The Indiana men’s tennis team competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional tournament over the weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. While the tournament usually occurs later in October, it was the Hoosiers’ first fall contest of 2021.
Many of the Indiana players notched multiple singles victories, including seniors Patrick Fletchall, Carson Haskins and Vikash Singh and sophomore Ilya Tiraspolsky. Fletchall and Tiraspolsky made it to the round of 32, and Haskins reached the consolation quarterfinals. Singh advanced the furthest out of his teammates, winning three out of his first four matches before falling in the consolation semifinals.
Head coach Jeremy Wurtzman said Singh has been a proven winner for the team since his freshman year, and he is excited for the senior to compete against other talented players this season.
In doubles, Tiraspolsky and sophomore Michael Andre won one match before being defeated in the round of 32. The team of Haskins and junior Luka Vukovic was Indiana’s most successful, advancing to the round of 16. Wurtzman said that Haskins and Vukovic complement each other well and will likely play together during the regular season to some extent.
“They are both hyper-competitive, and they try to win every single point,” Wurtzman said. “We’ve worked a lot on positioning in doubles and what we want to do as a philosophy as a team, and they’re owning into that really well.”
Wurtzman explained that the team’s highest priorities in the fall are to frequently compete against high-ranking competitors and get better after each preseason tournament. After a choppy couple of seasons and a lack of formal matches since the start of this school year, the ITA Regional tournament was the perfect chance for Indiana to get back into a competitive rhythm.
Wurtzman was satisfied with the team’s level of play over the weekend and is optimistic moving forward.
“The guys are all working hard right now and trying to get in great physical shape and compete,” Wurtzman said. “Each individual has a lot of time to prove themselves against other competition and also within the team.”
At first glance, the men’s tennis roster appears to include many seasoned veterans. The team consists entirely of seniors, a junior and sophomores, with three senior captains. However, Wurtzman said that the shortened 2020-2021 season hindered them from getting the practice they deserved.
“We have experience, but these guys still have a lot to learn,” Wurtzman said. “I think that’s a good thing, because I think they’re hungry to do that, and they’re more mature as people.”
Half of the Indiana team will compete in the Drobac/Beeman Invite in East Lansing, Michigan, this weekend. The other half heads down to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the ITA All-American tournament.
Wurtzman said he is looking forward to seeing how the team fares against other Big Ten schools and a wide variety of nationally-ranked competition.
“If we’re consistently beating other teams that are ranked around us, within our conference, or top-ranked national teams, and we’re beating players in those lineups, we’re in good shape,” Wurtzman said. “That’s what we have to strive to do, and those are our expectations.”
