Mississippi State senior Philippe Frayssinoux traveled to Tulsa, Okla. Wednesday to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-American Championships. Junior Martina Banikova will also be playing in the tournament, which takes place Thursday through Sunday.
Last season, Frayssinoux reached round 32 at the ITA Championships.
This year, the Plaisir, France native said he plans to be more competitive at the competition.
Winning four out of 11 singles matches last fall, Frayssinoux said he feels great about his past performances and is excited to be competing at the championships.
A quarterfinalist at the 2004 French National 18-and-Under Championships, Frayssinoux has been playing tennis for several years.
He is a three-time champion of the Yvelines region of France.
After taking the singles title at the MTSU Blue Raider Invitational from Sept. 14-16, Frayssinoux followed his winning streak with several victories at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships held at the University of Georgia from Sept. 21-24.
Some of Frayssinoux’s biggest wins of the season to date were in the quarter- and semifinals of the Southern Intercollegiates.
In the quarterfinals, he defeated Travis Helgeson of Georgia 6-3, 7-6. In addition to those victories, he downed Corey Parr of Wake Forest 7-5, 6-2, in the semifinals.
Now in his third season with the Bulldogs, Frayssinoux has played many nationally ranked players, including the nation’s 27th and 32nd ranked.
Last year in doubles, Frayssinoux posted a 4-5 record and reached the quarterfinals of the ITA Southeast Regionals along with Ivan Bjelica.
Frayssinoux believes the team has improved since last year. He has become close friends with the newest member of the team, freshman Maximilien Genuini, of Paris, France and said he has been a strong addition to the team.
“We have good chemistry as a team, and we all like each other,” Frayssinoux said.
Frayssinoux said he feels that his coaches’ leadership has been a reason for his and the rest of the team’s success so far this season.
“They are amazing coaches. I had a good relationship with the last head coach, and I am really happy to have a good relationship with this coach,” Frayssinoux said.
Through rigorous practices and the beginning matches of the season, Frayssinoux said he has prepared well for the competition he will face at the All-American Championships. He said he thinks he will perform well at the Championships and hopes to surpass his victories of last season.
“I am ready for the tournament, and I’m going to give it my best,” Frayssinoux said.