The Oregon men’s tennis team is staying in Eugene this weekend for the first time all season.
The Student Tennis Center, located on Oregon’s campus, will host the 2003 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men’s Regionals starting today. The winners of the singles and doubles draws will advance later this year to the National Indoor Championships at the University of Michigan.
The Ducks will feature six players in the singles bracket, led by junior Manuel Kost, who is ranked 31st in the nation and is competing at the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
The men are eager to play at a tournament of this magnitude in their own backyard after winning the hosting rights through a bidding process.
“It’s a big deal for us,” head coach Chris Russell said. “I don’t think people realize what a big event this is with the winner heading to the National Indoor Championships. I know we’re all very excited to play here and hopefully we get some people out there to support us.”
Having the tournament at home will be an advantage for the six Ducks. It will be the first event this season in Eugene. The players are excited about the prospect of not having to travel.
“Playing at home makes it a lot easier,” Kost said. “We get to be in our own home, sleep in our own place and it’s a lot more comfortable.”
Freshman Vladimir Pino will be the first Duck to compete when he faces California’s Jake Leivent at 8 a.m. today. The newcomer impressed his coaches after being narrowly defeated in his first collegiate match last weekend at the Bulldog Classic in Fresno, Calif. Pino is excited to be competing in his first ever tournament in Eugene as a Duck.
“I’ve heard a lot about the previous games played here at home,” Pino said. “I’m pretty excited about it. I’m just going to play my game and do my best.”
Many of the top tennis players from the West Coast will be participating this weekend, headed by No. 23 KC Corkery of Stanford and California’s Conor Niland, ranked 25th nationally according to the ITA preseason polls. These two inherit the top two seeds in the tournament.
Perhaps the best chance for the Ducks will be the Swiss native, Kost. He will face Stanford’s Chris Rasmussen in the first round at 9:15 a.m. today. There are high hopes for the third-year player as he enters this season at the highest ranking of his college career.
“It will be nice for him to live up to his seeding,” Russell said. “He’s part of the nucleus that we have been trying to set for this program.”
Kost has already set goals for his participation in the tournament.
“I want to win the tournament,” he said.
The ITA Regionals will conclude Monday at the Student Tennis Center.