Tide Competes at Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships
9/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
 |
|
On the heels of a successful opening weekend that saw three Alabama tennis players advance to championship matches, the Alabama men’s tennis team will head to Chattanooga, Tenn. this weekend for the Icy Hot/ITA All-American championships.
The Icy Hot/ITA All-American championships are the first of three national championship events of the season and are the largest national collegiate competition of the season with over 300 competitors.
Sophomores Joseph Jung and Luigi D’Agord have received automatic bids into the qualifying rounds of the championships. Jung finished as the runner-up Sunday at the Baylor Invitational. He and D’Agord will look to advance into the championship’s main draw when play begins Monday, October 4.
Five other Alabama players will begin play Friday, October 1 in the pre-qualifying rounds.
“Heading into the ITA All-Americans, we are looking to build on the success of this past weekend,” said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. “This is a tough event with a deep field, but we hope to continue our winning trend into the championships.”
2003 National Champion Benedict Dorsch of Baylor came out of the pre-qualifying round in 2002 to reach the championship’s semifinal round. Among past participants in the Icy Hot/ITA All-Americans are 1999 U.S. Open finalist Todd Martin and James Blake.
