Former Alabama Women’s Tennis Players Qualify for First Main Draw Grand Slam in Doubles
Alabama women’s tennis alumnae Erin Routliffe and Alexa Guarachi clinched a spot in the Wimbledon Ladies’ Doubles Main Draw on Thursday after defeating Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) and Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) in the final round of qualifiers at The Bank of England Sports Centre in Roehampton, London.
In the first round of qualifiers, the tandem topped Priscilla Hon (AUS) and Arantxa Rus (NED), 6-3, 7-5, to move on to the final round where the pairing cruised past Kalinskaya/Kuzmova, 6-4, 6-4, to earn their first main draw, Grand Slam berth.
Draws for the ladies’ competition will be announced on June 29 with doubles action beginning on July 4.
During their time at Alabama, Guarachi and Routliffe both earned multiple All-America and All-SEC honors. One of the most successful doubles players in Alabama history, Routliffe won back-to-back NCAA Doubles Championships (2014 and 2015) and finished as the runner-up in last year's doubles championship match. Routliffe was also a part of the Crimson Tide’s first SEC Championship squad in 2014. Guarachi ended her career at the Capstone with 109 victories in singles, which is the most singles wins ever recorded by a player in Alabama history, and wrapped up her doubles campaign with teammate Courtney McLane with 69 wins, which tops the Tide's all-time doubles list.