Last season, the Oregon men’s tennis team was talented, young and optimistic. Despite their youth, the Ducks made a surprise visit to the NCAA Tournament and had high hopes for this season.
But the departure of two key players seemed to set the clock back for the Ducks and their postseason hopes … until the arrival of three freshmen this month.
When junior Thomas Schneiter and sophomore Leslie Eisinga left the Ducks, the team had an incomplete five-man roster. Three freshmen — Martin Pawlowski, Alexander Druzenko and Greg Dubourdieu — have filled that void.
“We’ve been working on these guys for a while,” head coach Chris Russell said. “We’ve got three quality guys who are ready to play.”
The Oregon roster now consists of one upperclassman, senior David Becker, two sophomores and five freshmen.
The newcomers have had little time to prepare for varsity action. At last Saturday’s Foster Klima Ice Volleys, Pawlowski was the No. 2 singles player for the Ducks while Druzenko played at the No. 4 spot.
“We haven’t had a lot of time working with them individually,” Russell said. “So a lot of what they’re going to learn is adjusting for the level of competition that they are going to see.”
Pawlowski brings in experience from Poland and Sweden, where he graduated from Kungsgardsskolan. Pawlowski was ranked in the top-10 among Swedish juniors last year.
Pawlowski earned his first collegiate win on Saturday against North Carolina State’s Reinaldo Valor.
“I thought he played very well and can play at a very high level,” Russell said. “He brings in a big-time game to our program.”
Druzenko hails from Odessa, Ukraine, where he was a top-20 national player. Druzenko has five wins against ATP ranked players this season.
Dubourdieu is from Perreux, France, where he graduated from Academie de Creteil. Dubourdieu teamed with sophomore ace Oded Teig for a doubles win over NC State’s John Davis and Valor.
“They’re still adapting,” Russell said. “They’ve been brought up on a softer surface than over here. But we feel like they’re going to get better.”
The three join an already talented recruiting class that consists of Buck Mink and Chris King.
“If these guys respond to the level of competition that they are going to see, we will be a very good team.” Russell said.
The three freshmen help ease the blow of Eisinga and Schneiter’s departure.
Eisinga transferred to Nevada-Las Vegas this fall but has since left the team. The Helleveetsluis, Netherlands, native was ranked as high as 27th in the preseason polls along with Running Rebel Nenad Zivkovic.
Last season, Eisinga became the first freshman in school history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Eisinga teamed with All-American Guillermo Carter for a doubles berth at nationals.
Schneiter withdrew from school and returned to his home in Worb, Switzerland. Schneiter would have been Oregon’s top returning singles player, while Eisinga was the projected No. 3 starter.
The young Ducks will have to mature quickly if they want to make a repeat trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Men’s tennis team gains help in form of three freshmen
Daily Emerald
January 23, 2001
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