BUCS Super Weekend: Showpiece university tennis event to be broadcast live by Tennis Channel
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This weekend’s BUCS Super Weekend event, one of the highlights of the British University tennis calendar, is to be broadcast live by the Tennis Channel for the first time.
Organised by British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) and being staged at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in Roehampton across Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October, the event will see some of the top tennis talent from British universities on show.
The Super Weekend event will see the six best male and female university tennis teams in the country each play two BUCS National League fixtures. The BUCS National League is the pinnacle of the annual BUCS Tennis Team League competition, and while home and away fixtures are usually played on regular BUCS Wednesdays, the Super Weekend is one of only two occasions each season that the teams come together at a centralised venue.
ATP and WTA world ranked players in action
Tennis Channel launched in the UK earlier this summer, becoming the first British TV platform devoted exclusively to tennis. The decision to cover the event reflects the growing stature and standard of British university tennis, with ATP and WTA world ranked players in action for their university teams in the BUCS National League on a regular basis.
The Super Weekend set to be a fantastic showcase of that, with players set to feature including 2021 BUCS Individual Champion Gabriela Knutson (Durham University) and former Wimbledon Junior Champion and world Junior No.1 Noppowan Lertcheewakarn (University of Nottingham), as well as Ewan Moore (University of Stirling) and Katarina Stresnakova (Loughborough University) who both have ATP/WTA career high rankings inside the world’s top 1,000 players.
Competing alongside defending champions Loughborough University in the Women’s National League this season are teams from Bath, Durham, Nottingham, Stirling and University of East London (UEL). In action for the men, teams from Bath, Leeds Beckett, Nottingham, Stirling and UEL are aiming to challenge last season’s winners Durham for the title.
Each team is made up on four players, with fixtures involving four singles matches between players ranked 1-4, and two doubles rubbers. Coverage of the event will see action from all six indoor courts at the NTC streamed live, with match commentary provided for one feature court.
BUCS Super Weekend: Ones to Watch
- Durham University: Gabriela Knutson – 2021 BUCS Individual Champion
- Leeds Beckett University: Clay Crawford – career high ATPranking of 1600
- Loughborough University: Katarina Stresnakova – career high WTA ranking of 939
- University of Bath: Louis Newman – won every match so far at No.1 this season
- University of East London: Soumeya Anane – current WTA ranking of 1010
- University of Nottingham: Noppowan Lertcheewakarn – former Wimbledon Junior Champion and world Junior No.1
- University of Stirling: Ewan Moore – career high ATP ranking of 959
BUCS National League alumni - some of the recent stars of British University tennis
- Olivia Nicholls - Played for Loughborough University (current ranking ATP Doubles 204)
- Dan Little - Played for University of Nottingham (current ranking ATP 1093)
- Mark Whitehouse - Played for Imperial College London (current ranking ATP 645)
- Maia Lumsden - Played for University of Stirling (current ranking WTA 574 – career high 250)
- Scott Duncan - Played for University of Stirling (current ranking ATP 1612 – career high 1274)
- Ella Taylor - Played for Loughborough University (career high ranking WTA 604)
'Showcasing the high quality of British university tennis'
Jenny Morris, Director of Delivery at BUCS, comments: “We are excited to partner with the LTA and Tennis Channel to broadcast all the live action from the BUCS Tennis Super Weekend. The next generation of tennis stars are rising through the ranks in higher education sport, making their mark and showcasing the high quality of British university tennis. We are looking forward to seeing our athletes compete this weekend, and for the general public to enjoy what will be a spectacle of tennis.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the BUCS Super Weekend to sports fans live on Tennis Channel for the first time,” said Andy Reif, Senior Vice President, Tennis Channel International. “When we launched the service in the UK in August, we wanted to give tennis audiences a 24-hour platform where they would always have access to the sport and players they love. We also wanted to highlight rising young talent which we get to do with this amazing event.”
British University tennis is thriving... making it an exciting place for up and coming players to develop their careers in tennis
Alistair Higham, University Tennis Manager at the LTA: said: “British University tennis is thriving at present, and the incredible progress made over the last decade has made it an exciting place for up and coming players to develop their careers in tennis. That is demonstrated by the fantastic standard of players that will be on show throughout the BUCS Super Weekend – it’s great to be hosting the event at the National Tennis Centre and it’s brilliant that the Tennis Channel will be making the action available to their audiences for the first time”.
How to watch
Live coverage of the BUCS Super Weekend by the Tennis Channel follows that of other flagship events in the British domestic tennis competition calendar, including the LTA National League Finals in September.
The service is available in the UK at www.tennischannel.com and via the Tennis Channel International app on iOs and Android mobile devices and tablets as well as on Roku, FireTV and select smart TVs for just £2.49 per month.
The second BUCS Super Weekend of the season will take place at Loughborough University on 12 and 13 February 2022.
