7-Weeks, 12 Tournaments, 5 Countries
7-weeks, 12 tournaments, 5 Countries
1st tournament: $20,000 Prize Money Metzger Open
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Green clay
Round of 32: Defeated Connor Merrill 6-2, 6-1. This match
was played indoors due to rain. I got off to good starts in both sets by
breaking my opponent right away. I served well and was hitting good placements
which allowed me to not get broken. I got a lot of mid-court balls so it was a
good opportunity to practice my transition game.
Round of 16: Defeated Jordan Benjamin 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. This
was my first match on clay in over a year. He was a good player who defended
well and ran down a lot of balls. I didn’t get off to a good start in the 1st
set. However, I raised my level in the 2nd set and went up a break
4-3. He broke me back but I took the last two games of the 2nd set
to take it 6-4. In the 3rd set I was down double break 0-3. I
started playing more aggressive in my return games and competed well. I won 6
of the last 7 games to pull out a hard-fought match.
Quarterfinals: I received a walkover after my opponent got
injured and had to pull-out.
Semifinals: Defeated Chris Racz 0-6, 7-6(7), 6-3. This was a
weird match as I got down 0-6, 0-2 very quickly and my opponent was playing
very well. We played late at night in very heavy conditions so it was tough to
hit a winner. I started to put more balls in and competed to make him play. He
was good at defending but not as comfortable being on the offense. I also
started to serve better as the match went on. I went up a break 3-0 in the 3rd
and he broke back to make it 3-2. I served out the match 6-3 in the 3rd
to pull out a tough match. I didn’t necessarily play my best tennis but I found
a way to win which was key.
Finals: Lost to Jesse Witten 1-6, 2-6. He is a very good
player who was ranked in the Top 200 in singles. He played very aggressive
especially with his forehand. He wanted to keep the points as short as possible
and was taking a lot of cuts. I wasn’t able to serve well enough and get him on
the defense. I wasn’t able to break him during the match as he had a
high first serve percentage and was playing first strike tennis. It was still a
good tournament as I was happy to pull out some tough 3-set matches to make the finals
Doubles Quarterfinals: Defeated Benjamin/Hills 6-4, 6-3. I
partnered with Henrik Korsgaard from Virginia Tech. This was our first time
playing together and we played well. We broke them once in the 1st
set and that was all we needed. Then we broke them twice in the 2nd
set after returning well. We were holding our service games fairly easily which
was important and kept the pressure on them.
Doubles Semifinals: We received a walkover after one of our
opponents broke his ankle.
Doubles finals: Lost to Witten/Shabaz 6-7(7), 2-6. The 1st
set was very tight and could have gone either way. I think we had 3 set points
but they came up with clutch points each time. In the 2nd set they
went up an early break after returning well. We had a few break points but were
unable to get it back on serve. They broke us 1 more time to take the match.
Fun playing with Henrik and making the finals.
2nd Tournament: Iowa City, Iowa $25k Futures
tournament: Outdoor Hard
Round of 32: Lost to #2 seed Alejandro Gonzalez 5-7, 0-6. He
is a good player who has been ranked in the Top 100. He returns well and
defends at a high level. I got up an early break in the match 3-1 and got off
to a good start. However, he raised his level and started to play well. At
4-all, I had two break points but he saved both of them. He then broke me to
take the 1st set 7-5. He went up an early break in the 2nd
set. I had a lot of game points in the 2nd set but was unable to
convert any of them.
Doubles Round of 16: Defeated Rapp/Stalder 3-6, 6-4, 10-6. I
played doubles with Jacob Dunbar this week who played at University of
Richmond. We got down a set and a break but then started to return well. We
broke them two times to take the second set 6-4. The 10-point tiebreak was
close but we went up a min-break 6-4. We maintained the mini-break lead and
held both of our service points for 8-5. We split the two points on their serve
to go up 9-6. My partner hit a forehand winner on match point to give us the
victory.
Doubles Quarterfinals: Lost to Zhu/Perez 7-6(2), 4-6, 3-10.
In the first set there were no service breaks as both teams were serving well.
My partner and I played a high-level tiebreak and hit some solid returns to
take the 1st set. There were a few breaks in the 2nd set
and it remained close. We had two break points at 4-5, but they saved them and
took the set. Our opponents started out the 10-point tiebreak very well and
went up 4-0. It was difficult to recover from that deficient as they played a
flawless tiebreak to take the match.
3rd tournament: Champaign, Illinois $25k Futures
tournament: Outdoor Hard
Round of 32: Defeated Aron Hiltzik 7-6(4), 7-6(3). This match was played in difficult conditions as it was very windy. This was not a match that you are going to
feel good playing. In the 1st set there were no breaks and I played a solid
tiebreak. I was serving well and hitting the placements on my serve. In the
second set I served for the match at 5-4 but missed two fairly easy shots and
got broken. But I responded well and closed out the match in another tiebreak.
Round of 16: Lost to #5 seed Ruan Roelofse 7-6(2), 4-6, 5-7.
