University of Illinois
ITA All-American Championships
ITA All-American Championships Up Next for Women's Tennis
September 18, 2026 | Women's Tennis
Preview
| ITA All-American Championships | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Sept. 19-27 / Cary, N.C. / Tournament Central |
| Follow Along | Live Scoring | Stream | Draws/Results |
| Illinois Team Info | Roster | Schedule |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Fighting Illini women's tennis is headed to Cary, N.C, this weekend for the ITA All- American Championships. Pre-qualifying play begins Saturday, Sept. 19, at Cary Tennis Park and runs through Sunday, Sept. 27.
Five Illini are slated to begin their journeys in singles pre-qualifying: Shravani Chennamsetty, Kimiko Cooper, Lyla Messler, Alice Xu, and Tess Bucher. Illinois' No. 88-ranked duo of Xu and Bucher will also compete in the doubles pre-qualifying draw.
Messler enters the event fresh off winning Illinois' first-ever Big Ten Freshman of the Week nod, an honor earned for her collegiate debut performance last weekend at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic.
Schedule Information
Pre-Qualifying Rounds
Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 19-20, 2026
Beginning at 8 AM CT
Qualifying Rounds
Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 21-22, 2026
Beginning at 8 AM CT
Main Draw
Wednesday-Sunday, Sept. 23-27, 2026
Beginning at 8 AM CT
NCAA Championship Qualifying Information
Ten singles players (10) will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (eight main draw quarterfinalists & two feed-in consolation finalists). Meanwhile, five doubles teams (5) will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the All-American Championships (four main draw semifinalists, consolation champion).
A New Era
Since the retirement of Evan Clark last spring, Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson has taken over the helm of the Illinois women's tennis program. After the announcement of her hiring in June, Lumpkin Robinson spent the last three seasons (2024-26) at the as the head coach of the women's team at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). She announced the addition of associate head coach Calvin Song in July. A native of Ames, Iowa, Song spent his last two years at Drake as the head coach for women's tennis (2024-26).
