Ball State men’s tennis will head to Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend for the Ohio Valley Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals. Head coach Bill Richards said this will be the toughest tournament of the fall.
“At this tournament, all of the teams are sending their best players,” Richards said.
There will be 12 teams competing in the regional tournament, as the winners of both the singles and doubles brackets will move onto the National Championship.
Among the teams competing, three are from Indiana and five are teams that the Cardinals will face in the spring. Richards understands the challenges that his team will face against a group of elite teams.
“We just have to perform well and hope we can make a good account for ourselves,” Richards said.
Junior Nemanja Guzina is one of the six players that will be representing Ball State in singles play. Guzina enjoys the in-state competition he faces when competing against opponents in Indiana.
“It is really important, when you play those specific players, to do your best and hopefully get the win,” Guzina said.
Since last year’s ITA Regionals, Guzina has been working on a better approach to his mental game.
“Being positive really helps me regroup and win the third set, after two sets,” said Guzina.
THE DRAW FOR ITA REGIONALS
The draw happened on Wednesday night. In doubles action, the duo of juniors Marko Guzina and Conner Anderson will face the No. 11 pair in the region Christian Edison and Almantas Ozelis of Austin Peay. Nemanja and freshman Chris Adams will face the No. 8 duo of Robert Herrera and Sergi Fontcuberta of Eastern Tennessee State.
In singles play, Marko will face No. 20 in the region Adam Walton of Tennessee. Another matchup to watch out for is freshman Thibault de Negri against Gonzalo Garcia of Tennessee Tech.
Doubles matches start at 8 a.m. at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
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