Friedrich, O'Keefe Head to ITA All-American Championships

Oct. 2, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gamecock men’s tennis juniors Gabriel Friedrich and Harrison O’Keefe are set to begin their journey at the Saint Francis Health System ITA Men’s All-American Championships at the University of Tulsa this week. O’Keefe will be in action starting Monday, while Friedrich will play his first match on Thursday.

“This is the biggest event in the fall for college tennis and the best of the best will be there,” said head coach Josh Goffi. “Year in and year out, the level of this draw is the same as an ATP Challenger event, so it’s a great tournament for guys in college to prove to themselves that they have the ability to compete at a high level.

“I’m excited for Harrison and Gabriel to be in the mix out there in Tulsa. It’s important for them to see that they are every bit as good as anyone in the draw.”

O’Keefe, ranked No. 96 in the ITA preseason rankings, will be the first to get underway with a first round qualifying singles match on Monday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. CT against Virginia’s Luca Corintelli. Friedrich, by virtue of his No. 30 ITA preseason ranking, was an automatic selection for the main draw, which begins on Thursday, Oct. 6. Additionally, as doubles tandem, the duo is ranked No. 16, placing them in the main draw, which also begins on Thursday.

This week’s participation at the ITA All-American Championships is the first since 2014, when Andrew Adams was the No. 30 seed in the main draw. That year, he battled back from an opening round loss and worked his way back to the consolation quarterfinals.

Stay tuned to the team’s Twitter (@GamecockMTennis) and GamecocksOnline.com for updates throughout the week. Free live streaming may be available for O’Keefe’s qualifying singles matches, depending on location. All main draw matches will be streamed through FloTennis.com and will have a fee associated with it. Links for both streaming options are available on the tournament page, which a link to can be found above.