LOS ANGELES – Standouts from UCLA and SMU comprise the USA Team tennis contingent set to converge on Chengdu, China for the upcoming 2023 FISU World University Games. The international event commences with the opening ceremony July 28. Tennis matches begin the following day.
Representing the Bruins are women’s All-Americans Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle. Set to guide the group is UCLA women’s tennis associate head coach Rance Brown. Men’s tennis Mustangs Callaway Clark, Louis Cloud and Liam Krall are joined on the roster by Taylor Johnson from the women’s squad.
At the helm is Brown, who recently completed his 26th year on UCLA’s staff. He has coached 34 All-Americans, including 2023 NCAA singles champion Fangran Tian. Also providing help off the court will be SMU tennis assistant athletic trainer Hannah Letow.
Returning juniors Hance and Wagle, who earned a spot in the 2023 NCAA doubles field and were honored as the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year, will travel for the Bruins. Each also set a new career high for total singles wins in 2023, with Hance going 22-15 and Wagle finishing 15-5.
Krall, who was named as the AAC Most Outstanding Player and All-AAC for singles in 2022, joins Clark as the two SMU seniors venturing overseas. Krall and Clark battled to a 4-2 doubles record last season, including a victory over Texas A&M’s No. 32-ranked doubles squad in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Junior Cloud completes the trio from SMU’s men’s team that will compete in the games. Cloud comes off the growth of his 2022-23 sophomore campaign in which he secured the AAC title for the Mustangs with his clinching win in the final.
Johnson, a member of UCLA’s team before joining SMU as a graduate transfer for the 2022-23 season, rounds out the athletes chosen to represent USA Team. Johnson capped off her career with AAC All-Conference and AAC Championships Most Outstanding Performer selections in her lone year with the Mustangs.
Krall and Cloud are projected to compete in the men’s singles portion of the draw, while Hance and Johnson will do the same on the women’s side. Hance is set to play with Wagle for women’s doubles, as Krall and Clark will pose as a familiar duo for USA’s men. SMU’s Clark will team up with UCLA’s Wagle for USA’s mixed doubles representation.
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