The 2024-25 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships wrapped up in late November at Baylor University’s Hurd Tennis Center, delivering non-stop action and crowning new national champions in both men’s and women’s events. The end-of-season tournament marked the first year of the fall season pilot for Division I Individual Championships (which would customarily have been played in May 2025).
As college tennis continues to reach new heights, UTR Sports is at the forefront of this evolution. With five of the six champions boasting experience on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT), this year’s tournament showcased the powerful connection between college tennis and the PTT, developing players for greater success. Here's how the standout players fared!
Dasha Vidmanova Made NCAA History
Georgia’s Dasha Vidmanova (UTR 11.54) delivered a commanding performance in the women’s singles final, defeating Auburn’s DJ Bennett (UTR 10.79) 6-3, 6-3. Fresh off her 2024 NCAA Doubles Championship win this spring, the PTT alumna—who debuted on the PTT in the Czech Republic last winter—joins an elite group of players to claim both singles and doubles titles.
Michael Zheng Dominated the Men’s Singles Finals
After finishing as the 2023-24 national singles runner-up this past spring, Columbia’s Michael Zheng (UTR 14.12) delivered a statement win in the men’s singles final, defeating Ozan Baris (UTR 13.86) of Michigan State in a three-set battle. Zheng, who was a semifinalist in the 2022 PTT New York Men’s $25K, secured Columbia’s first NCAA Singles Championship victory since 1906 and the Ivy League’s first singles title in over a century!
Doubles Titles Highlight Rising UTR Stars
On the men’s doubles side, Pedro Vives (UTR 13.63) and two-time PTT champion Lui Maxted (UTR 13.62) of TCU edged Michigan’s Benjamin Kittay (UTR 12.53) and Gavin Young (UTR 13.54) in a nail-biting 6-3, 3-6, 10-2 final. This victory marks TCU’s second-ever NCAA Doubles Championship and adds another milestone to the program’s banner year.
The doubles action continued on the women’s side, where Virginia’s Melodie Collard (UTR 10.59), who recently competed at the PTT $25K Charleston event, and Elaine Chervinsky (UTR 10.37) defeated UCLA’s Olivia Center (UTR 10.03) and Kate Fakih (UTR 10.59) in a 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 battle. The Virginia duo’s victory is the program’s first NCAA Doubles Championship, capping off a historic run for the Cavaliers.
With the fall season now complete, the focus turns to the PTT expansion across more than a dozen prestigious college campuses in 2025. The PTT has already made a significant impact, with top programs like TCU and Texas A&M hosting the $25K professional events.
In 2025, UTR Sports and its partners are taking the PTT to the next level, expanding from 30 to more than 100 events hosted on college campuses, creating even more opportunities for players to win valuable prize money and gain quality match competition close to home.
UTR Sports is also paving the way with initiatives like the $500,000 Tour Card program and its move into the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space. These expansions will provide more opportunities, tougher competition, and a larger platform for student-athletes to take their talents to the next level.
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