In recent years, more and more Dutch tennis players have been choosing to continue their careers in America! A decision that offers many opportunities for tennis players to fulfill their dream of playing professional tennis. Just like in previous years, we have a blog this year as well, featuring the top 10 Dutch college tennis players at the moment. You can read the previous top 10 blog here.
The annual top 10 is based on the current UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) of the tennis players. This year, there are once again many Slamstox top players in our overview. A total of eight out of the ten boys are part of our own Slamstox community, which naturally makes us very proud! Curious to know who they all are? Then continue reading and check it out!
10. Quinn Groenendijk
UTR-rating: 11.59
University: Lee University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division II/ Gulf South Conference
Quinn had a strong first year in college. As a freshman, Quinn already recorded impressive statistics last year. In singles, he won 12 out of 14 matches, and in doubles, he managed to step off the court with victory ten times. Due to these numerous victories, Quinn has been named Freshman of the Week three times in his first year.
A fun fact is that Quinn plays doubles with his older brother Mike, who is a Grad Student within the team at Lee University.
9. Marc Janse
UTR-rating: 11.66
University: Carson-Newman University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division II/ South Atlantic Conference
Just like the past four seasons, Marc is also playing for Carson-Newman University this academic year. The Dutch tennis player is now a graduate student, and each year, he consistently wins more matches. Last season, he recorded a record of 16-5 in singles.
8. Kyvan Rietkerk
UTR-rating: 11.70
University: Boise State University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I/ Mountain West Conference
Last year, Kyvan made his debut on the Future Tour. In The Hague, he qualified for the main tournament but lost in two sets to former Wimbledon junior champion Thiemo de Bakker.
Last summer, he embarked on his adventure to America, and with success. In his first fall semester, he emerged as the winner in eight matches.
7. Jim Hendrikx
UTR-rating: 12.24
University: University of Washington
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I/ Pac-12 Conference
Two years ago, Jim made the switch to the Huskies from Samford. At Samford, he was part of the first doubles team that qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championships. Last year, Jim made his debut in the main draw of an ITF Future. Unfortunately, it didn’t earn him any ATP points yet, but with Jim’s development, it seems to be just a matter of time.
6. Stian Klaasen
UTR-rating: 12.57
University: University of San Diego
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I/ West Coast Conference
As a sophomore, Stian is already accustomed to college tennis in San Diego, and it has already paid off. Stian has earned several accolades, including being one of the chosen few named ‘All-WCC Honorable Mention’ in both singles and doubles play in 2023.
Since August, Stian is also on the ATP rankings! He earned his first point by reaching the second round of the Amjoy Cup. In the first round, he defeated none other than Pedro’s brother, Fons van Sambeek!
5. Jip van Assendelft
UTR-rating: 12.69
University: Boise State University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I/ Mountain West Conference
Jip started his college adventure at the University of Oklahoma but made the move to Boise State University last summer. Here, he is now one of the teammates of Kyvan Rietkerk, whom we encountered earlier in this list.
In 2023, Jip received a wildcard for the qualifying tournament of the ITF Future in Eindhoven. He made the most of it, securing a spot in the main draw and winning two matches. In the quarterfinals, he was defeated by Stijn Paardekooper. In December, Jip and Christian Lerby even reached the doubles final at the Dutch National Tennis Championships.
4. Fons van Sambeek
UTR-rating: 12.84
University: North Carolina State University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I/ Atlantic Coast Conference
Compared to the previous list, Fons has moved up one spot in this year’s top 10. He owes this in part to 19 victories in 23 singles matches.
But Fons is also rapidly developing on the ITF tour: in Israel, he reached the semifinals, and in doubles, Fons even won two tournaments in 2023 (East Lansing and Norman)! Additionally, the NC State junior made his debut on the ATP Challenger Tour last year.
3. Stijn Paardekooper
UTR-rating: 12.86
University: Utah State University
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I/ Mountain West Conference
Stijn gaat in Amerika alweer zijn vierde spring semester in. Dat doet hij met een halve finale op de ITF Tour op zak. In Eindhoven bleek de uiteindelijke winnaar (Adrian Oetzbach) in drie sets te sterk voor de Slamstox tennisser, die via de kwalificatie in het hoofdtoernooi terechtkwam. Door deze mooie prestatie is Stijn intussen terug te vinden in de ATP top-1300 van de wereld. De Amjoy Cup bleek sowieso een droomweek voor Stijn te zijn, samen met Brian Bozemoj pakte hij zelfs de titel in het dubbelspel!
Since last October, Stijn has shown tremendous growth, which is well reflected in his UTR, improving by 0.6 during this period. Keep up the good work, Stijn!
2. Christian Lerby
UTR-rating: 13.20
University: Santa Clara University
Division/Conference: NCAA Division I/ West Coast University
Christian is already pursuing his master’s degree and is a graduate student at Santa Clara University. In December, he participated in the Dutch National Tennis Championships, reaching the final with Jip van Assendelft. In the singles competition, Christian lost to Gijs Brouwer in the quarterfinals. A fun fact is that Christian’s father is former professional footballer Soren Lerby, who won the UEFA Champions League with PSV in 1988.
1. Lodewijk Weststrate
UTR-rating: 13.38
University: University of Southern California
Division/ Conference: NCAA Division I/ Pac-12 Conference
Lodewijk is the new number 1 in this top 10. With Sander Jong, last year’s number 1 in our list, having graduated, Lodewijk has risen to the first position and can now be considered the best Dutch college tennis player at the moment.
In his third year of college last year, he won an impressive 22 out of 32 matches in singles. Lodewijk reached the quarterfinals of the ITF tournament in Saarlouis last year.
As you can see, our Slamstox tennis players are doing incredibly well, and we are super proud! Not only of these top performers but also of all our other Slamstox tennis players, of course! Keep an eye on our social media channels because soon we will also share a new overview of the top 10 among the women. If you, like these tennis players, would also like to go to America to combine your sport and studies and perhaps kick-start your professional career, fill out this form, and we will be happy to assist you!
