Category: Tennis

SEC and ACC Dominate Women’s D1 ITA Rankings

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On January 5th, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its pre-season poll for the women’s Division I NCAA tennis season. It comes as no surprise that the initial 2015-2016 rankings are only slightly different from the final 2014-2015 ITA rankings.

Only 13 conferences are represented in the top 50 teams with the SEC and ACC filling 22 of the 50 slots. The number of teams from each conference are listed in the table below.

# of Teams Conference
12 SEC
10 ACC
6 Big 10
6 Big 12
5 PAC-12
2 AAC
2 Ivy League
2 West Coast Conference
1 Big East
1 Big West
1 Colonial Athletic Association
1 C-USA
1 MVC

The January 5th ITA rankings of the top 10 singles players are  dominated by athletes from the ACC. Six of the top 10 players are from 4 schools in the  ACC, two are from the PAC 12, and one player is from the SEC and Big 10.

ITA Ranking Avg Player School Conference
1 64.91 Joana Eidukonyte Clemson ACC
2 64.81 Francesca Di Lorenzo Ohio State Big 10
3 60.17 Belinda Woolcock Florida SEC
4 56.35 Danielle Collins Virginia ACC
5 56.14 Maegan Manasse California PAC-12
6 54.31 Hayley Carter North Carolina ACC
7 53.23 Sinead Lohan Miami (FL) ACC
8 52.78 Julia Elbaba Virginia ACC
9 49.28 Stephanie Wagner Miami (FL) ACC
10 49.25 Klara Fabikova California PAC-12

While it is fun to follow the polls throughout the season, the early rankings (February and early March) may not be a good indicator of what is really happening. The rankings become more reliable once teams complete their preseason matches and are well into their conference season.

ITA Ranking School 2014-15 Final Rank Conference
1 Vanderbilt 1 SEC
2 USC 2 PAC-12
3 Florida 6 SEC
4 North Carolina 4 ACC
4 Georgia 5 SEC
6 California 7 PAC-12
7 Virginia 9 ACC
8 Stanford 11 PAC-12
9 UCLA 3 PAC-12
10 Texas A&M 10 SEC
11 Baylor 8 Big 12
12 Oklahoma State 12 Big 12
13 Miami 15 ACC
14 Michigan 13 Big 10
15 Alabama 14 SEC
16 Duke 19 ACC
17 Texas Tech 16 Big 12
18 Ohio State 21 Big 10
19 Pepperdine 22 West Coast Conference
20 Clemson 18 ACC
21 LSU 23 SEC
22 TCU 17 Big 12
23 Georgia Tech 20 ACC
24 Kentucky 25 SEC
25 Mississippi 24 SEC
26 Northwestern 26 Big 10
27 Arizona State 27 PAC-12
28 South Carolina 29 SEC
29 Mississippi State 32 SEC
30 Virginia Tech 30 ACC
31 Rice 28 C-USA
32 Dartmouth 31 Ivy League
33 Notre Dame 36 ACC
34 DePaul 33 Big East
35 Oklahoma 35 Big 12
36 Arkansas 38 SEC
37 Florida State 39 ACC
38 Houston 34 AAC
39 Wichita State 41 MVC
40 Long Beach State 40 Big West
41 Texas 37 Big 12
42 Auburn 46 SEC
43 Princeton 42 Ivy League
44 Purdue 43 Big 10
45 Saint Mary's (CA) 44 West Coast Conference
46 William & Mary 49 Colonial Athletic Association
47 Tulsa 51 AAC
47 Penn State 47 Big 10
49 Boston College 50 ACC
50 Indiana 48 Big 10

It will be interesting to see if Vanderbilt ends the season in the top spot and if Joana Eidukonyte captures the D1 singles title.

2016 Colorado High School Girls Tennis Season Around the Corner

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Every year the Colorado high school spring sports season kicks off in mid to late February 29. For tennis fans that means about 4,500 girls will be hitting the courts in 150 locations. The boys are lucky. Their season is in the fall.

More precisely, the NFHS reported that 4,552 girls played on 153 teams during the 2014-2015 Colorado high school girls season. Despite the popularity of tennis, the number of participants has tapered off since a peak in 2008-2009. That season there were 151 programs and a peak of 4,901 participants.

