Quinn, Three Longhorns Advance to Wichita $25K Semifinals; Ahn Reaches First Pro Circuit Semifinal in San Diego; Becker Returns to College Tennis, Florida Announces New Assistant Coaches

The semifinals at this week's $25,000 men's USTA Pro Circuit tournament in Wichita Kansas feature some of best-known names in Division I college tennis the past two years, with only one of them, No. 2 Ethan Quinn, seeded. 

Quinn, the 2023 NCAA champion as a redshirt freshman at Georgia, defeated qualifier Alex Kotzen(Columbia, Tennessee) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, and he was the sole semifinalist to finish his quarterfinal in less than two hours.  Quinn's opponent in Saturday's semifinals will be two-time ITA Player of the Year Eliot Spizzirri of Texas, who concluded his collegiate career last month in Stillwater Oklahoma. Spizzirri came from 3-1 down in the third set against No. 8 seed Filip Peliwo of Poland, winning the last five games of the three-hour match 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Spizzirri and Quinn haven't played on the Pro Circuit, but met three times in college in the 2022-23 season, with Quinn winning twice.

Spizzirri's teammate Micah Braswell, who also completed his eligibility last month in Stillwater, advanced to the semifinals with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 3 seed Liam Draxl of Canada, the 2021 ITA Player of the Year at Kentucky. That quarterfinal clocked in at three hours and nine minutes. 

Braswell's opponent in the semifinals is fellow qualifier Sebastian Gorzny, who announced his transfer from TCU to Texas last month. Gorzny, who also reached the Wichita semifinals last year, defeated top seed Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-1, 6-3 in the second round last night, and today got the better of now former teammate Lui Maxted of Great Britain, also a qualifier, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 34 minutes.  Braswell and Gorzny played in the second round of a $25K in Austin back in November of 2022, with Braswell winning 6-3, 6-3; Braswell went on to claim that title, his first and only to date.

The joint SoCal Pro Series events at the University of San Diego, both $15Ks, are also packed with college players in the final four. Recent North Carolina graduate Fiona Crawley, the No. 1 seed in the women's draw, is through to the semifinals, beating No. 7 seed Basak Eryadin of Turkey 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. She will face recent USC graduate Eryn Cayetano, the No. 5 seed, who beat UCLA rising junior Anne Christine Lutkemeyer 6-4, 6-2. Last week's San Diego champion and No. 6 seed Sara Daavettila, the former North Carolina All-American, defeated No. 2 seed Haley Giavara(Cal) 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-0 to set up a meeting with 17-year-old San Diego resident Alyssa Ahn. Ahn, a rising high school senior, is through to her first Pro Circuit semifinal, beating No. 3 seed Hong Yi Cody Wong of Hong Kong 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a two-hour and 51 minute battle. Ahn, who played five of the SoCal Pro Series tournaments last year, going 4-5, is the 2022 USTA National 16s champion. 

The men's draw in San Diego features the only non-American to make the semifinals in this week's USTA Pro Circuit events: University of San Diego's All-American Oliver Tarvet of Great Britain. Tarvet, a rising junior, defeated fellow 20-year-old Jay Friend(Arizona) of Japan 6-2, 7-6(7). No. 8 seed Tarvet will play No. 2 seed Strong Kirchheimer(Northwestern), who beat Collin Altimirano(Virginia) 6-0, 6-4.  

Patrick Maloney(Michigan) defeated No. 3 seed Alafia Ayeni(Cornell, Kentucky) 7-6(5), 7-5 and will play Nathan Ponwith(Georgia, Arizona State), who beat Derek Pham(Oklahoma State) of Australia 6-7(6), 6-1, 7-5 in three hours and five minutes.

The head coaching carousel has slowed as far as head coaching positions go, but there continues to be news on the assistant front. 

After one year out of college tennis, Benjamin Becker, the former Baylor All-American and ATP No. 35, is returning as the associate head coach at the University of Texas. Becker, who was Michigan's associate head coach under Adam Steinberg from 2018-2023 takes over for Ryan Lipman, who is leaving college tennis and returning to Nashville.

Florida has two new men's assistants, with Adam Steinberg naming Anthony Rossi associate head coach. Rossi, who was the men's head coach at Virginia Commonwealth for the past six years. Rossi replaces Matt Cloer, who is returning to the USTA as a National Coach. Max Koller, who was a men's assistant coach at Oklahoma State last season, is the second Florida assistant recently hired.

The Texas A&M women have a new associate head coach in former Georgia State men's coach James Wilson. Wilson, who also coached at Utah State and South Florida, is replacing Jordan Szabo, who is the new head coach at Auburn.