Men's tennis finds groove in doubles
Casey Michel
Issue date: 3/13/09 Section: Sports
The men's tennis team has not always had the best luck playing doubles. Despite owning a singles set that has clinched top 30 rankings throughout the decade, the doubles teams have consistently hung like a cloud over the beginning of each match, creating question marks that always mocked Rice's progress.
But this year seems to be different. After one of the Owls' top players, 49th-ranked junior Bruno Rosa, faltered early on, and junior Chong Wang, the third-best Owl, departed due to off-court issues, Rice's singles play has been marked by relative struggles.
However, it has been the doubles teams that have kept Rice's season alive, much to the pleasure of the coaching staff.
"I've felt really good about our doubles," assistant coach Efe Ustundag (Baker '99) said. "Looking that sharp only makes us feel more confident. Our No. 1 tennis team [of seniors Tobias Scheil and Christoph Müller] is capable of beating anybody when they play aggressively, when they play smart tennis."
Ustundag is right to be confident when talking about the doubles program. With a 9-4 record midway through the season, the doubles teams have compiled 25 wins in 39 chances, good for a .641 winning percentage.
But the 14 dropped sets do not equate 14 dropped match points, as collegiate tennis teams need to win two out of the three doubles contests to get their teams on the board. Thus, the Owls have taken the doubles point in 10 of their matches, including victories against then-No. 17 University of Miami and then-No. 16 Florida State University plus a sweep against then-No. 63 University of San Diego on March 3.
An even better sign for the Owls? All but one of the tandems used are on a winning streak. The only one that is coming off a loss is the duo of freshmen Isamu Tachibana and No. 103 Sam Garforth-Bles. However, this should not be cause for concern, as the two have since taken on new partners.
For Tachibana, his new partnership with Rosa, who began the year with Wang, has brought out some of the best tennis he has played so far.
But this year seems to be different. After one of the Owls' top players, 49th-ranked junior Bruno Rosa, faltered early on, and junior Chong Wang, the third-best Owl, departed due to off-court issues, Rice's singles play has been marked by relative struggles.
However, it has been the doubles teams that have kept Rice's season alive, much to the pleasure of the coaching staff.
"I've felt really good about our doubles," assistant coach Efe Ustundag (Baker '99) said. "Looking that sharp only makes us feel more confident. Our No. 1 tennis team [of seniors Tobias Scheil and Christoph Müller] is capable of beating anybody when they play aggressively, when they play smart tennis."
Ustundag is right to be confident when talking about the doubles program. With a 9-4 record midway through the season, the doubles teams have compiled 25 wins in 39 chances, good for a .641 winning percentage.
But the 14 dropped sets do not equate 14 dropped match points, as collegiate tennis teams need to win two out of the three doubles contests to get their teams on the board. Thus, the Owls have taken the doubles point in 10 of their matches, including victories against then-No. 17 University of Miami and then-No. 16 Florida State University plus a sweep against then-No. 63 University of San Diego on March 3.
An even better sign for the Owls? All but one of the tandems used are on a winning streak. The only one that is coming off a loss is the duo of freshmen Isamu Tachibana and No. 103 Sam Garforth-Bles. However, this should not be cause for concern, as the two have since taken on new partners.
For Tachibana, his new partnership with Rosa, who began the year with Wang, has brought out some of the best tennis he has played so far.
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