The varsity season can be summed up as follows:
• The varsity season spans 59 days with a starting date of February 29th and an end date of April 27th, the final day of the regional tournament.
• There are 38 school days during the season and there are 21 scheduled off days. There will be 31 days of matches and practices and 28 days of unscheduled and scheduled off days.
• During the season, there are approximately 29 hours spent in practice and 21 hours spent in competition.

Colorado High School Girls Tennis

More specifically, the activity for the varsity season can be classified in four categories: competition, practice, unscheduled off days, scheduled off-days.
• Competition (matches and tournaments) CHSAA restricts the number of tournaments and matches that teams can play.
― It is estimated that players will play 4 matches in 3 days of tournaments. Those four matches will each last 1.5 hours per match. Athletes will play 6 hours in tournament competition during the season.
― It is estimated that players will play 10 days of dual matches. The average time of each match will be 1.5 hours. Approximately 15 hours will spend playing dual matches.
― The total time spent in competition is 21 hours.
• Practice and challenge matches – Coaches will plan to have 25 days for practice and challenge matches. In a best case scenario they will get 18 days for these activities.
― It is assumed the team will spend 3 days playing challenge matches or mini-matches to determine the lineup. During this time, a player will play 3 matches/mini matches. On average each of the 3 matches will take 1 hour, for a total of 3 hours.
― The team will have 15 days of practice scheduled for 2 hours. In a best case scenario a team will practice for 1.75 hours on those 15 days for a total of about 26 hours.
― The total time on court is about 29 hours. This is a best case scenario.
• Unscheduled off-days – As previously mentioned, coaches plan for 25 days of practice and challenge matches. Inevitably, there are at least 7 days where no time is spent on the court.
― The biggest challenge facing spring sports is the weather. There is usually at least 5 days where there is inclement weather. During some years this number may approach 10 days.
― There will be at least 2 days for school-related activities where no tennis is played. This includes photo days or unforeseen events. Sometimes coaches will give the team time off after they have played back-to-back matches. Other coaches give players the Friday off before Spring break.
― This estimate projects there will be 7 days when players are involved in non-scheduled activities. That number may be as high as 12 days.
• Scheduled off-days – During this 59-day period there are 21 scheduled off-days.
― There are 5 days for spring break.
― There are 16 weekend days.

The total on-court activity is 50 hours during the 59 day season. This breakdown is similar at many of the top schools and will vary based on the weather, qualifications of the coach, budget, and the number of players and courts.

It is great that girls have an opportunity to play in a high school tennis program. At the same time it is a challenge for high school athletic departments to make the program meaningful for the athletes given that most programs face significant budgetary and facility challenges and the fact the athletes have limited time in competition and practice while they are in the program.

American Tennis Without the Williams Sisters

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Since they first hit the tour, Venus and Serena Williams have been the face of women’s tennis in the U.S. The following tables show the gap between the Williams sisters in age, ranking, and earnings.

Seventeen American women were entered in the first Grand Slam of the year, the 2016 Australian Open. The following table shows the age, earnings, and rank of the first-round women losers who represented the U.S. in Melbourne.

Name Age Career Earnings February 9 Ranking
Alison Riske 26 $1.7 million 92nd
Christina McHale 24 $2.2 million 62nd
Sloane Stephens 22 $3.7 million 25th
Anna Tatishvili 26 $1.4 million 116th
Coco Vandeweghe 24 $2.2 million 46th
Samantha Crawford 20 $277,000 110th
Victoria Duval 20 $290,000 587th
Venus Williams 35 $32.6 million 12th
Bethanie Mattek-Sands 30 $4.5 million 77th

The second and third round losers are listed in the table below.

Name Age Career Earnings February 9 Ranking
Irina Falconi 25 $1.2 million 75th
Nicole Gibbs 23 $730 105th
Vania King 27 $3.6 million 227th
Varvara Lepchenko 29 $3.3 million 49th
Madison Brengle 25 $1.2 million 57th
Lauren Davis 22 $1.4 million 99th

The following table lists the same information finalist Serena Williams and Madison Keys, who reached the round of 16.

