The field is set for the NCAA Individual Championships in Athens, and we’ve already got some early favorites for the singles title.
For some, the narrative might gravitate towards who isn’t going to be there — i.e. preseason No. 1 Dylan Dietrich — but at this point, we have who we have and there’s no more reason to make a fuss.
Who is going to be there? Plenty of big names, including No. 5 Devin Badenhorst (Baylor) who got in by the skin of his teeth, scraping by in the Central Sectional quarterfinal playoff. No. 6 All Americans runner-up Keegan Rice (Virginia) will be there. The best player on one of the best teams, No. 7 Aidan Kim (Ohio State) will be there. All Americans champion, No. 80 Roger Pascual Ferra (TCU) looks to follow up his breakout title.
Another narrative includes the rise of the numerous newcomers. These summer signings caught flak from fans as many feel that the older 20-plus-year-old freshmen take away opportunities from juniors. But they are here now, and have made waves in their young college careers.
No. 1 newcomer Luca Preda (Virginia), No. 2 Luciano Ambrogi (Oklahoma), No. 5 Toby Kodat (NC State), No. 6 Bruno Kuzuhara (Clemson), No. 7 Tomasz Berkieta (Texas), No. 10 Igor Kudriashov (Ole Miss) and No. 19 Victor Lilov all are headed to Athens through various qualification paths.
The young 18-year-old freshman Yannick Theodor Alexandrescou (Duke) is also set to compete in Athens, and possibly stake his claim on college tennis glory. But he probably isn’t a player you would pick as your champion if you were to conscript an imaginary bookmaker to let you bet on college tennis.
Who are some safe picks?
I’d stay away from Badenhorst. He struggled mightily to get into the dance, and despite his ranking being at the top among the field, it’s a dangerous bet.
Rice is probably your overall favorite. He didn’t drop a set at the All American Championships in September until the final where he ran into a buzz saw that was Pascual Ferra, who himself did not drop a set the whole tournament. But the Spaniard has not proven it for long enough to be at the top of the board. He went 20-7 last season but mostly played at No. 5 and No. 6 for TCU.
Rice on the other hand went 35-6 playing almost exclusively at No. 2. Four of his six losses came to players who have graduated out of college tennis, or are too good to play the fall (Mees Rottgering, Wake Forest).
It could be fun to pick one of the shiny newcomers. Preda would likely be the favorite just because of the number next to his name, but Berkieta would be a fun sleeper pick.
Wake Forest senior No. 19 Luca Pow could also have something to say, qualifying through the Conference Masters route after getting the ACC bid.
If you are looking for a long-shot, Noah Johnston (Georgia) could be a fun ticket. The sophomore will at least have the crowd support and be playing on his home court.
It’s a fun game to imagine a reality where you can bet on college tennis with a sportsbook. Maybe, that reality is somewhere in our future. But right now, we must play pretend.
