Watching Oregon senior Daan Maasland play tennis is a unique experience.
Maasland, who has been the Ducks’ most consistent player for the past two seasons, plays with a crisp, strong approach and presents an interesting challenge for any opponent who is facing him. He depends on his backhand shot much more than he does his forehand, which is a rarity for any player at any level, and it gives him an instant advantage.
“I think he has a weird game — not old-school, but when you play him you feel like his tennis style is different than what you usually play against,” Oregon sophomore Simon Stevens said.
“I like to play aggressive,” Maasland said. “I like my backhand; it’s kind of like my best shot. I developed it a little bit more when I came here.”
Maasland has evolved into one of the top players in the PAC-12 and a consistent number one threat for the Oregon program and has stepped up as the leader of a team that features four underclassmen and just three seniors.
“He’s been our strongest player this fall,” Oregon head coach Nils Schyllander said. “For the younger guys to see how he works and prepares every day really sets them up for the future.”
He arrived at Oregon as an uber-talented freshman, but it took time for Maasland to develop into the player he is today.
Born in Geldrop, Netherlands, he was ranked as high as second in the U-18 Dutch rankings before he came to Oregon, and during his freshman collegiate season he went 23-9 in singles matches and recorded the third most wins in school history.
He missed all but one tournament during the fall of his sophomore season due to a torn meniscus, but he bounced back in the spring with a 14-6 singles record while also cementing his spot as the second player in Oregon’s rotation.
His junior year, it all came together when Maasland went 20-9 during the spring season, defeated two different ranked opponents and earned second team All-PAC-12 honors while playing as Oregon’s number one player for most of the year.
The strong play from his junior year earned Maasland the 67th spot in the ITA collegiate preseason rankings this fall, and he has only built on that momentum throughout this season.
“Any given day he can beat anyone,” Schyllander said. “He’s a solid number one player for any program right now.”
It is common for major tennis programs to feature a melting pot of players from different cultural background, and the Ducks are no exception. They feature players from eight different countries as well as several Oregon-born players.
Maasland has been instrumental in helping build a team chemistry that Schyllander believes has had a profound impact on Oregon’s play this season.
“The camaraderie is great. I mean great with a capital-G,” Schyllander said. “And that’s a big part of it and it makes it easier for them to push each other. It’s a really good culture right now.”
He only took one 48-hour visit to Oregon before committing, but Maasland said that the team atmosphere and the professional practice environment were part of what drew him in, and he has done his part in helping replicate that experience for others.
“Daan is the guy who you can always go ask and know he will be honest with you,” said Simon, a native of Belgium who, like Maasland, experienced American culture for the first time during his freshman season.
“He helped me manage my time and find the time to go 100-percent when I’m at practice and 100-percent when I’m in class. He definitely helped give me some important advice.”
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