ITA Southwest (P)review

Well, D3Northeast is doing some pretty serious work, so I thought I should at least write something for the last of the three regionals going on out west right now. Actually, I finally got the draw this morning, and that’s only because the UT-Tyler website posted it in the results. Chalk that one up to my poor Googling prowess, but it’s about time I got something up here.

Southwest

As much as the Northwest region is the all-Whitman show, the Southwest region has been the Trinity show lately. When Ybarra somehow landed on the UT-Tyler roster last year, the Patriots almost snuck in for a singles title, but Moreno, Curtis, and Skinner tag-teamed him to eventually take him out in the finals. That was then, and this is now. Ybarra graduated, and Brown doesn’t appear to be on the Tyler roster anymore, so it seems like we’re headed for another Trinity dual title, but we’ll see if we can find some underdogs to root for.

The Favorites

Curtis/Haugen/Skinner (TU)

UT-Tyler's Ramon Martinez, because their SID put up the draws
UT-Tyler’s Ramon Martinez, because their SID put up the draws

This shouldn’t come as any surprise, but the three Tigers are actually pretty similar in ability level. On the right day, any one could take out the others. If you had to pick one favorite, Skinner is obviously it. The dude has cruised through his first two matches, but his road will get considerably tougher from here. In the 4th round, he has a date with either the grinder, Spencer, or his sophomore teammate Connor Dunn.

Haugen, the #2 seed is off to a strong enough start, but he is headed for a very challenging semifinal match, but there will be more on that later. Curtis, I feel, has always been an underrated Tiger. The dude took out Haugen in last year’s tournament before falling to Ybarra in three sets, and he’s been a model of consistency in duel matches. I don’t know a ton about his opponents, but it’s likely he’ll have to go through Budd and Kierstadt, two vastly improved Patriots to get to the semifinals for a date with Skinner

The Other Guys

Ramon Martinez (UT-Tyler), Paxton Deuel (TU)

Now, I know I’m not doing you guys any favors by listing off the top 5 seeds, but these really are the next-best players in the draw. Martinez is a fantastic grinder. My only concern for him is whether or not he can keep up that grueling style of play for 6 matches. He might not have to, however, as he’ll soon be facing Deuel in the quarterfinals. Deuel is a 4-star transfer from Portland University. The Northwesterner can really hit the ball, and has the goods to win this tournament if he can keep his head on his shoulders. Regardless, the winner of that battle will be rewarded with a well-rested Haugen in the semis. I have a hard time seeing either of these guys getting through both of those matches then beating Skinner in the finals, but it’s possible

Ryan Spencer (UT-Tyler)

Spencer had to go the distance just to reach the third round yesterday, and he could easily have already lost to Dunn this morning, but he’s the type of guy who will give you fits if you’re not on your game. He’s gonna make a lot of balls, and he’ll take advantage of any weaknesses you have. Unfortunately for him, Skinner doesn’t have any weakness, so I don’t see him getting past the quarters.

Doubles

Alright, time to just sort of make some shit up. Doubles is always such a crap heap, but you can pretty much guess that the best players will eventually make it to the finals. The seeding for this doubles tournament was hilarious, as the #1 seeds from Hardin-Simmons went out to UT-Dallas’ #2 team, while Skinner and Moreno are the #3 seeds. Oh, fall tournaments; how funny you can sometimes be.

As much as the singles draw is the Trinity show, this doubles draw is about to get really ugly for “Not Trinity.” The Tigers have five teams in the quarterfinals, and I would be kinda surprised if they didn’t monopolize the final four spots. After that, it comes down to which Trinity team is going to take this one. Haugen and Dunn earned the #2 seed, so apparently, they’re TU’s #1 team at the moment. Nevertheless, I think the unseeded, experienced duo of Curtis and Mayer is gonna take this thing down. Go Tigers.

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