In the 1st set there were no breaks as both of us were holding
routinely. I broke him to go up 2-1 in the second set. However, he raised his
game from that point and broke me back at 3-all. He has a legit serve and he has
probably one of the best serves I have faced. At 4-5 I got broken in a long
game and he took the 2nd set. I had a few break points on his serve
early in the 3rd but couldn’t convert. I wasn’t able to break him
at all in the 3rd set. He played a solid game to break me at 5-6 in
the 3rd. I thought I played a good match and it was pretty
high-level.
Doubles Round of 16: Lost to Mayo/Rodriguez 4-6, 3-6. I
played with Jacob Dunbar again this week. We broke them early but they broke us
back. The 1st set was strange as there were a lot of breaks. I
thought we were returning well but didn’t hold our service games enough. They
broke us at 4-5 to take the 1st set. It’s tough when you get broken
3 times in one set. In the 2nd set it was just one break as they
broke us at 2-3. It was a good team that we faced as they ended up making the
finals of the doubles.
4th tournament: $3k Prize Money Open in Saint
Cast, France – Red Clay
Quarterfinals: Lost to Matias Callarami 2-6, 4-6. This was
my first match in Europe on the red clay. I played a guy from Argentina who was
very experienced on clay and defended well. He broke me once to go up 4-1 in
the 1st set. He then broke me one more time before taking the 1st
set 6-2. I started to play more aggressive and attack his 1st serve
as he used it to just start the point. I went up a double break 4-1. I had one
game point on my serve but didn’t get it. He then started to play better and raised
his level. He came back to win the set 6-4.
5th tournament: $2k Prize Money Open in
Jullouville, France – Red Clay
Quarterfinals: Lost to Ben Gollin 5-7, 6-2, 3-6. It was funny
playing another guy from California all the way in France. I got off to a good
start and went up 3-0, double break, in the 1st set. He then started
playing some good aggressive tennis and came back to win the 1st set
7-5. In the 2nd set I played more aggressive and started to play
better. I took the 2nd set 6-2. However, he played well and was
serving at a high-level. I didn’t get many looks and he took the match 6-3 in
the 3rd set. I felt like I improved from the last tournament.
6th tournament: Eupen, Belgium $15k Futures
tournament – Red Clay
Round of 32: Lost to Genaro Olivieri 3-6, 3-6. He is from
Argentina and ranked in the top 600 and plays well on clay. I got off to a great start
and broke him in the 1st game. I was serving up a break 3-2 when he
broke me back. I started to make a few more errors and he started playing well.
I ended up losing the 1st set 3-6. In the second set he broke me to
go up 2-1. At 2-4, I played a good return game to get it back on serve which
made it 3-4. However, he won the last two games to close out the match.
Doubles: I was set to play with a French player and we were the
#2 seeds. Unfortunately he got injured in singles and we had to withdraw.
7th tournament: $5k Prize Money Open in Chamonix,
France – Red Clay
Semifinals: Defeated Tim Gicquel 6-0, 2-0 retire. I got off
to a good start and broke him in the 1st game to go up 3-0. I continued
to serve well and play some solid tennis. I broke him 2 more times to take the
1st set 6-0. I then went up an early break 2-0 in the 2nd
set and he was forced to retire due to injury.
Finals: Defeated Maxime Mora 6-4, 7-6(5). He is ranked #700
and plays well on clay with powerful groundstrokes. The 1st set remained
tight as we were both holding our service games. At 3-all, I played a good
return game and got the 1st break of the match. I then took the 1st
set 6-4 after saving a few break points in a long service game. I had 0-40 on
his serve at 2-all in the 2nd but he came back to hold. At 3-4, he
broke me for the 1st time in the match and would serve for the first
set. I broke right back and evened it at 5-all. We both held to send it to a
tiebreak. The first 3 points went to the returner. I was up 4-3 but he won both of
his service points. At 4-5, I hit an ace which tied it at 5-all. I then played
a solid point to go up 6-5. I won the match after he missed a forehand. This
was a high-quality match, by far my best match on clay. Happy to take the title
and win 800 Euros!
8th
tournament: Koksijde, Belgium $15k Futures Tournament – Red Clay
Round of 32: Lost to Felipe Derdoy 5-7, 6-4, 2-6. There were
no breaks in the 1st 7 games of the match. I broke him to go up 5-3 and
had 1 set point. Unfortunately I didn’t convert and my opponent played solid
tennis to take the 1st set 7-5. I then was down a break 2-4 in the 2nd
set. I started to play better and more aggressive and took the next 4 games. I
took the 2nd set 6-4. I then got down an early break 1-3 in the 3rd set. My level
dropped a little bit and my opponent capitalized. I ended up losing a tough 3-set battle.