Name Age Career Earnings February 9 Ranking
Madison Keys 21 $3.1 million 24th
Serena Williams 34 $75.4 million 1st

Despite being the oldest American players, the Williams sisters still continue to dominate in the rankings. It is unlikely the Americans who are 24 or older will make it into the top ten – they are able to compete internationally, but they are not elite players.

Given the track record of the USTA Player Development program, it is not a comforting thought to envision what American tennis will look like without the Williams sisters.

Colorado Girls High School Tennis Has Strong Foundation

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Between the 1999/2000 and 2014/2015 academic years the number of Colorado girls high school tennis programs in Colorado ranged from 110 to 153, with the peak coming in 2014/2015. This increase comes after declines in the two previous seasons. The range of the number of boys and girls programs was similar during these 15 years.

colorado girls high school tennis

For this period, there has been a wide range of participation in girls programs. Interestingly, there is a solid correlation between the number of girls programs and the number of participants. That was not the case with the boys tennis. Over this period the annualized rate of growth in participation is 2.4%.

At its peak in 2008/2009, there were 4,901 participants. The number of participants has since trended downwards, for no obvious reason.

The lowest number of participants during this period occurred in 1999/2000.

colorado girls high school tennis

Between 1999 and 2015 the Colorado population increased by from 4.2 million to 5.4 million. This is a gain of 1.2 million people, at an annualized rate of 1.7%.

The number of females between the ages of 15 and 19 increased from 144,081 in 1999 to 176,661 in 2015. This is a gain of 32,580, at an annualized rate of 1.4%. It appears that girls tennis is growing at a much higher rate than the population of females in the 15-19 year range.

Over the past three years the average number of players per program has been about 30 students.

colorado girls high school tennis

There are a number of factors that are a challenge to girls high school tennis in Colorado such as the lack of quality coaches and adequate funding and facilities. Nationally, tennis is growing at an annualized rate less than the rate of growth in the U.S. population, (less than 1.0%). Probably the biggest challenge is that girls tennis in Colorado is a spring sport and the weather in the spring is often windy, cold, and wet.

On the other hand, many girls participate in programs because the season is short, most players are recreation level players, and many programs emphasize the social aspect of the sport.

Colorado girls tennis has a strong foundation and should continue to grow.

Source: NFHS.

American Men Have Weak Performance at Australian Open

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Both the past director of USTA Player Development, Patrick McEnroe, and the current director, Martin Blackman, have spoken highly about the group of American junior boys who are transitioning into the professional ranks. Several of these youngsters took that step at the 2016 Australian Open. Their results showed they have potential, but it is clear they are the new kids on the block.

There were 14 American men in this year’s Grand Slam Down Under. The six first-round losers included newcomer Taylor Fritz and veterans Bjorn Frantangelo, Sam Querrey, Ryan Harrison, Brian Baker, and Donald Young.

Six of the eight remaining players were ousted in the second round with 1-1 records. Noah Rubin, the only youngster, was accompanied by the following players with more experience Denis Kudla, Austin Krajicek, Rajeev Ram, Tim Smyczek, and Jack Sock.

Journeyman Steve Johnson was ousted in the third round with a 2-1 tournament record.

John Isner, was defeated in the round of 16 with a 3-1 record. As is usually the case, he held his seed (#10). Overall the American men won 9 matches and lost 14.

Hats off to Novak Djokovic for capturing his sixth Australian tournament. He is now tied with Roy Emerson for the most number of Australian Open singles tournaments.

Historically, only a handful of Americans juniors have participated in the Australian Open. Only three American boys entered the junior event this year. Ezekiel Clark lost in the first round. Ulises Blanch exited in the second round (1-1) and Liam Caruana lost in the round of 16 (2-1).

Once again the Australian Open proved the current American men are capable of playing at the professional level, but they are no match for the world’s elite players. Time will tell if Fritz, Rubin, and their peers can hang with the best in the world.

Next stop French Open.

Women’s Australian Open 2016-Hats off to Serena

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For the second consecutive Grand Slam Serena Williams was denied in the finals. This time Angelique Kerber delivered the knockout punch in a magnificent three-set match at the Australian Open. Williams loss begs the question, “Who will be the face of American tennis (not just women’s tennis) when Serena retires?”

