By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The stage doesn't get too much grander for senior Eduardo Mena this week in Southern California. The two-time OVC Player of the Year will be among the nation's best, competing in the 2017 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Indian Wells, Calif.
The five-day event, which will take place at both the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, Calif., kicks off with first-round action Wednesday afternoon. The second round is slated to begin Thursday. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will take place Friday. The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday and the finals are on Sunday.
Live scoring is available throughout the championships. Live streaming on the Indian Wells Tennis Garden courts five and six is available as well. Click here for live scoring and streaming.
Mena, the first ever TTU player to participate in the exclusive tournament, will hook up with Florida State's Guy Iradukunda from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden at 3:45 p.m. central time. Should Mena prevail, his second-round contest will feature the winner of Columbia's Jackie Tang and Arizona State's Michael Geerts, the 11th-seeded player in the event.
Mena qualified for the tournament by virtue of a successful showing in the ITA All-American Championships in early October. The Bultrago del Lozoya, Spain native made it all the way to the quarterfinals after winning three consecutive matches in Tulsa, Okla., including a straight-set win over Mississippi State's Nuno Borges, the No. 1 seed in this week's National Fall Championships.
Mena automatically secured a spot in the event with his quarterfinals appearance, one piece to the rigorous selection process puzzle. Other competitors include the Oracle ITA Masters champion, the Milwaukee Tennis Classic champion, eight ITA All-American quarterfinalists, two ITA All-American consolation finalists, 24 ITA Regional Championships finalists, four ITA Oracle Cup divisional champions, one Oracle wild card, two ITA wild cards and 21 at-large selections.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
