Colorado Women Open Fall Season at Milwaukee Tennis Classic
GLENDALE, Wis. — The long grind of the college tennis season starts in a quiet corner of Wisconsin this weekend, where Colorado’s women step onto the courts with a mix of continuity, curiosity and clear intent.
The Buffaloes open their fall slate at the 50th annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic, a three-day event running Sept. 11–13 at the Nicolet Tennis Center. It’s the first of 10 fall tournaments for Colorado, but it carries extra weight: win here, and you punch a direct ticket into the All-American regional rankings.
For head coach Anthony Pham, that’s valuable. But it’s not the point.
“The most important thing is making sure that you are getting better,” Pham said. “Doing the things that you have to do every day in order to make you a better player, a more complete player.”
A Tight Group, With One New Face
Colorado travels with a small, focused group: returners Heidi Crncan, Ema Bubalo and Lera Alexin, joined by newcomer Louise Ternstroem, who will make her Buffs debut in Milwaukee. Play begins at 9 a.m. Friday with both singles and doubles on the slate.
Ternstroem arrives from Taby, Sweden, as the lone addition to an eight-woman roster. She has barely had time to unpack in Boulder, yet has already carved out a reputation inside the program.
“She’s a super hard worker, really serious about her tennis,” Pham said. “It will be good for her to be around the other teammates and competing.”
Three weeks of training in Colorado’s altitude, then straight into a 50-year-old tournament with a deep field. It’s a sharp introduction, but that is exactly what Pham wants for his freshman.
Demanding Draw, Heavy Workload
The Milwaukee Tennis Classic doesn’t ease anyone in. The singles draw features 32 players, the doubles draw 16 teams. Friday’s schedule is packed: doubles round of 16, plus singles rounds of 32 and 16.
Every player will be busy.
Doubles teams are guaranteed three matches before quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon, giving partnerships time to find rhythm under pressure rather than in practice sets back home. Singles players are guaranteed four matches before the semifinals, a workload that tests fitness, focus and adaptability in quick succession.
The format suits a program that sees the fall as a laboratory. Results matter, but so does the chance to experiment with combinations, refine patterns and harden competitive habits.
Building Toward Bigger Stages
This trip to Wisconsin is just the first step in a demanding fall calendar that includes ITA All-Americans and the Bedford Cup before the dual-match season begins in January. By then, Colorado wants more than match toughness. It wants identity.
That is where Pham’s voice looms large.
Named ITA Rocky Mountain Region Coach of the Year last season, Pham recently signed a contract extension through 2029, cementing his status as the seventh head coach in CU tennis history and the architect of its next chapter. The extension gives Colorado stability. It also raises expectations.
A veteran core, a driven newcomer, a coach locked in for the long term, and a 50th-anniversary tournament offering a direct line into the national conversation.
The fall starts here. What the Buffaloes make of it is up to them.
