The 123rd Ojai Tennis Tournament will look a little different this week when the first ball is struck and a new era is ushered into the storied tournament.
With a monster and unprecedented middle of the week start with four matches beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, The Ojai will throw down the red carpet and welcome the Big Ten Conference for the playing of its first post-season event in Libbey Park. The nation’s oldest collegiate conference began, ironically, the same year the first Ojai Tennis Tournament was held back in 1896.
The NCAA No. 3-ranked University of Michigan on Saturday clinched its third straight outright Big Ten championship defeating Michigan State, 4-0 and finished its regular season a perfect 11-0. Coached by Ronni Bernstein, the Maize and Blue are led by No. 1 player and senior Julia Fliegner. She is No. 3 in the nation and was a singles semifinalist at the 2024-25 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships, advancing further than any Big Ten counterpart.
Ohio State is seeded No. 2 and Washington No. 3 while UCLA, which claimed the last of the tournament’s byes into the quarterfinal round, is seeded No. 4. The Bruins are No. 19 in the ITA rankings and will play in their first Big Ten Tournament this week, starting with a noon match on Thursday against either No. 5 Wisconsin or No. 12 Penn State.
The 2025 Big Ten Women’s Tennis Tournament schedule at The Ojai is as follows:
Wednesday, April 23
Match 1 (#8 Maryland vs. #9 Iowa) – 9 a.m. PT
Match 2 (#5 Wisconsin vs. #12 Penn State) – Noon PT
Match 3 (#7 Illinois vs. #10 Northwestern) – 3 p.m. PT
Match 4 (#6 USC vs. #11 Michigan State) – 6 p.m. PT
Thursday, April 24 (Quarterfinals)
Match 5 (#1 Michigan vs. Match 1 winner) – 9 a.m. PT
Match 6 (#4 UCLA vs. Match 2 winner) – Noon PT
Match 7 (#2 Ohio State vs. Match 3 winner) – 3 p.m. PT
Match 8 (#3 Washington vs. Match 4 winner)
Friday, April 25 (Semifinals)
Match 9 (Match 5 vs. Match 6 winner) – Noon PT
Match 10 (Match 7 vs. Match 8 winner) – 3 p.m. PT
Saturday, April 26 (Championship)
Match 11 (Match 9 vs. Match 10 winner) – 5 p.m. PT
It will be a familiar return to The Ojai for both the Bruins and Trojans, as well as several other coaches and players like Wisconsin senior Taylor Cataldi, from Corona. The Badgers’ No. 2 singles player grew up playing Ojai in the juniors and is also a SoCal Pro Series alum.
“I love how invested the whole community is in this event and how it truly makes it feel like a celebration of the sport,” said Cataldi, who played in the Girls’ 14’s, 16’s and Women’s Open divisions in 2016, 2017 and 2019, respectively. ”I always loved watching the Pac-12 players whenever I’d go play it, so it feels really special to know that I’ve accomplished that dream of mine and will now be one of the people I looked up to so much when I was younger. I look forward to going back home for one of my last ever college events. It really feels like a full-circle moment for my career and I want to try and enjoy every second of it that I can.”
This week also represents a return to The Ojai for Iowa head coach Sasha Boros, who grew up in Poway. “I followed the Pac-12 Championships in Ojai throughout the years and always knew that event was very meaningful to the Pac-12 student athletes and coaches,” Boros said. “So, when I heard the Big Ten tournament would be held in Ojai in 2025, I was so excited for our student athletes and coaches to experience the magic of Ojai.”
The exploits of UCLA Head Coach Stella Sampras-Webster at The Ojai are well documented, with Sampras-Webster having won Ojai titles in three different divisions – a Girls’ 18s singles crown in 1984, Pac-12 Conference doubles titles in 1989 and 1991 and the Women’s Open singles title in 1992.
But it’s not all about the Big Ten Conference this week as The Ojai is five events wrapped into one and includes junior divisions in the Boys’ and Girls’ 14s and 16s and Girls’ 18s singles and doubles. Here’s a quick look at the other top divisions.