An up-and-down season has characterized the year so far for the Oregon men’s tennis team.
The Ducks’ goal has been to continue the development of the team’s younger players. With only one senior, the Ducks experienced many highs and lows as the fall portion of their schedule concluded last weekend.
“Some guys have shown very good signs of elevating their games, but haven’t made it to the level that they need to,” head coach Chris Russell said.
The Ducks are headed by three Switzerland natives: sophomore Thomas Bieri and juniors Sven Swinnen and Manuel Kost. Kost, ranked No. 31 in the nation, is the leader of the team but is still seeking to play at the consistently high level he is capable of.
Kost “has played some good tennis,” Russell said. “He just hasn’t shown the confidence to play the style with regularity that he should be playing.”
The emergence of Bieri and Swinnen has solidified the remaining two of the top three spots in the lineup. Their play at October’s ITA Regionals in Eugene was one of the high points this season. Each reached the quarterfinals in the singles portion.
“Those are the kind of performances that we’re looking for in terms of winning and competitiveness,” Russell said. “If we can get everyone to do that, we can be successful.”
The Ducks’ hope to be in the top 30 in the nation and have a shot at the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships. According to Russell, the lower part of the lineup after the top three will need to step up to help reach that objective.

Women “optimistic” heading into the break
The fall portion of the women’s season was highlighted by junior Daria Panova’s win at the ITA Regionals. Panova, along with senior Courtney Nagle, advanced to play at the ITA Nationals in Ann Arbor, Mich., this past weekend. The two failed, however, to pick up a win as a doubles team after earning an at-large bid to the tournament.
The Ducks are optimistic heading into nonconference play. One concern is injuries, which took their toll on the team last season.
“On paper, this is the best team we’ve had since I’ve been here. We feel like we need to finish the job we started last year before the injuries,” head coach Nils Schyllander said.
The future also looks bright because freshmen Monica Hoz de Vila and Dominika Dieskova have impressed their coaching staff so far in their young careers. Dieskova breezed through the first two rounds of the ITA Northwest Regionals without losing a single game. Schyllander said that weekend that Dieskova “made a name for herself and definitely put herself on the map.”
Heading into the break, the Ducks are looking forward to working on minimizing their errors on the court.
“I want to see them make simple and good choices,” Schyllander said. “If we do that, we can be a pretty good team because the talent is there.”