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Accelerator Programme

Smith, NCAA champion Zheng among college players to qualify for ATP Next Gen Accelerator

Opportunities available from 1 July for a period of 12 months
June 02, 2025
Colton Smith competed in an ATP Tour event for the first time in March at Indian Wells.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Colton Smith competed in an ATP Tour event for the first time in March at Indian Wells. By ATP Staff

Colton Smith and NCAA men's singles champion Michael Zheng are among 22 college players who will benefit from direct entry into ATP Challenger Tour events as part of the third year of the ATP Next Gen Accelerator.

This initative between ATP and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) was created to increase the development pathway for top players in the American collegiate system. Following the NCAA Championships in May, players qualified based on their year-end ranking and/or performance in the NCAA Championships.

Four of the 22 qualifiers — Jack Pinnington Jones, Zheng, Oliver Tarvet and Smith — are multiple-time qualifiers for the Accelerator.

Smith made his ATP Tour debut this year at Indian Wells, where he qualified and defeated Flavio Cobolli in the main draw. The American then advanced to his first ATP Tour quarter-final in Houston.

Rafael Jodar, who was a freshman at the University of Virginia, won the 2024 US Open boys’ singles title. Samir Banerjee, the 2021 Wimbledon boys’ singles champion, was a junior at Stanford University.

Pinnington Jones, a repeat qualifier from Texas Christian University, defeated Cameron Norrie at an ATP Challenger Tour event last year in Nottingham.

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Players ranked in the Top 20 of the ITA final singles rankings who have finished their education are granted up to eight Accelerator Spots at Challenger 50 and 75 tournaments, with opportunities split between main draw (for Top 10 ITA-ranked players) and qualifying (11-20).

Players who reach the quarter-finals or better of the individual NCAA Division I Championships also qualify for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator if not already eligible through their ITA ranking. These opportunities are available from 7 July 2025 for a period of 12 months. 

Accelerator qualifiers who will continue their education will receive six opportunities over six months (July–December), enabling them to benefit from the programme during their college offseason and parts of their fall season.

ATP Next Gen Accelerator Qualifiers

 Player College 
 Timo Legout   University of Texas
 Michael Zheng  Columbia University
 Colton Smith  University of Arizona 
 Rafael Jodar  University of Virginia 
 Oliver Tarvet  University of San Diego 
 Dhakshineshwar Suresh  Wake Forest University
 Stefan Dostanic  Wake Forest University
 Aidan Kim  Ohio State University
 Jay Friend  University of Arizona 
 Kenta Miyoshi   University of Illinois 
 Samir Banerjee  Stanford University
 Jack Pinnington Jones  Texas Christian University 
 Pedro Vives  Texas Christian University
 Ozan Baris  Michigan State University
 Carl Emil Overbeck  University of California
 Corey Craig  Florida State University 
 Connor Thomson  University of South Carolina
 Peter Makk  Southern California
 Dylan Dietrich  University of Virginia 
 Sebastian Dominko  University of Notre Dame 
 Lui Maxted  TCU (NCAA QF - Ranked No. 34)
 Spencer Johnson  UCLA (NCAA QF - Ranked No. 40)

 

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