Elite of College Tennis: The Spanish

This week we are highlighting the top 10 Spanish men and women playing college tennis, as rated by the UTR system. The men’s top 10 is comprised of four sophomores, two seniors, two juniors, and two freshman. The women’s top 10 is comprised of four seniors, three freshmen, two sophomores, and one junior. 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. Jose Salazar (University of Arkansas) The senior from Tenerife began his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma before transferring to the University of Arkansas after his sophomore year. The move immediately paid off for Salazar who was named a second-team All-SEC selection last year while winning 32 matches and finishing with a top 75 singles ranking. This past fall Salazar won the ITA Central Regional Championship which earned him a spot at the prestigious National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. Salazar defeated five ranked opponents in the fall and so far in the dual-match season he has racked up another six ranked wins while playing primarily at No. 2 in the lineup. Salazar is currently ranked No. 29 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings while he and teammate Mike Redlicki are ranked No. 7 in the latest doubles rankings. 3. Alberto Barroso-Campos (University of South Florida) The sophomore from Montijo won a basket full of awards during his freshman season at D2’s St. Leo University. Barroso-Campos was named an ITA All-American in both singles and doubles, an ITA Scholar Athlete, the ITA South Region Rookie of the Year, and the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. Barroso-Campos made the jump to D1 this season and had a nice fall which included winning five matches at the ITA All-American Championships before falling in the final round of qualies. Barroso-Campos currently has a 12-4 dual-match record while playing primarily at No. 3 in the lineup. He has six ranked wins this season and is currently ranked No. 101 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings. 6. Jorge Martinez (Tyler Junior College) The freshman from Eiche excelled during the fall and his spring season has been just as exceptional. Martinez started off his collegiate career by winning a pair of matches against D1 competition at the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational. Martinez made it to the finals of the ITA JUCO Southwest Regional Championship and then he won the ITA JUCO Oracle Cup by defeating two of the top four ranked players. Martinez defeated the top ranked player in D3 in the all-division Oracle Cup semifinals before falling in the finals to the top ranked player from D2. Martinez is currently the No. 1 ranked player in the latest singles rankings while only dropping one set so far during the dual-match season. WOMEN 1. Estela Perez-Somarriba (University of Miami FL) The freshman from Madrid won her first five collegiate matches in the fall which included winning a singles flight at the Bedford Cup. She started off her spring by going 3-0 at the Miami Spring Invite and then she won six of her first seven dual-matches while splitting time between No. 2 and No. 3 in the singles lineup. After the hot start Perez-Somarriba was bumped up to the top spot in the lineup and since the move she has gone 4-1 which has included two wins over ranked competition. Perez-Somarriba has six ranked wins on the season and is currently ranked No. 34 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings. 5. Kana Daniel (University of Pennsylvania) The senior from Valencia has started in the top two of Penn’s singles lineup in each of her four years in Philadelphia. Daniel played primarily at No. 2 during her first two seasons then last year she moved up to No. 1 and went 11-5 in dual-match play while earning first-team All-Ivy League honors in both singles and doubles. This past fall she made it to the semifinals at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships and also won a round at the Oracle ITA Masters. Daniel has won eight dual-matches this spring including a streak of seven in a row from late February to early April. Daniel is currently ranked No. 90 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings. 6. Miriam Canudas (University of Texas at San Antonio) The senior from Torello has been an All-Conference USA first-team or second-team singles selection in each of her three seasons in San Antonio and she has saved her best tennis for her senior season. Rosell Canudas won 11 matches during the fall and made it to the quarterfinals at the ITA Texas Regional Championships. Rosell Canudas has been absolutely dominating her opponents this spring and is an astounding 19-0 with all matches coming at the top spot in the singles lineup. What’s even more impressive is that she’s won 16 of those 19 matches in straight sets while yielding two games or less in 22 of 41 sets. Rosell Canudas is currently ranked No. 97 in the latest Oracle/ITA singles rankings. Both of the men’s top two are seniors while both of the women’s top two are freshmen. It will be interesting to see who will make a move next year on the men’s side - can anyone challenge Alberto Barroso-Campos for the top spot? Also can Estela Perez-Somarriba and Aliona Bolsova hold on to the top spots on the women’s side or will someone else make a move up the charts? 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. Jose Salazar Sr University of Arkansas
2. David Biosca Sr East Tennessee State University
3. Alberto Barroso-Campos So University of South Florida
4. Carlos Divar Fr Georgia Tech
5. Robert Herrera Jr East Tennessee State University
6. Jorge Martinez Fr Tyler Junior College
7. Javier Maestre Jr Old Dominion University
8. Guanarteme Nuez So University of Texas at Arlington
9. Ferran Calvo So Tyler Junior College
10. Antonio Cembellin So Indiana University-Bloomington

1. Estela Perez-Somarriba Fr University of Miami (Florida)
2. Aliona Bolsova Fr Oklahoma State University
3. Andrea Lazaro So Florida International University (FIU)
4. Carla Mari Sr Oklahoma State University
5. Kana Daniel Sr University of Pennsylvania
6. Miriam Canudas Sr University of Texas - San Antonio
7. Marina Espana So East Tennessee State University
8. Marta Gonzalez Fr University of Georgia
9. Nuria Ruiz Sr University of Colorado
10. Elena Cerezo-Codina Jr Virginia Tech

Feature Photo: Jose Salazar of University of Arkansas (Credit: Arkansas Razorbacks)