ITA Central Region Championships Preview

I didn’t completely butcher my first post, so the bloggers kindly allowed me back.

Since I’m new, I’ll again plug my Twitter info and e-mail. Tweet @d3midwest10s and e-mail d3midwest10s@gmail.com

Because the ITA Central Region Championships are of course the best in the country, let’s get right down to business.

Things to Consider

1. Originally, the draw was trimmed to 64 singles and 32 doubles. Luckily, we live in a democracy, coaches lobbied, and we’re back to 128 singles and 64 doubles. I’m so happy about this because it allows for more chances at upsets.

2. For the past two years, these championships have been owned by the Maroons of Chicago. Not this year. “But didn’t you say Chicago would win the national title in your last article?” Yes, and I still stand by it. Keep in mind that the Maroons just came back on Sunday from a two week trip to Europe (so jealous my team never did anything like this), and I honestly don’t know if there was much tennis being played (I think they had 2 matches). While that’s a great team bonding opportunity and could pay off big time come UAAs and NCAAs, I’m not sure if the Maroons will be in prime form by Friday, as evidenced by their match against Carthage on Tuesday. Coach Tee kindly responded to my message yesterday and said that he has “tempered expectations with the understanding that we sacrificed our training in order to go on a foreign tour.” Is a Maroon at the fitness level needed to make it through the four-day grind?

3. As fun as this tournament is to cover, it’s by no means an end all be all, so calm down. It will not foreshadow how good or bad a team or player’s season will be, so let’s keep everything in check. Remember, Sam Geier fell in the round of 16 last year and look at how he performed in the spring.

4. Apparently, the draws are released right before the tournament, so I can’t comment on specific matchups. Sorry.

Who has the best chance of winning the singles draw (in order of likelihood)?

1. Branden Metzler: While the draw is wide open, Metzler is the favorite to win the regional championship after his NCAA singles runner-up performance in May. Last year, some were saying that Metzler was overrated and that he didn’t play tough competition throughout the regular season. Well, he proved everyone wrong. In the 2015 ITA regional, the Hornet reached the semifinal before falling to then Chicago freshman Max Liu. My only worry about Metzler is if he’s been working hard. I mean, if I was in his shoes, I wouldn’t be because my career would be fulfilled by last season’s NCAA performance. Hopefully, he’s still hungry. If he is, he’s got the best chance of winning.

2. Nick Chua: I have a tough time putting Chua as the second most favorite player to win the tournament. Under normal circumstances he would be, but that darn Europe trip probably isn’t helping him this weekend. What Chua hopefully didn’t lose abroad is his mental strength. You’ve got to be one tough cookie to win both singles and doubles last year and singles the year before.

3. Johnny Wu: Wu is a backboard and appears to have competed a lot in the summer. Because fitness is such a big key to success in this tournament, Wu is high on my list of favorites. The man can play 20, 30, 40 stroke rallies. If you aren’t in top physical shape playing against Wu, good luck.

4. David Liu: Liu is one of those guys who poses a nightmare matchup for anyone. While he doesn’t have a specific weapon, the Maroon fights, fights, and fights. He’s had deep runs the past two years in singles, and won doubles both years.

5. John Carswell: Carswell is going to get a high seed, being the #1 player from Wash U, but he’s struggled a bit recently. In last year’s ITA, the Bear fell in the first round to a Chicago bench player. Still, I’ve seen Carswell play on multiple occasions and can’t understand why he loses. The dude is freakin’ good. If he can put it together, I think he can live up to the expectations.

6. Chicago Veterans: We’ve seen Chicago’s dominance at ITAs the past two years. Again, I don’t expect it this year, but Luke Tsai, Peter Leung, and Charlie Pei all have a good chances at deep runs. Last year, Leung lost to Tsai in the quarters, and Pei lost to CJ Krimbill in a third-set tiebreaker. Thanks to Coach Tee for responding to my message because I now know which of his guys are playing in the main draw. Unfortunately, last year’s runner up, Max Liu, will not be competing.

7. Wash U Veterans: The Bears have some good playing experience this fall, and I have my eyes on Jeremy Bush and Jason Haugen to potentially make deep runs. Bush has had his ups and downs the past couple years, but I’m hoping he’ll be recharged for his senior year. Haugen was very good at the 5 last year, and fell to Chua in three sets at last year’s ITA.

8. Kevin Brown: After a great freshman campaign, Brown is back looking to make a big impact again for Denison. While he didn’t have any big upset wins, Brown held his own at the top spot; he’s used to competing against the best.

9. Dan Rodefeld: Rodefeld made himself known last year after defeating both Mohanad Alhouni and Jake Humphreys. He by no means had a spotless season, but has proven he can compete with some of the country’s top players. I don’t picture him winning the whole thing, but you never know.

10. Justin Ancona: Ancona would be higher on this list, but because Wheaton does not play on Sundays, he cannot win. It’s very possible for Ancona to be winning up until that point. Last year, Ancona received some unwarranted criticism for his NCAA qualification over John Carswell. I hope that fires him up, and he plays like a stud.

11. Freshmen: Freshmen have made a huge impact at ITAs the past two years. Last season, Chicago’s Max Liu reached the final and Charlie Pei almost defeated CJ Krimbill, which some believe led to the Spartans’ loss the next round. Two years ago, freshman Nick Chua won the whole, while Johnny Wu and David Liu reached the semifinals. The freshmen with the best chances of making deep runs this year are Wash U’s Bernardo Neves and Chicago’s Erik Kerrigan and Ninan Kumar.

Doubles

When you’re playing eight game pro sets up until the final, anything can happen. I guess the favorites are Nick Chua and David Liu after their All-American season, but they just lost to Carthage’s #1 team on Tuesday. I’m guessing the two seed will be Tristan Kaye and whoever he partners with. Anyway, I think we’ll get a surprise champ this year, which is always exciting.

I’ll try to give you updates throughout the tournament. Maybe I’ll be there; maybe I won’t.