FLUSHING, N.Y. – Stanford junior Tom Fawcett advanced to the semifinals at the third-annual American Collegiate Invitational at the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Fawcett faced Northwestern's Konrad Zieba in the first round, rallying back from dropping the first set 3-6 to turn the tables for a 6-3 win in set two and blanking Zieba 6-0 in the third for the win.
Fawcett will face Thai-Son Kwiatkowski of the back-to-back NCAA Champions, Virginia. Semifinals are set to be played Friday afternoon.
The American Collegiate Invitational, open only to American college players, began in 2014 as a way to spotlight college tennis during the US Open. Eight men and eight women play single-elimination singles tournaments Thursday to Saturday during the second week of the US Open, with the winners receiving a wild card into the 2017 US Open, main draw or qualifying, depending on their ranking next summer. The fields are comprised of the top two players in the ATP/WTA rankings (as of July 18) and the top five players in the year-end Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings (excluding those selected by pro ranking), including at least two graduating seniors or players who have turned pro/exhausted their collegiate eligibility.
The ACI men's champion will receive a main draw wild-card entry into the 2017 US Open if he is ranked No. 120or better by the US Open entry deadline next summer. Otherwise, the winners will receive wild-card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will receive one.
