Fresno State Athletics
The Future is Now
1/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 17, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - Head coach Jay Udwadia looks out at his nine players and knows the future is bright. The Fresno State men's tennis team is composed of two juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. Nobody will graduate after this season, so the Bulldogs expect to be solid for years to come. But Udwadia is not content to wait for the future; he is ready to win now!
"We have a lot of experience," Udwadia said. "I expect us to win right away. It's always our goal to win the WAC every year. We want to make the NCAA tournament and advance as far as possible."
Junior Rudolf Siwy shares Udwadia's aggressive attitude. He is a fiery competitor who had a solid fall season. Siwy won three straight matches in the ITA All-American qualifying rounds to earn a birth in the prestigious main draw. Overall, Siwy went 4-2 at the All-American with wins over two ranked opponents. Siwy played primarily at the No. 2 spot in singles last season and will be a fixture at the top of the lineup again during the 2008 campaign.
"Rudy established himself in the fall as a player that can do some damage nationally," Udwadia said. "Along with Rudy, I expect us to get some more players into the rankings this season."
Sophomore Mirko Zapletal also returns as one of Fresno State's top players. Zapletal was last year's team MVP as a freshman, going 21-10 overall and 17-6 in dual matches. He played at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in singles while competing all season at the No. 1 spot in doubles.
"Mirko has already played at a high level and I have a lot of confidence in him," Udwadia said.
Sophomore Tejesvi Veerepalli has improved dramatically since last season. Although Veerepalli won some significant matches in 2007, he showed an increase in intensity during the fall season. Veerepalli went 10-4 in singles and 6-2 in doubles during the fall, winning seven straight matches during one stretch.
"Tejesvi might be the guy who's stepped it up the most since last year," Udwadia said. "He has matured as a player and he has a great attitude."
Freshmen Denny Fafek and Siddharth Alapati will make an immediate impact. Fafek, a native of Mountain View, Calif., has a big game and tons of potential. He went 5-4 in singles and won three straight matches to end the fall season.
"Denny started to play his best tennis at the end of the fall," Udwadia said. "He's a talented and dangerous player. He takes the ball early and can play with anyone. The ceiling is pretty high for Denny."
Alapati played extremely well during his first semester of college tennis. He went 8-1 during the fall, winning singles titles at both the Bulldog Classic and the UNLV Rebel Classic. Sophomores Flavio Mollinedo and Taylor Leiby both got experience playing at the bottom of the lineup last year and will compete for playing time. Junior A.J. Kerin also has plenty of experience in college tennis and adds to the depth of the Bulldog roster.
Freshman Martin Nilsson joined the team in January and is expected to have an immediate impact. Nilsson has plenty of experience and will contribute in both singles and doubles.
"We have several players that can play at any position," Udwadia said. "We have a lot of players on the same level, so I'm anxious to see who steps up. Overall the team is deep, Nos. 1-9. Everyone will be fighting for spots in the lineup."
Fresno State's schedule is packed with 14 home matches, including Oregon, Nebraska, TCU and WAC rivals Boise State and Hawai'i. The Dogs hit the road early in the season when they travel to Oklahoma, Arkansas and San Diego. Fresno State will also participate in the annual Blue Gray Classic held in Montgomery, Ala. which always features top programs from around the nation.
"Our schedule is filled with opportunities to better our ranking," Udwadia said. "I expect us to fire on all cylinders in both singles and doubles."
Players Mentioned
