WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary women’s tennis senior Hedda Gurholt was selected to take part in the ITA All-American Championships, beginning on Saturday in Cary, N.C.
Gurholt will open action in the first round of the pre-qualifying draw against TCU’s Raquel Caballero Chica at 3 p.m., at the Cary Tennis Park.
The pre-qualifying draw is 128 players with three rounds. A total of 16 will earn a spot in the 64-player qualifying singles draw, which starts on Monday, Sept. 23. The 64-player main draw begins on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Fans can follow the action on PlaySight and with live stats available on the ITA website.
The winner of Gurholt’s match will face either Princeton’s Isabella Chhiv or Ava Catanzarite of Oklahoma in the second round on Sunday. The third and final round of the pre-qualifying draw is set for Sunday as well. A consolation side of each draw will also be played.
Since 1983, the ITA Women’s All-American Championships have featured the nation’s top NCAA Division I players and have been a pioneer in women’s college tennis. In addition, the event has created milestones that have directly influenced the popularity of women’s collegiate tennis over the years.
A total of 10 singles players will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (eight main draw quarterfinalists & two feed-in consolation finalists). Part of a two-year pilot program starting in 2024, the NCAA Individual Championships will be played to close the fall season as opposed to the spring. Qualification for the event is dependent on not only rankings, but results from the ITA All-American Championships, ITA Regional Championships, ITA Conference Masters Championships and the ITA Sectional Championships.
Gurholt is a two-time CAA Player of the Year and finished last season ranked No. 13 in the ITA Atlantic Region in singles. The Oslo, Norway, native compiled a 28-6 record last season and is off to a 2-0 start this season, winning her singles draw at the season-opening Tribe Invitational. Gurholt owns 74 singles wins during her career and ranks fifth in school history with a 75.5 career singles winning %.