Seventeen American women were entered in the first Grand Slam of 2016. Only eight advanced to the second round. The nine first-round losers included Alison Riske, Christina McHale, Sloane Stephens, Anna Tatishvili, Coco Vandeweghe, Samantha Crawford, Victoria Duval, Venus Williams, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

The three second-round losers included Irina Falconi, Nicole Gibbs, and Vania King. They were all 1-1.

Another three Americans lost in the third round including Varvara Lepchenko, Madison Brengle, and Lauren Davis. Each of these players had 2-1 records.

Madison Keys held her #15 seed by losing in the round of 16. She was 3-1 overall.

On a day-to-day basis, Williams continues to be untouchable, even though she won 6 of 7 matches and had to settle for the second place trophy.

So which of the American women is going to fill Serena’s shoes when she retires?

Martin Blackman began to address that question ten months when he was picked to head USTA player development. During his short tenure he has indicated that we need to produce more quality tennis players as a way of producing a few elite players.

While ten months isn’t time enough to turn a ship that sunk many months ago, the presence of the American juniors at the 2016 Open was abysmal. Maria Mataes was the lone competitor and was trounced 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the Girls Junior event. Clearly the U.S. has a ways to go before there is quantity and quality.

While all of the American women athletes are outstanding players, only Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens have demonstrated they may have the potential to become  elite players. In the case of Stephens, her stock has fallen sharply over the past year.

Americans can only hope that Serena finds the fountain of youth. While there is reason to feel good about what if being said by Blackman and those in the USTA Player Development program, the future of American men’s and women’s professional tennis remains bleak.

Hats off to Serena Williams for another great performance!

Colorado Boys High School Tennis On Solid Footing

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Between the 1999/2000 and 2014/2015 academic years the number of Colorado boys high school tennis programs ranged from 110 to 144, with the peak coming in 2007/2008. Since that time, there has been a decline in the number of programs. The range of the number of boys and girls programs was similar during these 15 years.

colorado boys high school tennis

For this period, there has been a wide range of participation in boys programs. Interestingly, the number of participants has a low level of correlations with the number of programs. At its peak, there were 3,707 participants, although that number appears to be an aberration. With the exception of this value, the number of participants ranged from 2,059 to 3,061. The number of participants has trended downward since 2010/2011. Over this period the annualized rate of growth in participation is 2.2%.

colorado boys high school tennis

Between 1999 and 2015 the Colorado population increased from 4.2 million to 5.4 million. This is a gain 1.2 million people, at an annualized rate of 1.7%.

The number of males between the ages of 15 and 19 increased from 156,330 to 185,377. This is a gain of 29,047 males, at an annualized rate of 1.1%.

On average there were 23 participants per team over the past three years.

colorado boys high school tennis programs

There are a number of factors that are responsible for Colorado boys high school tennis not growing at a faster rate, including inadequate funding, facilities, and the lack of quality coaches. As well, U.S. tennis is growing at a long-term annualized rate less than the rate of growth in the U.S. population, (less than 1.0%). Probably the most important reason why the sport is not showing stronger growth is stiff competition from other fall sports. Football is the dominant fall sport, but cross country, soccer, golf and lacrosse are popular sports.

Overall, Colorado boys high school tennis is on solid footing, despite recent challenges.

Source: NFHS.

U.S. High School Girls Tennis Shows Modest Growth

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This post summarizes participation in U.S. girls tennis programs based on data from the National Federation of State High School Associations (http://www.nfhs.org).

In 1969-70 there were no tennis high school programs in the United States. Participation in the sport exploded overnight when the President signed Title IX into law in 1972. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in any federally funded education program or activity. In addition, interest in the sport rose precipitously as a result of the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match and the subsequent tennis boom. By 1979-80 there were 8,443 high school programs.

For the next decade the number of girls programs remained flat and there were 8,550 programs in 1989-90. Steady growth has occurred since that date. In 1994-95 the data shows there were 10,270 teams, although this number appears to be an anomaly or a glitch in the data.

