STANFORD, Calif. - Both Stanford tennis programs will be represented with two participants when tournament play opens Thursday morning at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Sophomores Tom Fawcett and David Wilczynski have secured berths on the men’s side while juniors Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle owns spots in the women’s field.
Fawcett received an at-large bid by reaching the quarterfinals of the Saint Francis ITA All-American Championships in early October. Honored in 2015 as the ITA Northwest Region Rookie of the Year and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Fawcett is making his second career appearance at the event after competing in 2014.
Wilczynski advanced to New York after capturing his first career singles title with a gritty 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory in the final of the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships two weeks ago in Seattle. Wilczynski is making his tournament debut.
Stanford’s most recent singles champion at the event was Alex Kim, who defeated Oskar Johansson of Arkansas 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 in 2001.
Davidson swept the singles and doubles titles at the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships two weeks ago at Taube Family Tennis Stadium. Davidson outlasted Fresno State’s Maier Sherif Ahmed 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in the singles final before later teaming with Doyle for a 7-5, 6-3 victory over California’s Klara Fabikova and Olivia Hauger. Honored as All-Americans in doubles last season, Davidson and Doyle were playing together for the first time in their careers.
The last Cardinal player to claim the singles crown at the event was Laura Granville, who defended her crown in 2001 with a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Duke’s Ansley Cargill. Stanford’s most recent doubles champion was the duo of Hilary Barte and Lindsay Burdette in 2009, rallying past Tennessee’s Natalie Pluskota and Caitlin Whoriskey 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
The USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships feature 32 of the nation's elite men's and women's singles players, as well as 20 men's and women's doubles teams. Champions from the USTA/ITA Division I Regional Championships, USTA/ITA National Small College Championships Super Bowl, Oracle/ITA Masters and the consolation champions, doubles finalists, men's singles quarterfinalists and women's singles semifinalists from the Saint Francis ITA Men's and Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships earned automatic entry into the NIIC. Both the USTA and ITA selected at-large and wildcard participants, while Columbia University received a wildcard entry into each draw for serving as event host.
