All-American Monday - Ivan Rodrigo

Ivan Rodrigo (1997)

Coral Gables, Fla. – Spaniard Ivan Rodrigo was described as having a world-class forehand who hits the ball as hard as anyone in college tennis. Before he began his Hurricane career, Rodrigo was ranked the No. 75 junior (under-18) player in the world by the ITF. During his junior year at Saddlebrook High School, Rodrigo captured the Eddie Herr 16-under championship.

1997 All-America Team

In his first and only year on the Coral Gables campus, Rodrigo made a lasting impression. During the fall season, in which only tournaments took place, Rodrigo went 11-3 while advancing to at least the third round of the four different tournaments in which he competed. In the Rolex Eastern Regional Championships, Rodrigo advanced to the semi-finals.  Rodrigo opened the fall season winning his first five matches and seven out of eight. Overall, Rodrigo posted a singles record of 32-5 which includes his upset victory over the then No. 1 player in the nation and top-seeded Thomas Dupre of Mississippi in the second round of the 1997 NCAA tournament. Rodrigo handed Dupre his third loss of the season. While partnered primarily with freshman and future All-American Michael Russell, Rodrigo posted an overall mark of 17-7 in doubles competition. In the two tournaments in which they were teamed together during the fall season, Rodrigo and Russell advanced to the third round one time and the finals the other time. For his success, Rodrigo was selected to the 1997 All-America team.