the list of universities in Canada with tennis teams or clubs are listed.

 

Timing of Regionals

Qualification Process

ONTARIO

Championship: October 
(3 days in the First week)

– University tennis teams with varsity status are eligible to participate in the OUA sanctioned tennis championship 
– Winner of the OUA tennis championship advances to Nationals 
– Teams are seeded based on their results at the previous year’s championship

Quebec

Regular Season: November to March 

Championship: April 
(Two days in the First week)

– All university tennis teams (varsity or club status) are eligible to participate in the Tennis Quebec university league 
– Tennis Quebec organizes a full home-and-away regular season for teams 
– Based on their regular season results, teams are seeded for the Tennis Quebec university league championships 
– Winner of the Tennis Quebec university league championship advances to Nationals

Western

Western Championship: March 
(Two days in the first week) 

Prairie Regionals: February 
(Two days in middle of the month) 

BC Regionals: February 
(Two days in middle of the month)

– All university tennis teams (varsity or club status) are eligible to participate in the Western Region university league 
– Teams in BC compete in the “BC division” and teams in AB, SK and MB compete in the “Prairies division”.
– Each division has a round-robin tournament. Divisional tournament winners advance to the Western – Region university championship 
– Winner of the Western Region university championship advances to Nationals

Atlantic

Regular Season: November and January 
(Three days in the middle of November and two days in the middle of January) 

Regional Championship: March 
(Two days in the first week)

– All university tennis teams (varsity or club status) are eligible to participate in the Atlantic University Tennis League (AUTL) 
– AUTL league convenor organizes a regular season consisting of two round-robin play-down tournaments 
– Based on their regular season results, top 4 teams advance to the AUTL Championship 
— Winner of the AUTL Championship advances to Nationals