The UNF Tennis Complex will play host to some of the best tennis teams in the country from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11, UNF women’s tennis Head Coach Rodrigo Puebla said.

“Since we started the tournament about four years ago, we’ve been getting more and more teams wanting to come down to play and enjoy the Florida weather,” Puebla said.

However, last year’s tournament provided teams with little sunshine and a lot of delays. Severe rain throughout the tournament caused delayed matches until late in the evening and provided less than desirable playing conditions, Puebla said.

This year’s competition will feature several top 75 quality teams including UCF, Sanford and Coastal Carolina, Puebla said.  UNF will play host to 22 teams over three days of play which will feature three draws for both doubles and singles play.

UNF recently showed that they have some of the top players in the country when their No. 1 doubles team of Raquel Castro and Aline Berkenbrock received a nomination Oct. 3 to participate in the NCAA Regionals.

“Making it to the regionals is a big honor that many people might underestimate,” Puebla said.  “It is similar to All-Star type tournament for college tennis and is not easy to be selected for.”

Puebla said having the home-field advantage comes off as a good and a bag thing. She said playing in front of their own fans excites the girls, but it can sometimes make things more nerve-racking, especially when no fans show up, Puebla said.

“It’s really sad because these girls work really hard and play very good tennis, and sometimes they just don’t get very much support,” Puebla said.

The tennis programs have tried to do different things to attract fans such as an international day they hosted last season, but problems with getting fans still ensue. The matches often fall during the day when students have class, which makes it hard for students to come out. However, UNF works on trying to schedule evening matches for next season, Puebla said.

“If it doesn’t rain, the invitational is a perfect opportunity to watch UNF’s tennis teams play some exciting tennis,” Puebla said.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis

UNF Fall Invitational

Game Day Information

• UNF Tennis Complex @ UNF
• Oct. 9 to Oct. 11
• All Day

Why To Watch?

• Come see why several UNF players were awarded spots in the NCAA Regional Tournament, their equivalent of an All-Star game.
• Watch and see if the rain gods decide to host a repeat of last year’s invitational which featured inches of rain that postponed several matches.