After a strong opening performance at the Fab Four Invitational, Duke is set to begin competing for the first national tennis titles of the season at the ITA All-American Qualifiers this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The ITA All-American Championships is the biggest tournament in all of college tennis, bringing together more than 350 of the best collegiate players. The action gets started with the pre-qualifiers Saturday, when four Blue Devils will compete. The players must then win three matches to make it into the qualifiers, where three Duke players are already competing. If they then make it past the qualifiers they will compete in the main draw on October 3-6.
“Obviously the goal is to get as many guys to advance from the pre-qualifiers to the qualifiers, and then hopefully get a couple of guys in the main draw,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. “It can be tricky because there are a lot of very good players in the pre-qualifiers, so a lot of it just depends on the draw.”
The tournament also marks a homecoming for redshirt junior Cale Hammond, who grew up and went to high school in the Tulsa area and will be playing in front of friends and family.
“I’m definitely a little nervous,” Hammond said, “But it definitely makes you play a little better and focus more. It gives me a little extra motivation.”
The tournament will have a different feel for the Blue Devils, as they will be staying with Hammond’s family and friends instead of in a hotel.
“In the evening the whole team hangs out in my living room watching TV and hanging out, playing Ping-Pong and stuff. It’s a lot of fun,” Hammond said.
Hammond hopes that the support of his family and friends will give him the confidence and motivation to perform well this weekend.
“My goal is to make it through the first three matches in the pre-qualifiers and then see how well I’m doing in the qualifiers, and then also try and qualify for doubles with Fred Saba," Hammond said. "I’m playing really good doubles right now, and I think we have a really good chance to do well.”
Coming off an impressive performance in the Fab Four Invitational where Duke took home three titles, Smith likes where the team is at heading into the tournament.
“The Fab Four was really good, just to get a couple matches under our belt and give some guys some confidence," Smith said. "We had a weekend off and two weeks to train so I think we’re feeling pretty good and ready to go.”
Hammond will open up the tournament Saturday for the Blue Devils along with sophomore Josh Levine, freshman TJ Pura and sophomore Daniel McCall. All four of the players enter the tournament with high expectations.
“All the guys are playing well and are in great shape,” Levine said. “I think everybody could be successful in this tournament and have a good fall.”
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