July 16, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The USTA today announced that University of Notre Dame senior Quentin Monaghan will be among the group of top America collegiate players selected to play in the second annual American Collegiate Invitational at the 2015 US Open, September 10-12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.
The American Collegiate Invitational, open only to American college players, began last year as a way to spotlight college tennis during the US Open. Eight men and eight women will play single-elimination singles tournaments Thursday to Saturday during the second week of the US Open, with the winners receiving a wild card into the 2016 US Open, main draw or qualifying, depending on their ranking next summer.
Monaghan, a native of Chatham, New Jersey, broke out during the 2014-15 collegiate season, compiling a a 33-7 singles record, including a 20-3 mark in dual play. He advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championship and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings to become the first Irish All-American since Stephen Bass finished the season with a No. 10 singles ranking in 2007.
Monaghan will be the second student-athlete to represent the Irish at the American Collegiate Invitational. Greg Andrews competed in the inaugural event in 2014.
The fields are comprised of the top two players in the ATP/WTA rankings (as of June 1) and the top five players in the year-end ITA singles rankings (excluding those selected by pro ranking), including at least two graduating seniors or players who have turned pro or exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Monaghan will join Gonzalez Austin (Vanderbilt), Mitchell Frank (Virginia), Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Virginia), Winston Lin (Columbia), Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA) and reigning NCAA singles champion Ryan Shane (Virginia), as well as a to-be-named wild card to fill out the men’s field.
The men’s and women’s American Collegiate Invitational champions will receive main draw wild card entries into the 2016 US Open if either is ranked No. 120 or better by the US Open entry deadline next summer. Otherwise, the winners will receive qualifying wild cards. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one.
For all things Irish men’s tennis, follow @NDMensTennis on Twitter and like Notre Dame Men’s Tennis on Facebook.
Joanne Norell, Athletics Communications Assistant
-ND-