Navarro named to USTA Collegiate Summer Team; Ritschard qualifies for Wimbledon

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia women’s tennis sophomore Emma Navarro has been named to the 2022 USTA Collegiate Summer Team, as announced Thursday by the United States Tennis Association.

The top 10 American college players (five men, five women) were selected for the training program designed to help America’s premier college players assimilate to professional tennis in a team-oriented environment via the USTA Pro Circuit.

Each of the players was selected based on a number of criteria, including rankings, individual collegiate tournament results or Intercollegiate Tennis Association honors. Players on the team are eligible to receive a grant for travel to USTA Pro Circuit events and coaching support over the summer.

Vanderbilt assistant coach Hayley Carter will accompany the women at the tournaments and also provide assistance to any American collegians playing at tournaments throughout the summer. 

Navarro was also a member of the 2021 USTA Collegiate Summer Team.

2022 USTA Collegiate Summer Team

Women
Eryn Cayetano (Jr., USC; Long Beach, Calif.)
Sarah Hamner (Fr., South Carolina; Boca Raton, Fla.)
Connie Ma (Fr., Stanford; Dublin, Calif.)
Emma Navarro (Soph., Virginia; Charleston, S.C.)
Peyton Stearns (Soph., Texas; Mason, Ohio)

Men
Murphy Cassone (Fr., Arizona State; Overland Park, Kan.)
Stefan Dostanic (Jr., USC; Irvine, Calif.)
Cannon Kingsley (Jr., Ohio State; Northport, N.Y.)
Sam Riffice (Sr., Florida; Orlando, Fla.)
Ben Shelton (Soph., Florida; Gainesville, Fla.)

Ritschard advances through to Wimbledon main draw

Virginia men’s tennis alum Alexander Ritschard has advanced through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw of Men’s Singles at The 2022 Championships being held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, U.K. June 27- July 10.

This is the first time Ritschard (Zurich, Switzerland) has qualified to play in a Grand Slam. He advanced to the qualifying final last month at Roland-Garros.

Ritschard, who is currently ranked No. 192 in the world, defeated Croatian Duje Ajdukovic 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the qualifying final to punch his ticket. He opened the qualifying tournament with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win against Stuart Parker and followed with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Nicolas Kicker to advance to the final.

At Virginia, Ritschard played three seasons for the Cavaliers as a member of the 2015-17 NCAA Championship teams. In his senior season, he played at the No. 1 singles position, was named the ITA Atlantic Region Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award Winner and the ITA Atlantic Region’s Most Improved Senior while also earning a place on the All-ACC Second Team. Ritschard has won five Futures titles in his professional career and made the finals of the Forli Challenger in Italy last year.

Ritschard is the 16th different Cavalier to play in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. At least one UVA alum has played in each of the last 53 Grand Slams dating back to 2009 Wimbledon.