Elite of College Tennis: The Brazilians

This week we are highlighting the top 10 Brazilian men and women playing college tennis, as rated by the UTR system. The men’s top 10 is comprised of four sophomores, two juniors, two freshmen, and two seniors. The women’s top 10 is comprised of four juniors, four sophomores, and two seniors. 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. Gabriel Friedrich (University of South Carolina) The junior from Porto Alegre had a successful first year in Columbia and was named All-SEC Second Team after winning 21 singles matches which included five wins over ranked opponents. One of Friedrich’s top accomplishments last season was winning the USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational and then he also defeated a top 20 opponent in the opening round of the NCAA Singles Championships in May. This past fall Friedrich finished as the runner-up at the ITA Carolina Regional Championship and he also made the semifinals at the SEC Coaches Fall Classic. This spring, Friedrich has a 12-8 dual-match record, with six wins over ranked opponents, which has earned him a singles ranking of No. 46 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings. 2. Leonardo Telles (University of Texas) The sophomore from Sao Paulo had to sit out his freshman year but he’s hit the ground running this season. Telles got his feet wet in the fall by picking up five singles wins including a win over a top 50 opponent at the Cajun Tennis Classic. Telles won his first eight dual-matches this spring with the first six coming in straight sets. One of Leo’s biggest wins came against California when he won the deciding match in a third set to clinch a top 10 win for his team. Telles is 15-3 in dual-match singles play with most of his starts coming at No. 5. Telles and his doubles partner George Goldhoff are currently ranked No. 78 in the latest Oracle/ITA doubles rankings. 10. Arthur Fagundes (The University of Texas at Tyler) The sophomore from Curitiba had an exceptional freshman season and was named the ITA West Region Newcomer of the Year after going 20-9 in singles and 19-7 in doubles. This past fall Fagundes won the ITA DIII Southwest Regional Championship and then he won his opening round match at ITA Oracle Cup. This spring Fagundes went 12-2 in dual-match play with all 14 starts coming at the top of the singles lineup. Fagundes has six ranked wins on the year and is currently ranked No. 9 in the latest Oracle/ITA DIII singles rankings Women 1. Luisa Stefani (Pepperdine University) The sophomore from Sao Paulo had an accolade filled freshman year after going 40-6 in singles and 27-6 in doubles. Last season Stefani was named the ITA National Rookie of the Year and an ITA All-American in singles while also being named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. This past fall Stefani finished as the runner-up at the Oracle ITA Masters after defeating a pair of top 5 opponents. Stefani has been named the WCC Singles Player of the Week four times this season and eight times in her two years in Malibu. Stefani has nine ranked wins this year and is 11-3 in dual-match play with all starts coming at the top spot in the singles lineup. Stefani is currently ranked No. 12 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings 2. Ingrid Martins (University of South Carolina) The sophomore from Rio de Janeiro was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team last season after winning 49 combined matches. Martins won a team-high 26 matches in doubles while picking up 23 wins in singles including a 14-9 mark in dual-match play with most of her starts coming at No. 2. This past fall Martins came through the qualifying draw at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships and then won her opening round main draw match over a top 30 opponent. Martins picked up two ranked wins in route to a semifinal appearance at the ITA Carolina Regional Championships and then she beat another ranked opponent in the opening round of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. Martins missed over a month of dual-match action with an injury this spring but she has still managed to pick up two ranked wins and is currently ranked No. 45 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings. 4. Mariana Humberg (University of Louisville) The junior from Sao Paulo had a pair of solid years at Winthrop before transferring to Louisville this past fall. Two years ago Humberg was named All-Big South Conference Freshman of the Year after going 14-9 in singles while playing at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in the lineup. Last season Humberg was named first-team All-Big South in both singles and doubles after going 21-3 in singles at No. 3 and 18-7 in doubles at No. 1. This past fall Humberg won a singles flight at the Purdue Invite and so far this season she is 15-7 in dual-match play while splitting time between No. 2 and No. 3 singles. Last year there were seven seniors in the men’s top 10 but this year there is only one. Last year’s women’s top 10 had four freshmen but this year there are none. What kind of trends will we see next year? 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. Gabriel Friedrich Jr University of South Carolina
2. Leonardo Telles So University of Texas
3. Guilherme Ristow Hadlich So Pepperdine University
4. Eric Komati Sr University of Alabama - Birmingham
5. Rafael Wagner Fr LSU
6. Marcos Bernardes Fr Tennessee Tech University
7. Gabriel Sidney So Pepperdine University
8. Luiz Faria So Coastal Carolina University
9. Gabriel Nemeth Fr Penn State University
10. Arthur Fagundes So The University of Texas at Tyler

1. Luisa Stefani So Pepperdine University
2. Ingrid Martins So University of South Carolina
3. Samantha Czarniak Sr University of Arizona
4. Mariana Humberg Jr University of Louisville
5. Alory Pereira Jr East Tennessee State University
6. Luisa Da Rosa Sr University of Utah
7. Juliana Cardoso Jr University of South Florida
8. Gabriela Rezende So University of Pittsburgh
9. Emily Chang So ASA College - Miami
10. Marie-Louise Decamps Jr George Washington University

Feature Photo: Luisa Stefani of Pepperdine (Credit: West Coast Conference)