Colorado Buffaloes Begin Season at Milwaukee Tennis Classic

GLENDALE, Wis. — The fall season starts early and sharp for Colorado. No easing in, no soft launch. The Buffaloes are opening their 10-tournament campaign on a historic stage: the 50th annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic at the Nicolet Tennis Center, running Friday through Sunday.

It’s a familiar event with a slightly new look for CU.

Head coach Anthony Pham will lean on returners Heidi Crncan, Ema Bubalo and Lera Alexin, while also unveiling the program’s lone newcomer, Sweden’s Louise Ternstroem, who is set for her Buffs debut when play begins at 9 a.m. Friday.

Ternstroem arrived in Boulder only three weeks ago from Taby, Sweden, and has barely stopped since.

"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."

This weekend, that work ethic gets its first real test.

High-Stakes Tune-Up

The Milwaukee Tennis Classic isn’t just another early fall hit-around. The field features a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles bracket, with a format designed to guarantee matches and expose weaknesses quickly.

Friday packs in the doubles round of 16 and both the singles rounds of 32 and 16. From there, the schedule tightens and the pressure climbs.

Doubles teams are guaranteed three matches before quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon, giving pairings time to find rhythm and chemistry. Singles players will get four matches before the semi-finals, an ideal stretch for players looking to build confidence, refine patterns and absorb the grind of tournament play again.

There’s a sharp reward at the end. Win the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and you punch a direct ticket into the All-American regional rankings — a significant early-season boost for any player with national ambitions.

Building for January

For Colorado, this is the first checkpoint in a long fall run. Ten tournaments are on the slate, with the Milwaukee event serving as both a proving ground and a laboratory.

The Buffs will use these weeks to prepare for bigger stages looming on the calendar, including the ITA All-Americans and the Bedford Cup, all leading into the dual-match season that begins in January.

"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."

That philosophy fits the structure of the Classic. With guaranteed matches, players can afford to test themselves, stretch their games, and still know they’ll have another chance to respond the next day.

Pham’s Long View

Pham enters the weekend with both security and expectation. Named the ITA Rocky Mountain Region Coach of the Year last season, he recently signed a contract extension through 2029, extending his tenure as the seventh head coach in Colorado women’s tennis history.

The extension signals belief in his long-term vision. This tournament, and this fall, are part of that arc.

Crncan, Bubalo and Alexin carry the experience of having been through Pham’s system. Ternstroem brings fresh energy and a new dynamic to an eight-woman roster that will be measured not just by results in September, but by how ready it is when January arrives.

For now, though, the focus is simple: three days in Milwaukee, a historic tournament, and a chance to set the tone for a season that will only get tougher from here.