GLENDALE, Wis. — The Colorado Buffaloes are easing back into competition in a place that doesn’t do “low-key.”
This weekend, the Nicolet Tennis Center hosts the 50th annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic, and Colorado is using the milestone event as the launchpad for a 10-tournament fall campaign that will shape its season long before the dual matches begin in January.
Four Buffaloes will carry the flag in Wisconsin: returners Heidi Crncan, Ema Bubalo and Lera Alexin, joined by newcomer Louise Ternstroem, who will make her long-awaited debut in black and gold.
First ball is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday.
A New Face, A Familiar Standard
Ternstroem arrives from Taby, Sweden, as the only newcomer on an eight-woman roster, but she has wasted no time trying to match the program’s rising standards.
She has spent the past three weeks in Colorado locked into training, acclimating to altitude, teammates and a new competitive environment.
"She's a super hard worker, really serious about her tennis," head coach Anthony Pham said. "It will be good for her to be around the other teammates and competing."
For Pham, this weekend is less about instant results and more about setting a tone. The Classic is the first real look at how his mix of experience and fresh energy translates from practice courts to pressure points.
High-Stakes Tune-Up
The Milwaukee Tennis Classic is no simple warm-up. The draw carries real weight.
The format features a 32-player singles field and a 16-team doubles bracket. Friday’s slate packs in the doubles round of 16 and the singles rounds of 32 and 16, demanding sharp focus from the opening serve.
Doubles teams are guaranteed three matches before Sunday’s finals, with quarterfinals set for Saturday afternoon. Singles players are guaranteed four matches before the semi-finals, offering valuable repetitions against quality opposition.
And there is a tangible prize: win the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and you earn direct entry into the All-American regional rankings. For a program intent on climbing the national ladder, that kind of shortcut matters.
Building for the Long Haul
This is just stop one on a long road.
Colorado’s fall schedule stretches across 10 tournaments, with marquee events such as the ITA All-Americans and the Bedford Cup looming in the coming weeks. Every match now feeds into January, when the regular season begins and results start to define records, not just résumés.
"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."
The message is simple: the fall is about growth, habits and sharpening edges. The wins will come if the work is right.
Pham’s Long View
That long-term vision has the backing of the athletic department.
Named the ITA Rocky Mountain Region Coach of the Year last season, Pham recently signed a contract extension through 2029, solidifying his role as the seventh head coach in Colorado tennis history and giving the program rare stability in a volatile era.
His tenure now stretches well beyond this weekend, this season, even this current roster. But the next chapter starts in Milwaukee, on indoor courts where early-season rust meets early-season ambition.
Four Buffs. One historic tournament. A fall campaign that will quietly define what Colorado expects from itself when the real pressure arrives.
