With The University of Alabama men’s tennis season in full swing, the Crimson Tide is looking to build momentum that will carry them through the rest of the fall.
Two Alabama players square off against the nation’s most skilled players Monday in Tulsa, Okla., in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-American Championships. Bypassing the initial prequalifying round, junior Daniil Proskura competes in the qualifying round of the singles tournament. He also joins junior Carlos Taborga in the qualifying round of doubles play.
Proskura, a junior from Estonia, will compete against 128 of the country’s best college players. By notching three victories, he will advance to the main draw, where he will play in a round of 16. Junior and Bolivian native Taborga will team up with Proskura Tuesday to take on the 128 best doubles teams in the nation. Four wins will advance the pair to the main draw, which consists of only eight teams.
The two juniors played together last year, as well as in their last tournament at the Duke Fab Four Invite in September. After a shaky start in the first couple of days at Duke, Taborga and Proskura recorded a few wins, which should give them some momentum heading into Tulsa.
“I felt pretty rusty, since it was my first time playing this fall,” Taborga said of the Duke tournament. “But I got better each day and ended up winning on the last day.”
The Tide pair enters the season ranked No. 33 in the country and Proskura sits at No. 59 in singles rankings. Coach George Husack said his players have worked on a few techniques since Duke that should prove beneficial this week.
“For doubles, the serve will be very important,” Husack said. “They will have to be able to return the first volley, be smart, but overall be aggressive.”
Husack also expects Proskura to use his left hand, his spins and his depth in order to create angles. Such a style of play should complement Taborga’s tendencies.
“Carlos is really good with forearm and serves,” Proskura said. “So I try to stay up close to the net as much as possible.”
Although the two players may not compete for a slot in the NCAA National Championships until later in the spring, both men understand the importance of playing well in this tournament. Because the ITA All-American Championships is one of the two biggest tennis events of the fall, a victory would improve Proskura and Taborga’s ranking, as well as Proskura’s individual ranking.
Match count holds a great significance at the beginning of the season and ascending the national rankings will better the duo’s chances of clinching a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“Both guys are familiar with playing at such a high level,” Husack said. “That experience will play a vital role for us this week.”