In 2014-2015 there were 10,099 programs.

high school girls tennis

As might be expected, the trend for the number of participants is similar to the number of programs. In 1969-70 there were no participants. Between then and 1977-78 the number of participants the number of participants reached 147,365.

As a result of the bust in the tennis industry, participation plummeted to 114,177 in the 1983-84 season. From that point, the number or participants increased gradually to 182,395 in 2009-2010. It has remained flat since then.

In 2014-25 there were 182,876 participants.

high school girls tennis

Title IX is the primary reason for the growth of the sport. Other factors that have caused participation to rise and fall are the overall popularity of tennis and competition from other girls sports. Other factors impacting the number of participants are the size of school budgets, local feeder programs, and the number of qualified coaches in the school districts.

Between 1999-00 and 2014-15 the number of programs increased at an annualized rate of 0.43% while the number of participants rose by 0.91%.

The average number of participants per program ranged from 13.6 to 18.6 players.

high school girls tennis

High school girls tennis is a small, but important part of the U.S. tennis population. The number of participants is likely to grow at a rate similar to the growth in the U.S. population.

U.S. High School Boys Tennis Shows Steady Growth

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This post focuses on participation in U.S. high school boys tennis programs. It is based on data from the National Federation of State High School Associations (http://www.nfhs.org).

In 1969-70 there were 6,221 boys high school programs in the U.S. Interest in the sport rose precipitously as a result of the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs “Battle of the Sexes” match and the subsequent tennis boom. By 1979-80 there were 9,912 high school programs.

The tennis bust happened more quickly than the boom and that downturn was reflected in the data. By 1983-84 the number of boys programs had fallen to 8,644.

From that low point, the number of programs gradually increased. During the 2009-10 season there was a record number of boys teams – 9,916 teams. This was 4 more programs than the previous peak in 1979-1980.

In 2014-2015 there were 9,725 programs.

high school boys tennis

As might be expected, the trend for the number of participants is similar to the number of programs. In 1969-70 there were 83,717 participants. Between then and 1977-78 the number of participants more than doubled to a peak of 170,653 participants.

By the 1983-84 season, participation had plummeted to 118,539. From that point, the number increased gradually to 162,755 in 2009-2010.

In 2014-25 there were 157,240 participants.

high school boys tennis

Factors that have caused interest in the sport to rise and fall are the overall popularity of tennis and competition from other sports such as lacrosse and cross country. In some schools Title IX may have reduced court time for boys or caused schools to move boys tennis to a different season. Other factors impacting the number of participants are the size of school budgets, the number of local feeder programs, and the number of qualified coaches in the school districts.

Between 1999-00 and 2014-15 the number of programs increased at an annualized rate of 0.08% while the number of participants rose by 0.8%.

The average number of participants per program ranged from 13.5 to 19.2 players.

high school boys tennis

High school boys tennis is a small, but important part of the U.S. tennis scene. The number of participants is likely to grow at a rate similar to or slightly less than the growth in the U.S. population.

Lady Buff Nuria Ormeño Ruiz Qualifies for NIIC

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University of Colorado junior Nuria Ormeño Ruiz won the USTA/ITA Mountain Region Championship on Sunday (October 18). She is the first Lady Buff to capture the regional singles title.

After losing the first set, Ormeño Ruiz rebounded to defeat the University of Denver’s Julia O’Loughlin by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The cubuffs.com website reported that the match began outdoors and was moved inside for the final set because of inclement weather.

With the win, Ormeño Ruiz automatically qualified for the USTA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in New York City on Nov. 12-15. This marks the first time the Buffs have had a singles player competing in the NIIC.  Last season Julyette Steur and Kyra Wojcik were the first Lady Buffs doubles team to qualify for the tournament.

Ormeño Ruiz was born in Madrid, Spain and graduated from the Emilio Sanchez International School in Barcelona. The cubuffs.com website indicates she entered the fall season with 38 singles and 25 doubles career victories as a Lady Buff.

The Lady Buffs have had a strong fall season and will begin the spring season on January 17 in Boulder against Air Force. Make plans now to support the Lady Buffs during their PAC-12 play.

Nuria Ormeño Ruiz