Hoosiers open with tournaments in Tulsa, South Bend to begin season

First-year IU coach Randy Bloemendaal is planning on hanging up banners in the IU Tennis Center – those honoring past achievements and those of his own. \nHaving already improved the locker room, Bloemendaal’s next plan to generate “points of pride” is through facility enhancements. Banners commemorating past accomplishments, such as IU’s five Big Ten championships and four NCAA team tournament appearances are next on the list.\nWith official practices just underway and the first tournaments of the season taking place this weekend, Bloemendaal is beginning his quest to raise the level of IU tennis and to hang his own team’s successes on the walls. \n“I think he’s great so far,” junior Peter Antons said. “He seems really determined and focused on being successful and taking our program to the next level where it should be.”\nOn Friday Antons and freshmen Jai Yoon and Santiago Gruter will travel with assistant coach Scott Linn to Notre Dame for the three-day Tom Fallon Invitational. Each player is expected to play at least seven matches and will gain valuable match experience against opponents from schools such as Iowa, Purdue, Louisville, Ball State and Western Michigan. \nCoach Bloemendaal, meanwhile, will be traveling with seniors Thomas Richter and Dara McLoughlin and freshman Phillip Eilers to Tulsa, Okla., for the Polo Ralph Lauren Men’s All-American Championships, which brings together virtually all of the top college players in the nation. \n“It’s a good opportunity for the guys, but the goals aren’t just to go there and see,” Bloemendaal said. “We want to go there and qualify for these events ... and to get this program off to a good start.”\nLast year’s field included Georgia’s John Isner, who is currently ranked No. 144 in the world and took Roger Federer to four sets in last month’s U.S. Open. This year’s draw includes the likes of Virginia’s Somdev Devvarman, the top-ranked NCAA player and a semifinalist at last year’s tournament, as well as the defending champion and No. 3 player in the country Tulsa’s Arnau Brugues.\n“I’m really excited to get a chance to play (against strong national competition),” McLoughlin said. “I’ve wanted to in the past and this year coach is giving us the opportunity to play (in this event).”\nMcLoughlin and Eilers will participate in the 128-plus player prequalifier, which begins on Saturday. McLoughlin and Eilers will have to win four matches to join Richter in the qualifier, which then requires another four wins to advance into the 64-player main draw, which begins Oct. 4. \nDue to his No. 51 preseason ranking, Richter is one of the top alternates for the Main Draw and will automatically get in should three or more players pull out of the tournament in the next week. \nWhile Bloemendaal said his players are where he thought they would be, and in some areas ahead of schedule, in terms of player progression he said the tournaments will tell him where the players really stand.\n“One of the reasons you play these tournaments is it puts a mirror in front of your face and you get a better idea of where you’re at and where you need to go,” Bloemendaal said. “I’ll have a better understanding next week after the tournaments of where we’re really at.”