Elite of College Tennis: The French

This week we are highlighting the top 10 French men and women playing college tennis, as rated by the UTR system. The men’s top 10 is comprised of four sophomores, three seniors, two freshmen, and one junior. The women’s top 10 is comprised of five seniors, four juniors, and one sophomore. 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 Arthur Rinderknech (Texas A&M University, Junior) Rinderknech is back at No. 1 for the second year in a row as the Paris native continues to excel at the top of the Texas A&M lineup. Rinderknech was named an ITA All-American in singles and doubles last year in addition to being named First Team All-SEC. Last season Rinderknech went 26-12 in singles and 34-9 in doubles and he and Jackson Withrow finished as the runner-ups at the NCAA Doubles Championships. This past fall Rinderknech went 9-3 in singles and repeated as the ITA Texas Region Singles Champion. Rinderknech already has seven ranked wins in dual-match play this season and is currently ranked No. 12 in the latest ITA singles rankings #4 Thomas Laurent (University of Oregon, Sophomore) The sophomore from Montpellier was named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention last season but he’s a lock to be named All-Pac-12 First Team this season. Last season Laurent joined the team in January and went 19-6 in singles while playing primarily at No. 2 and No. 3. This past fall Laurent went 10-2 in singles while qualifying for the main draw at the ITA All-Americans plus he won the top singles flight at the Duck Invitational. Laurent started off this season by winning his first 14 dual-matches with all his starts coming at No. 1. Laurent is currently ranked No. 40 in the latest ITA singles rankings. #9 Alexandre Peyrot (University of West Florida, Senior) The senior from Castelnaudary is a three-time ITA All-American in singles and last season he added All-American honors in doubles as well. Peyrot went 15-4 in dual-match singles play last season with all but three of those matches coming at the top spot in the lineup. This past fall Peyrot and his doubles partner Pedro Dumont won the Division II South Region Doubles Championship and then a few weeks later they won the Division II Oracle Cup. This season Peyrot is 11-3 in dual-match singles play with three of those wins coming over top 12 opponents while he and Dumont are 12-2 in dual-match doubles play. Peyrot and Dumont are ranked No. 1 in the latest ITA doubles rankings while Peyrot is ranked No. 3 in the singles rankings WOMEN #1 Alizee Michaud (Auburn University, Junior) Michaud had a superb sophomore season at Auburn and was named First-Team All-SEC while also being named an ITA All-American in doubles. Last season Michaud went 18-4 in dual-match play while splitting time between No. 2 and No. 3 in the lineup. This past fall Michaud went 10-3 and won the ITA Southern Region Singles Championship plus she won a singles flight at the Rice Invitational. Michaud started off this season by winning 15 of her first 16 dual-matches with all but one coming at the top spot in the singles lineup. Michaud is currently ranked No. 34 in the latest ITA singles rankings. #6 Marie Faure (College of William & Mary, Senior) The senior from Toulouse was named First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association in both singles and doubles last season after going 16-8 in singles and 13-8 in doubles. This past fall Faure went 10-4 in singles and won the ITA Atlantic Region Singles Championship which earned her a spot in the National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. Faure has won seven dual-match this season while splitting time between No. 1 and No. 2. #7 Lucile Pothier (Abilene Christian University, Junior) The junior from Mouxy is coming off a tremendous sophomore year in which she was named First-Team All-Southland Conference after going 24-7 in singles. This past fall Pothier won 10 matches including a pair at the Oracle ITA Masters while also making it to the finals at the Air Force Invitational. As of March 23rd, Pothier has won her last eight dual-matches while winning 16 of 17 sets with most of the sets rather lopsided. The women’s top 10 is heavy with upperclassmen so we’ll see a big turnover after this season - the question is who is ready to fill those spots? About UTR The Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system provides tennis players worldwide a common scale to determine 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. Arthur Rinderknech Jr Texas A&M University
2. Florian Lakat Sr University of California
3. Constant De La Bassetiere So Penn State University
4. Thomas Laurent So University of Oregon
5. Maxime Tchoutakian Sr Baylor University
6. Valentin Vacherot Fr Texas A&M University
7. Thibault Cancel Fr University of Alabama
8. Alex Favrot So Clemson University
9. Alexandre Peyrot Sr University of West Florida
10. Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff So University of Louisville

1. Alizee Michaud Jr Auburn University
2. Leolia Jeanjean Jr University of Arkansas
3. Sybille Gauvain Jr San Jose State University
4. Maeva Razakasoa Sr Long Beach State University
5. Clara Tanielian So University of Miami (Florida)
6. Marie Faure Sr College of William and Mary
7. Lucile Pothier Jr Abilene Christian University
8. Marie Klocker Sr San Jose State University
9. Julie Gerard Sr Long Beach State University
10. Timea Guibe Sr James Madison University

Feature photo: Alizee Michaud of Auburn University