TONS OF FUN @ THE 2014 US OPEN IN THE FIRST AMERICAN COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL

Written by: Staff on 4th September 2014

TONS OF FUN @ THE 2014 US OPEN IN THE FIRST AMERICAN COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL |

Reigning NCAA Singles Champions Marcos Giron and Danielle Collins

Pick Up Straight-Set Wins at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

“Amazing,” “Thrilling,” “Exciting” were the buzzwords coming from some of the 16 collegiate players who took part in the inaugural American Collegiate Invitational played @the US Open on Thursday

University of North Carolina women’s tennis player Hayley Carter described the thrill of practicing next to Serena Williams earlier in the morning while UCLA’s Clay Thompson said he fulfilled a lifelong dream before ever striking a ball.

Winners on the men’s side for the day included three from Southern California schools and a Big 10 player while on the women’s side two New Yorkers, one from New Jersey and the nation’s reigning NCAA women’s singles champion all moved on to Friday’s semifinals.

Top-seeded and reigning NCAA men’s singles champion Marcos Giron, his UCLA teammate Clay Thompson, Pepperdine’s Alex Sarkissian and Ohio State’s Peter Kobelt recorded wins while NCAA women’s singles champion Danielle Collins, her Virginia teammate Julie Elbaba, top-seeded Jamie Loeb of North Carolina, and Stanford’s Krisite Ahn each posted straight-set wins.

“I was so excited,” said Thompson. “I walked in yesterday and picked up my credential and walked on site and said, ‘My dream is complete; I’m at the US Open as a player.’ No matter what happens from here doesn’t matter. If I were to lose in the first round, I’m still on the world’s greatest stage for tennis. It’s just amazing.

“There’s no better place in the world to play a tournament.”

Loeb (Ossining, N.Y.), Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and Ahn (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) each call the New York-area home, and have played in the US Open before with Ahn even qualifying for the women’s pro main draw back in 2008.

“It’s awesome being here,” Ahn said. “It’s great exposure for college tennis and to be a part of the first one is such an honor. From here this event is only going to get better. It’s not quite main draw, but it’s pretty amazing.”

“It’s always exciting to play here in Flushing,” said Elbaba, who played two US Open junior events and qualified both times, but never won in the main draw. “It brought back a lot of memories being on these courts.”

University of Florida’s Olivia Janowicz felt the same way as Ahn. “I’ve literally been dreaming about this day since I was a kid,” Janowicz said. “I grew up in Jersey and I remember coming here and watching (Kim) Clijsters when she was an unknown.”

Janowicz’s college teammate Alex Cercone added: “It’s a dream come true and I’m honored to be a part of this group. The environment is different than anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Kobelt said, “Just walking around the locker rooms and seeing anyone you can name: (Milos) Raonic, (Richard) Gasquet; you name it, they’re here. Just being in the gym with them and practicing next to them is amazing.”

The winner of the American Collegiate Invitational will receive either a main draw or qualifying draw wild card entry into the 2015 US Open, based on their individual ranking. The champion will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one.

Tomorrow’s meeting between Sarkissian and Giron will be a rematch of the 2014 NCAA Singles Championship finals, which Giron won, 6-4, 6-1.

Notre Dame’s Greg Andrews couldn’t believe the way the players were treated. “I felt like this was one of the best events I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “It was so much fun. I felt like a king as a player the way they treated us. I think the fans got a chance to see that there is a lot of talent in college tennis. I really hope they keep it going.”

Despite losing, Carter still enjoyed her time in New York playing alongside the best tennis players in the world. “This has been an amazing experience,” she said. “This morning I got to practice next to (Caroline) Wozniacki, Serena (Williams) and (Tomas) Berdych. It was a tough day but I can’t hang my head too much!”

Kobelt felt much like Carter. “I came from a small town in Ohio and never thought tennis would take me this far,” he said. “If I don’t go farther in tennis I can say I played the US Open, and it’s an achievement I’ll have for the rest of my life.”