Doubles Round of 16: Defeated Freire Da Silva/Freire Da
Silva 6-2, 6-4. I teamed up with Charles Broom who plays college tennis at
Dartmouth. We played a very good 1st set and we were holding our
service games fairly easily. We also broke them twice to take it 6-2. In the 2nd
set they started to return well and broke us a few times. At 4-all, we broke
them again to serve for the match. We served out the match and took a solid first
round victory.
Doubles Quarterfinals: Lost to Added/Bergs 1-6, 1-6. It was
raining so we played indoors on a fast indoor court which was a lot different.
In the 1st set we lost 5 No-Ad Deuce points as we didn’t win any of
the big points. Our opponents played very well and came up clutch when they needed
to. They continued to play well in the 2nd set and went up 3-0. We
still had a few break point chances but we didn’t convert. They returned at a
really high level and went on to win the tournament.
9th tournament: $1.5k Prize Money Open in Paris,
France – Red Clay
Semifinals: Defeated Yuri Gondouin 6-0, 6-0. It was a weird
first few games as I saved 3 break points in my first service game. Then I
broke him in a long Deuce game on his serve. The first 3 games were close and I
was up 3-0. I started to relax after that and really went after my shots. I started
feeling more confident and my opponent wasn’t as confident. I played a clean
match and did what I needed to do.
Finals: Lost to Charly Villeneuve 1-6, 4-6. We played this
match indoors as it was raining that day. My opponent started out playing at a
very high level and playing very aggressive. He broke me right away to take a
3-0 lead. He was going after all his shots and taking my time away. I lost the
first set quickly 6-1. He broke me to go up 2-0 right away in the 2nd.
I started to find my range a little bit on my serve and figured out what I had
to do. I had a few break points but I didn’t convert. At 2-4, he broke me again.
I finally broke him for the first time and played a good return game. I held
for 4-5 before he served out the match. It was too little too late.
10th tournament: Lambermont, Belgium $15k Futures
– Red Clay
Round of 32: Lost to Mathieu Perchicot 1-6, 2-6. He is from
France and was the #1 seed in this tournament. He has a huge forehand from the
middle of the court and likes to run around his backhand. He broke me in the 1st
game to take a 3-0 lead. I had to play aggressive or else he would take control
of the points. I held to make it 1-4. I then lost another long Deuce game on my
serve before he served out the 1st set. I got a few holds in the 2nd
set which made it 2-all. However, he played well and broke me a few times. I
tried to come to the net more in the 2nd set and I had some success.
I wasn’t able to generate enough opportunities to come in.
Doubles Round of 16: Lost to Houkes/Van Beem 1-6, 4-6. I
played with Simon Beaupain, who is from Belgium. We broke in the 1st
game of the match. After that they played a lights out 1st set and
were returning very well. We got down a break 0-2 in the 2nd set.
From that point we started to find our range as it was our first time playing
together. We broke back to make it 3-all. However, they played a good return
game at 4-all to break us. They then served out the match. That team went on to
win the tournament so it was tough to play them in the 1st round.
11th tournament: $2.5k Prize Money Open in Cattenom, France – Artificial clay
Semifinals: Defeated David Voravongsa 6-2, 6-2. I got off to
a good start and a 4-1 lead in the 1st set. I was serving well and
hitting good placements on my serve. I broke him one more time before serving
out the set. The beginning of the 2nd set was tight as he started to
play better. I broke him at 2-all before winning the last four games of the
match.
Finals: Defeated Lucas Szewczyk 6-4, 1-0 retired. There were
no breaks in the first 8 games as both of us were holding fairly comfortably. I
broke him at 4-all. Then in a long Deuce game on my serve I finally served out
the set after saving a few break points. I broke him in the first game of the 2nd
set. Unfortunately he had to retire due to injury.
12th tournament: Haren, Netherlands $15k Futures – Red Clay
Round of 32: Lost to Guy Heijer 2-6, 2-6. He was a solid
baseliner who could play aggressive and also defend well. He started off
playing well and took a 4-1 lead. I ended up lost the first set 2-6. I started
to play a little better in the 2nd set and evened it at 2-all. But
he was returning well and playing good tennis. He broke me a few more times
before taking the victory. I wasn’t able to move well enough or attack him
early in the point.
Doubles Round of 16: Lost to Donders/Visker 0-6, 3-6. I partnered
with David Pichler (Austria) this week. Our opponents played a really good 1st
set and were returning very well. We also didn’t serve great but credit to
them. They broke us on the No-Ad point twice with solid returns. My partner and
I switched returning sides for the 2nd set to try and change things
up. We broke in the 1st game. Unfortunately we got broken right back
and lost a No-Ad point. At 2-3, they broke us to go up a break. We saved 3
match points to make it 3-5 but they served out the match in the next game.
Upcoming tournament schedule:
September 17- September 22 - $15k Futures in Fayetteville, Arkansas
September 30 - October 5 - $15k Futures in Santa Tecla, El Salvador
October 7 - October 12 - $25k Futures in Claremont, California or $100k Fairfield Challenger
"The biggest risk is that you have a losing strategy when you think you have a winning one." -
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