Fall Slate Begins Friday in Malibu

NORMAN – The Oklahoma men's tennis team begins its fall schedule this weekend with a trip to Malibu, Calif., to take part in the 2015 Oracle/ITA Masters at the Malibu Racquet Club.

Three-time All-American senior Axel Alvarez headlines an impressive field at the first collegiate tournament of the 2015-16 season. The event features 16 of the best returning singles players from last season, including six players who finished the year in the top-15 of the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings.

When you start getting into main draw at Challengers, the level will start to get them out of their comfort zone, which is good. For this fall, our guys are going to have opportunities to do that and I think it is going to help them long term.
Head Coach John Roddick

“At this point we just want to get some good matches, and you want to feel good about your game when you leave; win or lose,” head coach John Roddick said. “I don't think it's a win-or-lose mentality this weekend, it's about working on your game. [Alvarez] hasn't played matches in a while, so if he wins that's great, but we aren't results oriented this weekend at all.”

Alvarez, the reigning ITA National Collegiate Player of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year, is the highest ranked player in the field. The Asturias, Spain native finished the 2015 season ranked No. 1 in the country after racking up a 39-6 record.

His 39 wins were the third most in a single season in program history and included a streak of 23 consecutive dual matches. Alvarez went 19-3 against top-30 players last season and ran through the Big 12 and NCAA championships at 6-1 playing in the number one position to lead Oklahoma to a Big 12 title and a second consecutive national runner-up finish.

The Oracle/ITA Masters features a 16-player singles draw with all players guaranteed at least two matches. Play begins Friday the 18^th and runs through Sunday the 20^th.

The Sooners' 11-event fall slate features trips to Tulsa, Okla., and New York City for the all-American and national indoor championships as well as four USTA Challenger events. Oklahoma's trip to Tulsa will give the Sooners a glimpse at the host site for the 2016 NCAA Championships which will be held at the University of Tulsa.

“We are playing a lot more ATP Challengers and Futures and I think our guys are excited about that,” Roddick said. “When you start getting into main draw at Challengers, the level will start to get them out of their comfort zone, which is good. For this fall, our guys are going to have opportunities to do that and I think it is going to help them long term.”

Taking part in ATP events also gives the players a chance to accumulate points toward their world ranking.

“We had a lot of guys play in the summer and get some points so we want to continue that momentum,” Roddick said. “As this team gets a little older some will be leaving school and turning pro so they need to start moving up those rankings. That will help them long term.”

To see OU's full 2015 fall schedule click here.

For more on OU Men's Tennis, follow the team @OU_MTennis on Twitter.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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