After Virginia tennis players participated in three ITA events throughout the fall to earn NCAA Individual Championship qualification, the stage is now set. Three singles players and a doubles pairing will travel to Orlando, Fla., for the tournament, held Nov. 18-23.
The lineup includes two NCAA Tournament debutantes and two familiar faces. Headlined by the Cavaliers’ No. 2 singles player and two fast-learning and confident sophomores, the 64-player singles draw will feature three of Coach Andres Pedroso’s players, all itching to make a deep run. Additionally, the program’s most experienced doubles pairing earned qualification and will be one of the strongest partnerships in the bracket, the Cavalier players most likely to make a deep run.
Dylan Dietrich
Junior Dylan Dietrich has shown a capacity to beat any player on earth since arriving in Charlottesville, and this fall has been no exception. The Swiss standout is ranked No. 9 in singles and is a two-time ITA All-American. He has successfully qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships for the third consecutive year, earning the No. 7 seed in the draw.
Having represented Switzerland at the FISU World University Games this summer and beaten two highly-ranked professional players two weeks ago at the Charlottesville Challenger, Dietrich brings international experience and professional maturity to Orlando. As one of the most battle-tested players in the ACC, his composure and positive mentality could prove vital.
"I've been really enjoying competing this semester,” Dietrich said. “I'm really looking forward to playing competitive matches. When they get close and it's a really hard fight, I'm really enjoying it. So I feel like that's something I want to embrace at the tournament there.”
Keegan Rice
Canadian sophomore Keegan Rice, ranked No. 98, was Virginia’s No. 3 singles player in the spring and put together a solid record given the high-level opponents he was facing as a freshman. After a summer spent playing professional tournaments and working on his craft, Rice is on a tear this fall — compiling a 12-2 record against collegiate opponents and recently earning his first ever Challenger main draw win.
Rice qualified out of the ITA Atlantic Regional, facing teammate and senior Måns Dahlberg in the semifinals, winning in three sets, then opting to play against sophomore Jangjun Kim in the finals, despite both having already qualified. Few players have a baseline game like Rice, and Pedroso said Rice’s growing confidence is a huge asset heading into an almost-pro level tournament.
“I think he's one of the guys who has worked the hardest, especially over summer,” Dietrich said. “He feels like his game is starting to turn more into a three dimensional game where he varies the speed, mixes in a slice here and there. I think that really helps him, and that's what makes him play so well.”
Jangjun Kim
Like Rice, sophomore Jangjun Kim’s fall has seen him really come into his own. He played on the bottom half of the lineup in spring, having joined the team in January, and has gone 9-2 in the fall. Like Rice, he has also recently earned his first Challenger main draw win, in the same tournament, too.
Kim qualified out of the ITA Atlantic Regional, losing to Rice in the finals but decisively beating Liberty redshirt freshman Ben Sparks for the bid in the semifinals. Confidence and mentality are vital for the Korean sophomore, whose powerful groundstrokes and decisive movement allow him to feast when he can find an advantage. The results have been there this fall, and, like Rice, he is entering his first NCAA Individual Championships with enough momentum to be a real threat.
“Keegan and Kim — just incredible that they're in the NCAA Tournament their second year in college,” Pedroso said. “But those two guys are gaining confidence faster than we thought. They're getting confidence quickly because they've had a great fall, and they're starting to show that they can win matches at Challenger events, and they can compete with those guys.
Dahlberg and Dietrich
Dietrich and Dahlberg will represent Virginia in the doubles bracket after capturing the ITA Atlantic Regional title in October. This marks the first Cavalier duo to win the regional crown since 2014. The pair defeated teammates Rice and Kim in the final, a tough-fought match won on a second-set tiebreak.
The duo is now in their second year playing together, and that familiarity is apparent. They are one of the most dangerous doubles pairing in the country — ranked No. 18 — and have a complimentary style that pairs Dietrich’s near-unparalleled power with Dahlberg’s creative, whole-court play and one of the best forehands in the business.
“They're best friends,” Pedroso said. “I mean, they're literally brothers on and off the court. They love playing doubles with each other, [they have] two very different games.”
Dahlberg and Dietrich are 6-0 this fall, having not even dropped a set. The experience is there and so is the momentum, and if the cards fall in the right way, a deep run is more than just a possibility.
“That's an exciting team because they get along so well and chemistry is such a big part of doubles,” Pedroso said. “I would say they're one of the best five, six teams in the country, to be honest, especially based on experience.”
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