Tennis: Women’s tennis back on a new campaign, set sights on the 2023 fall tournaments
The Lady Owls concluded the previous season tumbling in their last four games, providing a bittersweet ending to their season. However, the Owls are looking forward to the 2023-2024 season, focusing on the present and the development of the players to reach their full potential.
The team’s veterans completed their programs and graduated last season. Respectively playing on courts one and two, Martina Kudelova played a program-record 105 singles matches for the Owls, 22 more games than any other player in the program. She was named in the Second Team Conference USA selection in May to close her collegiate career.
On the other hand, Katerina Filip contributed 33 wins in three years in singles with the program.
With the departure of the two graduates, the current roster presents seven players, including newcomer Panna Bartha, a freshman from Hungary. She brings her skills and depth to the line-up as an experienced participant at the 2022 Wimbledon. Bartha reached the junior ranking career-high 84 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and currently stands at 85 since the last update.
Bartha joins junior Millie-Mae Matthews, who posted a 14-10 singles mark last season, and freshman Victoria Gomez O’Hayon, who finished with 10-10 singles by only joining the flock this January. She will also be surrounded by other returning Owls: sophomore Carla Galmiche, redshirt junior Amber McGinnis, sophomore Maya Shanok, and junior Lexi Silna.
The Owls have been preparing for the new Fall tournaments and bonding in the spirit to move forward as a collective unit to attain their highest objectives. They had an opportunity to train and draw inspiration this Thursday from one of the top high-ranking players, Marie Bouzková, who currently stands at 30 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), before heading out on the road.
“Our main goal right now is to stay focused in the present…Honestly, having a great group of girls where they’re working hard every day, I’m super pleased with how we’re coming along,” said head coach Ricardo Gonzalez.
While the coaching staff have created a joyful environment for their players to train, the team seems ready and excited to take their games to the upcoming ITF Fall Tournament scheduled for the end of September, as their focus remains locked in at the moment and as a priority for Gonzalez.
“Obviously, we always want to get out there and win. You have the biggest stages, but the reality is we just need to stay focused on what we’re doing. If each individual keeps doing what they’re doing, the result will take care of itself as long as they’re fighting and competing hard. I’ll be pleased with that,” Gonzalez said.
The Lady Owls have much more reason to focus on their games this season than prior, as now they have a shot to transitioning as a wildcard to enter a pro-tournament, per the new ITF College Accelerator Programme.
It is a groundbreaking initiative that paves the way for U.S. college athletes to have a chance to compete at the ITF World Tennis Tour (WTT) Women’s, through a collaborative effort with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and the WTA.
“I think it’s great,” Coach Gonzalez stated. “I think this is a big part of what tennis college is. It’s getting better and better because of these opportunities. I think it’s great that the best players in the country, collegiate, are able to get some wildcards and future opportunities for professional trainers.”
This effort by the ITF already saw last season’s top 5 ranking in the NCAA Division benefit from it. One of the players was Fiona Crawley from the University of North Carolina, who held the No. 1 spot in NCAA Division 1 but lacked a WTA ranking as recently as April 2023, earned a wildcard entry into the U.S. Open women’s singles qualifying draw from the USTA. She seized this opportunity to defeat opponents such as Reka Luca Jani, former world No. 25 Timea Babos, and the No. 13 seed in qualifying, Kimberly Birrell. This impressive performance led to her debut in the U.S. Open main draw and a current WTA ranking 552.
Nevertheless, her effort did not come without controversy when she had to forfeit $81K due to the NCAA rules that she is a collegiate athlete.
The ITF Fall Tournament begins September 24 in Hilton Head, S.C., and the FAU Women’s Tennis team will be on the road to start their endeavor.
Gasner Delvarin Jr. is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email gdelvarinjr2017@fau.edu or DM via Instagram at gdeljr.
Latest University Press
- FAU’s new Presidential search committee aims for January 2025 candidate listThe first Florida Atlantic University Presidential Search Committee meeting took place Wednesday, officially kicking off the search for the university’s next president after a year-long hold. The Presidential Search Committee Chair, Sherry Murphy, led the meeting to discuss important elements of the new search process, including the duties of the Presidential Search Committee, the implications...
- Racing into the depths: FAU’s Human-Powered Submarine team brings home 2nd place trophyThe Human-Powered Submarine Team (HPS), an ocean engineering club at Florida Atlantic University, competed in the bi-annual European International Submarine Races (EISR) in Gosport, England from June 22 to July 6. HPS, composed of seven aspiring young FAU engineers, faced off against 11 university teams from around the world in a multi-day event that tested...
- ‘A constant reminder’: MSD graduates from FAU frustrated with timing of building demolitionEditors Note: This story was updated on June 20 to add a statement from a Broward County Public Schools official on their plan to replace the building. On June 15, crowds of people gathered behind the campus fence of Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School to watch the demolition of the 1200 Building, the site...
- FAU community reacts to historic Trump convictionOn May 30, a New York 12-person jury found former U.S. President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. The unanimous decision has ignited diverse reactions within the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) community. Many consider it a historical moment that could significantly impact the current political climate, the broader societal landscape and...
- FAU experts offer tips for hurricane seasonAs the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season set sail, starting June 1 and ending on Nov. 30, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast predicted an 85% chance of above-normal activity. NOAA named a range of 17 to 25 storms for this season, powered by the La Niña weather patterns and above-average ocean temperatures. On...
- BOT Chair Piero Bussani announces the new FAU Presidential Search CommitteeOn Tuesday, Piero Bussani, Chair of the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Board of Trustees (BOT), announced via email to the FAU community the formation of a new 15-member Presidential Search Committee. This initiative marks the revival of the presidential search process, which had been on hold for nearly a year. Bussani said the formation of...