University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, September 20
Cary, N.C.
University of Tennessee
vs
ITA All American Championships (PQ)
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: ITA Women’s All-American Championships
September 19, 2025 | Women's Tennis
CARY, N.C. – The Tennessee Lady Volunteers are set to compete in the first major collegiate tournament of the fall slate, the ITA All-American Championships. The tournament presents an opportunity for 10 individual players and four doubles pairings to earn automatic qualifications to the NCAA Individual Championships in November.
The Lady Vols will send six singles and two doubles entries to the tournament. Catherine Aulia, Leyla Britez Risso and Saray Yli-Piipari earned main draw selections, while Vanesa Suarez, Maeve Thornton, and Elim Yan earned bids to the pre-qualifying draw. On the doubles front, the tandems of Aulia/Britez Risso and Yli-Piipari/Suarez will both compete in the main draw.
Yli-Piipari earned both of her main draw selections by winning ITA's National Summer Championship singles title and doubles title, the latter alongside Suarez. All other selections were made by ITA based on national ranking.
History of the ITA All-American Championships
Since 1983, the ITA Women's All-American Championships have featured the nation's top NCAA Division I players and have been a pioneer in women's college tennis. In addition, the event has created milestones that have directly influenced the popularity of women's collegiate tennis over the years.
Starting in the 2024-25 Tennis season, the NCAA Individual Championships were contested during the fall slate, as opposed to at the end of the spring dual season. In the new format, the ITA All-American Championships serve as a means for 10 singles players (eight main draw quarterfinalists & two feed-in consolation finalists) and four doubles pairs (the four main draw semifinalists) to earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
Last season, Elza Tomase battled to a runner-up finish in the singles draw, good for the best result by a Lady Vol in the history of the event.
ITA All-American Championships Format
Competition will begin on Saturday with the prequalifying draw. The prequalifying singles field of 160 will be shaved via three rounds to 20 advancing athletes, which will round out a qualifying field of 64. The qualifying draw will see 16 athletes advance to the main draw of 64, which will follow a traditional, single-elimination format and crown one champion.
In doubles competition, the prequalifying and qualifying draws will each feature 32 teams, with eight duos advancing from each. Doubles matches will be scored best two out of three sets, with a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a full third set.
Lady Vols Competing
No. 19 Catherine Aulia – Main Draw singles
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso – Main Draw singles
Saray Yli-Piipari – Main Draw singles
No. 121 Vanesa Suarez – Prequalifying Draw singles
Elim Yan – Prequalifying Draw singles
Maeve Thornton – Prequalifying Draw singles
No. 17 Aulia/Britez Risso – Main Draw doubles
Suarez/Yli-piipari – Main Draw doubles
The Lady Vols will send six singles and two doubles entries to the tournament. Catherine Aulia, Leyla Britez Risso and Saray Yli-Piipari earned main draw selections, while Vanesa Suarez, Maeve Thornton, and Elim Yan earned bids to the pre-qualifying draw. On the doubles front, the tandems of Aulia/Britez Risso and Yli-Piipari/Suarez will both compete in the main draw.
Yli-Piipari earned both of her main draw selections by winning ITA's National Summer Championship singles title and doubles title, the latter alongside Suarez. All other selections were made by ITA based on national ranking.
History of the ITA All-American Championships
Since 1983, the ITA Women's All-American Championships have featured the nation's top NCAA Division I players and have been a pioneer in women's college tennis. In addition, the event has created milestones that have directly influenced the popularity of women's collegiate tennis over the years.
Starting in the 2024-25 Tennis season, the NCAA Individual Championships were contested during the fall slate, as opposed to at the end of the spring dual season. In the new format, the ITA All-American Championships serve as a means for 10 singles players (eight main draw quarterfinalists & two feed-in consolation finalists) and four doubles pairs (the four main draw semifinalists) to earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
Last season, Elza Tomase battled to a runner-up finish in the singles draw, good for the best result by a Lady Vol in the history of the event.
ITA All-American Championships Format
Competition will begin on Saturday with the prequalifying draw. The prequalifying singles field of 160 will be shaved via three rounds to 20 advancing athletes, which will round out a qualifying field of 64. The qualifying draw will see 16 athletes advance to the main draw of 64, which will follow a traditional, single-elimination format and crown one champion.
In doubles competition, the prequalifying and qualifying draws will each feature 32 teams, with eight duos advancing from each. Doubles matches will be scored best two out of three sets, with a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a full third set.
Lady Vols Competing
No. 19 Catherine Aulia – Main Draw singles
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso – Main Draw singles
Saray Yli-Piipari – Main Draw singles
No. 121 Vanesa Suarez – Prequalifying Draw singles
Elim Yan – Prequalifying Draw singles
Maeve Thornton – Prequalifying Draw singles
No. 17 Aulia/Britez Risso – Main Draw doubles
Suarez/Yli-piipari – Main Draw doubles
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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