British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

the addict · Tennis legend

RE: US College chat 2026/27

JonH · Tennis legend

Var wrote:
JonH wrote:
That's a good win - how highly ranked world wise was the top seed?
It seems she is 477 to Mimis 335. I have no idea how the college ranking system works TBH. Sure Lambda can enlighten us

Thanks - trying to ascertain if beating the top seed is actually as big a deal as it may seem. Clearly Mimi, as a freshman, is ranked much more highly than her wildcard status and, I think, got a high initial ranking of something like 3, but presumably this somehow didn't translate to a seeding. My instinct is that Mimi was probably a slight favourite anyway, but the seeding system and World rankings for college players make it all a bit of a mystery!

Lambda_ · Lower Club Player

Mimi couldn't be seeded because it is effectively based on last season's rankings. This is because NCAA rules stipulate that qualification for the NCAAs and entry into qualifying events must only be based on results in the collegiate system. This in turn means that newcomers would normally have to go through qualifying, even though there are several strong newcomers this year that on WTN would get straight into the main draw and some would be seeded. Mimi got lucky in getting the WC. For a fairer comparison of college players, it's better to compare WTN or UTR. Mimi has the 13th best UTR among college women at 11.26. Carmen has the 17th best UTR at 11.15. The best UTR in college tennis is Nina Vargova, who would have been Mimi's doubles partner had she not been ill, and is also a newcomer this year with a UTR of 11.56. Ella leads the way for British women in 12th with a UTR of 11.27