Elite of College Tennis: The Argentinians

This week we are highlighting the top 10 Argentinian men and women playing college tennis, as rated by the UTR system. The men’s top 10 is comprised of three juniors, three sophomores, two seniors, and two freshmen. The women’s top 10 is comprised of four juniors, three sophomores, two seniors, and one freshman. I did a profile on three men and three women and listed their accomplishments to show you why each belongs in the UTR top 10. Men 1.Jordi Arconada (Texas A&M University) The junior from Buenos Aires was named All-SEC Second Team after going a perfect 10-0 in dual-match conference play with his time split between No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 in the singles lineup. Overall Arconada went 19-2 in dual-match play which tied him for the team lead in dual-match wins. Arconada won 18 straight matches from January 28th to April 28th with six of those wins coming over ranked opponents. Arconada is ranked No. 48 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings and that ranking was high enough to earn him a spot in next week’s NCAA Singles Championships. 2. Kevin Konfederak (Georgia Gwinnett College) The junior from Buenos Aires had a great fall after winning the ITA Oracle Cup, in both singles and doubles, for the second year in a row. Konfederak and his doubles partner Jordan Cox won the ITA Oracle Cup Super Bowl and thus earned a spot in the main draw of the prestigious USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. Konfederak and Cox went a perfect 18-0 in doubles in dual-match play while Konfederak went 11-1 in singles with all 12 starts coming at the top spot in the singles lineup. Konfederak defeated six ranked opponents during the regular season and is currently ranked No. 1 in the latest Oracle/ITA NAIA singles rankings. 4. Felipe Martinez Sarrasague (Elon University Sophomore) The sophomore from Buenos Aires was named First-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association for the second year in a row after posting a 15-7 dual-match record with all starts coming at the top spot in the singles lineup. Sarrasague started off his season by defeating two ranked opponents en route to making the finals of the Bonk Invitational and then just before the dual-match season began he won four qualifying matches to make the main draw of the USA F3 Futures in Plantation, Florida. During the spring Sarrasague was named CAA Player of the Week on two occasions with the second coming after a ranked win over a top 70 opponent. Women 1.Sofia Blanco (Oklahoma State University) The sophomore from Cordoba kicked off her collegiate career in the fall by winning a singles flight at the Hall of Fame/ITA Grass Court Invitational in Newport, Rhode Island. Blanco’s strong play continued at the ITA Central Regional Championships where she won three matches to advance to the round of 16 and then a few weeks later she went 3-0 at the SMU Red and Blue Challenge. During the dual-match season Blanco picked up eight singles wins while seeing action at No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6. Blanco and her doubles partner Aliona Bolsova went 17-4 in dual-match play with all starts coming at No. 2 and they finished the regular season ranked No. 48 in the Oracle/ITA doubles rankings. 6. Paula Lopez (University of West Florida) The senior from Tucuman was named the Gulf South Conference Tri-Player of the Year after posting a 17-7 dual-match singles record with all but two starts coming at the top spot in the lineup. Lopez finished the regular season on a 10-match winning streak and helped lead the Argos to the Gulf South Conference regular season and tournament championships. Lopez picked up five ranked wins on the season and is ranked No. 28 in the most recent Oracle/ITA Division II singles rankings. 9. Julia Ascua (Florida Gulf Coast University) The sophomore from Sante Fe was named First-Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference for the second year in a row after a record breaking season in Naples. Ascua won 12 dual-matches in singles while playing primarily at No. 3 and she teamed up with Julianna Curtis to win 12 dual-matches in doubles with all starts coming at No. 1. FGCU won its first-ever ASUN conference championship and Ascua played a big role by winning six of her final seven matches. This is our last UTR Top 10 of the regular season but after the NCAA Tournament be on the lookout for one final piece. About UTR The Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system provides tennis players worldwide a common scale for determining their level of play. The 16-level scale (from beginners to elite world-class professionals), precisely and reliably determines individual players’ ratings based on actual match results without regard for age, gender or where the matches are played. The Universal Tennis website allows visitors to view more than three million tennis results. College tennis coaches utilize UTR ratings for recruiting, for scouting opponents, and also to track the levels of their current players. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) currently uses UTR ratings to assist with selections and seedings for select regional and national events. A UTR subscription is required to search and view player ratings on the UTR system, with pricing starting at forever free for UTR Basic. The UTR Premium Plus allows subscribers access to search and view college team profiles.

1. Jordi Arconada (Jr) Texas A&M University
2. Kevin Konfederak (Jr) Georgia Gwinnett College
3. Juan Soria (Sr) University of South Alabama
4. Felipe Martinez Sarrasague (So) Elon University
5. Agustin Savarino (So) UNC Wilmington
6. Juan Estevarena (Jr) College of Charleston
7. Lautaro Pane (Jr) Pepperdine University
8. Felipe Jaworski (Sr) Georgia State University
9. Stefano Aloy (Fr) Georgia Southern University
10. Juan Araoz (Fr) Hampton University

1. Sofia Blanco (So) Oklahoma State University
2. Ana Madcur (So) University of Miami (Florida)
3. Agustina Serio (Jr) University of Texas at Arlington
4. Carolina Costamagna (Jr) Kansas State University
5. Camila Tumosa (Fr) Loyola Marymount University
6. Paula Lopez (Sr) University of West Florida
7. Chiara Salvo (Sr) Georgia Gwinnett College
8. Maria Zehnder (Jr) Middle Tennessee State University
9. Julia Ascua (So) Florida Gulf Coast University
10. Paula Coyos (Jr) University of West Florida

Feature Photo: Jordi Arconada of Oklahoma State University (Credit: The Eagle)