Oct. 20, 2016
Qualifying Singles Draw | Main Draw Singles | Main Draw Doubles
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team will hit the court this weekend as play begins at the ITA Midwest Regional Championships at Ohio State.
WHAT: 2016 ITA Midwest Regional Championships Presented by Oracle
WHO: Top regional singles and doubles players
WHERE: Varsity Tennis Center | Columbus, Ohio
WHEN: October 20-24, 2016
TWITTER: @NDMensTennis
EVENT PAGE
ITA Midwest Regional Breakdown
Ohio State hosts this year’s ITA Midwest Regional, slated to run Thursday through Monday at the Varsity Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio. Three rounds of qualifying singles play begin Thursday through Friday morning, followed by the start of the singles main draw and doubles competition. A full schedule is below
Thursday
8 a.m. ââ’¬” 1st round singles qualifying
1 p.m. ââ’¬” 2nd round singles qualifying
Friday
8 a.m. ââ’¬” 3rd round singles qualifying
12:15 p.m. ââ’¬” 1st round singles main draw
4:30 p.m. ââ’¬” 1st round doubles
Saturday
7 a.m. ââ’¬” Consolation matches
8:45 a.m. ââ’¬” 2nd round singles main draw
1 p.m. ââ’¬” 3rd round singles main draw
4:30 p.m. ââ’¬” 2nd round doubles
7:15 p.m. ââ’¬” 3rd round doubles
Sunday
9:00 a.m. ââ’¬” Quarterfinals singles
11:30 a.m. ââ’¬” Quarterfinals doubles
12:30 p.m. ââ’¬” Semifinals doubles
Monday
8 a.m. ââ’¬” Semifinals singles
10 a.m. ââ’¬” Finals (singles & doubles)
1 p.m. ââ’¬” Final doubles** only if competing in singles final
Doubles Dominance
Continuing in the tradition of recent dominant doubles squads, senior duo Josh Hagar and Eddy Covalschi enter regional play as the tournament’s top seed. The 26th-ranked Irish pair are 5-1 this fall, having advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ITA All-American Championships two weeks ago. Also seeded for the Irish are No. 11 seeded sophomore Alex Lebedev and freshman Matt Gamble and 16th-seeded sophomore Grayson Broadus and freshman Johnathan Small. Also competing for the Irish in doubles are freshman Guillermo Cabrera and junior Drew Dawson, sophomore Daniel Rayl and freshman Conor Somers, and sophomore Nathan Griffin and junior Brendon Kempin.
Solid Singles Slate
All 12 healthy Irish players will compete in singles, with four slated to begin qualifying play on Thursday and eight entered into the main draw. Junior Brendon Kempin is the highest-seeded Irish player in the qualifying round at No. 3. Junior Drew Dawson, sophomore Nathan Griffin and freshman Conor Somers will also compete in the qualifying stage.
Senior Josh Hagar is the tournament’s No. 4 seed in the singles main draw. Ranked at No. 70 entering the fall season, Hagar advanced to the ITA All-American Championships main draw after sweeping through the qualifying round. Hagar is 7-3 on the season and 2-2 against ranked opponents. Also earning seeds are No. 12 Eddy Covalschi, No. 18 Alex Lebedev, No. 20 Grayson Broadus, No. 21 Johnathan Small and No. 24 Guillermo Cabrera.
— ND —
Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, and earned her master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown University in 2013.