Aug. 16, 2017
WHITE PLAINES, N.Y. – Sydney Campbell will represent the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team one final time, as the 2017 graduate has been selected to compete in the fourth annual American Collegiate Invitational at the 2017 US Open.
“It’s a great opportunity to be able to go to New York and compete with the best in college tennis at the US Open,” said Campbell. “I’m very excited to get one last chance to represent Vanderbilt University.”
Taking place September 7-9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the US Open in Flushing, N.Y., the ACI will feature Campbell, one of the top American collegiate players from her career at Vanderbilt, as one of eight women in the single-elimination singles tournament. Match play begins during the second week of the U.S. Open. Tournament winners receive a wild card into the 2018 U.S. Open, main draw or qualifying, depending on their ranking next summer.
A native of Franklin, Tenn., Campbell ended her Commodore career in the 2017 NCAA Individual and Team Tournament Final Four and ranked seventh in the nation. She is the second Commodore to be selected to this prestigious event, following the 2015 SEC Player of the Year, Gonzales Austin. Austin finished as runner-up in the 2015 tournament and took home wildcard honors into a pro circuit event.
For the second straight year, the American Collegiate Invitational will also serve as a testing ground for several innovations. That includes a 25-second serve clock between points and the elimination of coaching violations, which would allow players to communicate with coaches between points.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing at the US Open,” Campbell Continued. “To get a chance to play on those courts, while the tournament is going on is very exciting. It’ll be cool to see some of my favorite players up close and to be there for the semifinals of the Open. The chance of playing for a wildcard into next year’s Open is a great opportunity.”
Men’s Field:
*J.C. Aragone (Sr., Virginia; Yorba Linda, Calif.)
William Blumberg (Fr., UNC, Greenwich, Conn.)
Christopher Eubanks (Jr. Georgia Tech; Atlanta)
Tom Fawcett (Jr., Stanford; Winnetka, Ill.)
*Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Sr., Virginia; Charlotte)
Alfredo Perez (Soph., Florida; Miami)
*Mike Redlicki (Sr., Arkansas; Chicago)
**Alex Rybakov (Soph., TCU; Coral Springs, Fla.)
Women’s Field:
*Sydney Campbell (Sr., Vanderbilt; Franklin, Tenn.)
*Hayley Carter (Sr., UNC; Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
Sara Daavettila (Fr., UNC; Williamston, Mich.)
Francesca Di Lorenzo (Soph., Ohio State; New Albany, Ohio)
**Alexa Graham (Fr., UNC; Garden City, N.Y.)
Brienne Minor (Soph., Michigan; Mundelein, Ill.)
Ingrid Neel (Fr., Florida; Rochester, Minn.)
Ena Shibahara (Fr., UCLA; Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.)
*Indicates player is a graduating senior and/or has turned pro/exhausted collegiate eligibility.;
** USTA Wild Card Selection