Former Belleview tennis star DJ Bennett made history in making the NCAA singles tournament final the for Auburn Tigers in November. Previously, making the final round earned collegiate players an automatic bid to the U.S. Open main draw. However, due to College International Tennis Association’s changes to the NCAA collegiate tennis schedule, Bennett instead earned a bid to the 2025 American Collegiate Wildcard Playoff.
Bennett joins world No. 262 Mary Stoiana of Texas A&M, Amelia Honer of UCSB and Valerie Glozman of Stanford in the hunt for the American Collegiate Wild Card Playoffs singles division bid, but she’s the only competitor to qualify for singles and doubles.
“We’re really proud of come out of the, you know, Belleview area is pretty amazing, because it’s not a hotbed of tennis in Florida,” DJ’s father Steve Bennett said.
On Monday evening, June 16, Bennett, the third seed based on ATP or WTA rankings, was defeated in the singles semifinals. However, she’ll have several chances to qualify for the US Open singles bracket with the tournaments she’s scheduled to compete in the summer.
Meanwhile, Bennett’s shot for a doubles spot in the US Open is alive and well. Auburn teammate Ava Hrastar joined Bennet in a 6-4, 6-3 win over South Carolina’s Sarah Hamner and Kaitlyn Carnicella in a long-awaited rubber match.
Bennett and Hrastar, the first seed in the double’s tournament bracket, will play the winner of UCLA’s Olivia Center and Kate Fakih and North Carolina’s Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton on Thursday night, with a chance to advance to the US Open open before her senior year of college on the line.
You can watch Marion County’s first girls state tennis champion, DJ Bennett, live via the Cracked Racquets YouTube page.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Belleview alum and current Auburn tennis star DJ Bennett inching towards US Open berth
Reporting by Allen Pettigrew Jr., Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
