Men's tennis sends a trio to finals

    In the world of sports, there’s usually a team or two that unexpectedly scraps its way into the postseason, such as the Florida Marlins and the Anaheim Angels. Despite being the underdogs, the Fish and the Halos have found success.

    Courtesy of Jeff Wilson
    In the zone: UCSD doubles partners Sameer Chopra and Jeff Wilson pull off a stunning upset of defending champions Mattias Odone and Akos Tatja of Drury.

    The same could be said for three players on the UCSD men’s tennis team. Junior Bryan Swatt and senior doubles partners Sameer Chopra and Jeff Wilson played solidly at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Small College Championships in Corpus Christi, Tex. It was a tournament no one really expected them to partake in.

    Swatt placed second in the singles’ Consolation Draw, while Chopra and Wilson (the lone Americans in the draw) placed second overall in the Division II doubles final. On the whole, UCSD head coach Eric Steidlmayer was pleased with his players.

    “”Their performances were solid. Bryan [Swatt] overcame a nervous first set at the tournament and played well after that,”” Steidlmayer said. “”Jeff Wilson played some amazing doubles in the semifinal match that they won, and in the final of the doubles we played a solid match, pretty good considering the nerves involved.””

    Swatt, Chopra and Wilson won the ITA West Regionals singles and doubles titles, respectively, and advanced them to the finals on Oct. 16-18 to face singles and doubles title-holders from other regions. The Tritons played in the finals for the first time and contended against mostly older, foreign athletes with scholarships. The absence of the elite tennis schools of BYU-Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific allowed UCSD past the regionals.

    “”[The absence of BYU-Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific] was good because it gave us a chance to prove to the rest of the country that we are just as good as the Hawaii schools,”” Wilson said. “”Many of the other schools don’t think we can play because we don’t get past regionals.””

    Nerves were a factor at the beginning of the tournament. Swatt said, “”we were definitely nervous, being that none of us had ever made it this far and we were up against the best in the country.””

    Swatt, who had previously edged out 40 other players in the West Regionals, lost to Dante Cipulli of Southwest Baptist in his quarterfinal match-up, 6-1 and 6-3.

    “”I played O.K. and competed hard, but [Cipulli] was just a better player and he just plays at a higher level than I do,”” Swatt said.

    This loss dropped Swatt to the consolation draw where he got past Peter Veselovsky of Downing College, 6-3 and 6-3. Swatt advanced to the final against Gerret Lotz of Northwood University. Lotz captured the title with his 6-2, 7-5 win over Swatt.

    Overall, Swatt felt he played well and learned there are parts of his game needing improvement.

    “”Everyone I played was very good and there were no easy matches,”” Swatt said. “”I realized that I have to get stronger, develop a bigger first serve and have more patience on the court. If I can do this, it will make a huge difference in my game.””

    On the doubles end, nerves got the better of Chopra and Wilson in the beginning, but after a pep talk from Steidlmayer, the pair was able to edge Paulius Jurkenas and Mario Vergara from the University of West Florida, 7-5, 4-6 and 10-7, on Oct. 16. This victory earned them a match against the No. 1 seed and last year’s doubles title-holders, Andres Bori and Mark Eori of Southwest Baptist on Court 1. Feeling they had to prove themselves with all the schools watching, the Triton pair pulled off a huge upset.

    “”In the second match, we came out firing against the defending champions who were cocky,”” Wilson said. “”But we shocked them and they just had no answers. I had lots of energy and confidence in my shots; I couldn’t miss. I felt like I could just swing and the ball would go in, it was a good feeling.””

    Chopra and Wilson finished off Bori and Eori in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(7). Wilson also had high praise for his partner, Chopra, who “”knocked guys over with a couple of his shots Š and didn’t let his serve get broken once during the tournament.””

    Their semifinal victory advanced them to the finals on Oct. 17 against Mattias Odone and Akos Tatja of Drury University. Wilson and Chopra lost in a three-set thriller, 6-4, 4-6 and 10-7, taking second place. The pair was nervous at the beginning, losing the first set, but were able to focus and win in the second. However, in the third-set tiebreaker, Odone and Tatja prevailed.

    “”[Odone and Tatja] were hitting clutch shots in the tie-breaker and the whole match,”” Wilson said. “”They hit perfect lobs in the tie-breaker to get an early 3-0 lead.””

    Although Wilson and Chopra lost their finals match, they turned heads at the tournament, prompting a coach to comment that UCSD was “”a lot better than he thought,”” and that his team would need “”body armor”” to play against UCSD.

    Wilson and Chopra were not partners last year, but they did play together once and beat a Division I doubles team. They had since been wondering if the chemistry they felt would translate well if they paired up. The performance at regionals and finals answered that question.

    “”Sameer and I have very similar games,”” Wilson said. “”We are both tall with quick hands and we both like to blanket the net. Now, we can be the team to beat where other schools are gunning for us.””

    In addition, the Tritons enjoyed their stay, due in part to the host family, the Van Heusens.

    “”[James] is a physical trainer so he helped us stretch out and [Karen] was the best cook ever, cooking us gourmet meals. I think I gained five pounds on the trip,”” Wilson said.

    A sweep of the ITA West, a top-six finish in singles, a second place doubles title, and marking UCSD on the tennis map, may perhaps be the start of a promising season for Steidlmayer’s players.

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