Colorado Buffaloes Begin Fall Season at Milwaukee Tennis Classic

GLENDALE, Wis. — The fall season starts early and sharp for Colorado, and this year it begins in a place steeped in college tennis history.

The Colorado Buffaloes open their 2024–25 campaign this weekend at the 50th annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic, a three-day test at the Nicolet Tennis Center running from Sept. 11–13. It is the first stop on a 10-tournament fall schedule, and head coach Anthony Pham knows exactly what it represents: a measuring stick, not a finished product.

He is taking a tight, focused group to Wisconsin. Returners Heidi Crncan, Ema Bubalo and Lera Alexin will line up alongside newcomer Louise Ternstroem, who is set for her Buffs debut. For Ternstroem, it is a swift introduction to college tennis. For the rest, it is the first chance to show how much last season’s work has carried over.

Ternstroem arrives from Taby, Sweden, the lone newcomer on an eight-woman roster, and she has wasted no time. She has spent the last three weeks in Colorado, training, acclimating, and earning quick respect 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."

The setting will not be gentle. The Milwaukee Tennis Classic features a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles field, with the ITA-sanctioned action beginning at 9 a.m. Friday. Day one is busy: doubles round of 16 plus singles rounds of 32 and 16, a full slate that demands both sharpness and stamina right out of the gate.

There is structure — and opportunity — built into the format. Doubles teams are guaranteed three matches before Sunday’s finals, with quarterfinals slated for Saturday afternoon. Singles players are assured four matches before the semi-finals. That volume matters in September, when players are still feeling out their timing and coaches are learning where their lineups truly stand.

The stakes run deeper than early-season rhythm. Win the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, and it comes with a direct ticket into the All-American regional rankings. For a program looking to climb, that kind of shortcut into national relevance is invaluable.

Yet Pham keeps the message simple.

"The most important thing is making sure that you are getting better," he said. "Doing the things that you have to do every day in order to make you a better player, a more complete player."

This weekend is only the opening chapter. The Buffs’ fall schedule stretches across 10 tournaments, building toward marquee events such as the ITA All-Americans and the Bedford Cup. All of it feeds into January, when dual-match season begins and every lineup choice carries weight on the team’s record.

Pham has time to build that vision. Named ITA Rocky Mountain Region Coach of the Year last season, he recently signed a contract extension through 2029, extending his run as the seventh head coach in Colorado tennis history. Stability at the top now matches the ambition he is trying to instill on court.

For now, though, it is about four players, three days in Milwaukee, and the first real look at what this version of Colorado tennis might become.