St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, October 2
Tulsa, Okla.
All Day
St. John's University
vs
University of Tulsa
Four Johnnies Head to ITA All-American Championships
9/30/2021 9:30:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Garcia, Bhakar, Vila Antuna and Guberman to compete against nation’s best
QUEENS, N.Y. (Sept. 30, 2021) - Four members of the St. John's men's tennis team will head to Tulsa, Okla., to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's All-American Championships. Ignacio Garcia, Udayan Bhakar, Yaron Guberman and Axel Vila Antuna are slated to face top collegiate tennis players from across the country.
The nine-day event will be held on the campus of the University of Tulsa at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Competition will begin on Oct. 2 with the 256-man pre-qualifying draw. The top-16 finishers will advance to the qualifying round. After that, the final 64 players will compete in the main draw from Oct. 6-10. All four St. John's players are slated to compete in the singles pre-qualifying bracket this weekend.Â
           Â
In the Red Storm's last appearance at this tournament in 2019, former Johnnie Aditya Vashistha became the first player since 2012 to reach the main draw. Vashitha won seven matches in four days before he fell to then-no. 3 player in the nation, Florida's Oliver Crawford.Â
St. John's is one of just two BIG EAST schools with players who earned a spot in Tulsa, joined by reigning conference champions DePaul. Qualification was based on regional representatives, preseason ITA rankings and at-large selections. Â
In their first appearance on the court this year, the Red Storm finished out strong at the Penn Invite. Vila Antuna led the charge as the only Johnnie to go undefeated in his single matches.Â
Garcia recorded four wins in the debut of his 2021-22 campaign in Philadelphia. The San Juan, P.R., native posted a 13-0 singles record during the spring 2021 season and garnered All-BIG EAST First Team honors.
Bhakar earned one singles victory at the Penn Invite. The senior boasted a team-best 19-4 record during the shortened 2019-20 season, primarily at the no. 2 singles position.Â
Guberman is set to make his first appearance as a Johnnie this weekend.  The freshman did not compete at the Penn Invite.Â
           Â
For more information about ITA All-Americans Championships, visit their webpage here.Â
Â
The nine-day event will be held on the campus of the University of Tulsa at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Competition will begin on Oct. 2 with the 256-man pre-qualifying draw. The top-16 finishers will advance to the qualifying round. After that, the final 64 players will compete in the main draw from Oct. 6-10. All four St. John's players are slated to compete in the singles pre-qualifying bracket this weekend.Â
           Â
In the Red Storm's last appearance at this tournament in 2019, former Johnnie Aditya Vashistha became the first player since 2012 to reach the main draw. Vashitha won seven matches in four days before he fell to then-no. 3 player in the nation, Florida's Oliver Crawford.Â
St. John's is one of just two BIG EAST schools with players who earned a spot in Tulsa, joined by reigning conference champions DePaul. Qualification was based on regional representatives, preseason ITA rankings and at-large selections. Â
In their first appearance on the court this year, the Red Storm finished out strong at the Penn Invite. Vila Antuna led the charge as the only Johnnie to go undefeated in his single matches.Â
Garcia recorded four wins in the debut of his 2021-22 campaign in Philadelphia. The San Juan, P.R., native posted a 13-0 singles record during the spring 2021 season and garnered All-BIG EAST First Team honors.
Bhakar earned one singles victory at the Penn Invite. The senior boasted a team-best 19-4 record during the shortened 2019-20 season, primarily at the no. 2 singles position.Â
Guberman is set to make his first appearance as a Johnnie this weekend.  The freshman did not compete at the Penn Invite.Â
           Â
For more information about ITA All-Americans Championships, visit their webpage here.Â
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Men's Tennis NCAA Selection Show
Tuesday, April 30