Murphy Cassone forgoes senior season, joins professional ranks

TEMPE, Arizona — Sun Devil Men's Tennis' Murphy Cassone will forgo his senior season and join the professional ranks. The three-time All-American and Pac-12 First Team All-Conference selection has seen a jump in ATP rankings following recent competitions, currently at 269 in the live rankings, after entering the fall at 676, and will not join the team this spring. 

Cassone had a busy fall competing in ATP Challengers, eventually winning his first Challenger event in October after claiming the title at the ATP Calgary Challenger. 

"It's time to realize my dreams," said the Overland Park native, who is on the brink of qualifying for Grand Slams with his current ATP standing. "This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I have to make the tournaments, with how this sport works." 

"I ended last year strong and started this year strong, so I want to keep building off the momentum I've created," noted Cassone, who was both a Singles and Doubles All-American last season and saw a season-high #6 ITA Singles Ranking after leading the Sun Devils with 17 singles and 19 doubles wins in 2024.

Forever a Sun Devil 🥹🔱

Wishing you the best in your next chapter, Murphy! 😈 pic.twitter.com/BEEKoD2G3z

— Sun Devil Men's Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) January 24, 2025

Head Coach Matt Hill is full of praise, "Murphy has been an integral part of rebuilding this program to the top of college tennis and has impacted and influenced this team in so many positive ways." 

"We always have preached that we have two goals here at Arizona State: to be one of the top teams in the nation competing for championships and to build professional players that can have a career in the sport we love by preparing them for the Grand Slams. Murphy is very close now to making the French Open and Wimbledon cuts based on his ATP ranking and so we understand and fully support his decision to fully focus on this next chapter of his tennis career," said Hill. 

Cassone was prepared well, as he hit the ground running from day one in Tempe. His impressive Sun Devil Campaign was filled with honors including Pac-12, ITA Southwest, and ITA National Rookie of the Year in 2021. Cassone was the first Sun Devil to earn All-American honors since 1995 after doing so in 2023, and followed in 2024 with two more All-American nods. He was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team in each of the three seasons he repped the Maroon & Gold. To cap it all off, Cassone saw a career-best #3 singles ranking, upsetting some of the top nationally-ranked talent in the NCAA. 

What's next for the Sun Devil? He's already planning for the ATP Challenger in Cleveland and will look ahead to tournaments in Delray Beach, France, and Switzerland. His schedule will consist of traveling 30 weeks out of the year, stricter training, and pursuing this dream full-time to see how far he can take it. 

As for his favorite Sun Devil memory? Two come to mind. His Doubles All-American status alongside teammate Jacob Bullard, and competing in the 2022 US Open while having head coach Matt Hill coaching him.