Former Men's Tennis Player Set To Play In The US Open

Aug. 28, 2001

CORAL GABLES, Fla.–Former University of Miami men’s tennis All-American Michael Russell (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) will face #32 Todd Martin (USA) in the first round of the US Open at the USTA National Tennis Center in New York Tuesday night.

Russell played for Miami during the 1996-97 season, as a freshman he played at the No. 1 position for the Hurricanes posting an impressive 39-7 record which placed him on the top of the UM single-season victories list.

Russell was also named ITA Rookie of the Year while leading Miami to a 14-10 record. He made a drastic climb up the ITA rankings, from No. 39 in the preseason to as high as No. 3 nationally.

He was the highest ranked recruit ever to come to Miami as the No. 1 ranked junior (U-18) player in the nation and the ITF ranked No. 20 junior in the world.