Oct. 27, 2009
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech sophomore Irina Falconi has as been selected to represent the United States in the fourth annual Master’U BNP Paribas, an international collegiate competition held December 9-14 in Poitiers, France. The event features eight teams composed of college and university players from around the world, the USTA announced.
“I feel completely blessed and honored to be selected for an opportunity to compete with college players from all over the world,” Falconi said. “Being teamed up with Kristy [Frilling] and Caitlin [Whoriskey] is going to be a great experience. I have never been to Europe before I could not ask for a better opportunity to experience it for the first time.”
The U.S. will be competing for the second consecutive year against a talented field that includes teams from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and Mexico. The teams will compete in a best-of-seven format consisting of two men’s and two women’s singles matches, one men’s and one women’s doubles match, and one mixed doubles match.
Falconi will be joined by Kristy Frilling of Notre Dame and Caitlin Whoriskey of Tennessee on the women’s team. The women’s team will be coached by Michelle Dasso, the head women’s tennis coach at the University of Illinois who also served as coach for the U.S. at the 2008 Master’U BNP Paribas.
The men’s team will be coached by Boise State’s Greg Patton and consists of Southern California’s Steve Johnson, Texas A&M’s Austin Krajicek and Kentucky’s Eric Quigley.
The U.S. team was selected through a joint partnership between the USTA and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The Jupiter, Fla., native is competing at the Puerto Rico 25K Women’s Challenger this week in Bayamon, P.R. Falconi will open play against Amanda Fink in the first round of the main singles draw.
– RamblinWreck.com –
