Tommy triumphs

By Michael Kidd     9/16/13 7:00pm

It is still early in the fall season, but the Rice Owls men's tennis team is back to practice and is participating in local tournaments. 

On Sept. 8, sophomore Tommy Bennett clinched a wild card berth for an upcoming tournament to be held at Rice by winning all four games he played in. He will now compete with some of the best young players around in the United States Tennis Association semi-pro tournament Oct. 5-13 at Jake Hess Stadium. Bennett said all of the competitors in these tournaments are talented and that it takes a lot of skill and luck to survive.

"The competition is very difficult in this sort of tournament," Bennett said. "The No. 1 seed is about 300th in the world in men's tennis rankings." 

---

---

Bennett said that although all of the players are extremely skilled, he is not scared. He said he  knows he has the talent to hang around and win these matches.

"If I play my best in this tournament, I think I can beat the type of players out here," Bennett said. 

As a freshman last year, Bennett led the Owls in men's singles victories and was a contributor to the team's overall success. He said he attributes much of his success to his coaches back home in Brighton, England but also spoke highly of Head Coach Efe Ustundag's ability to observe his play. 

"[Ustundag] has taught me a lot about the game and of the style I want to play on the court," Bennett said. "He has seen me play a lot of matches ... and knows when I struggle or not. We've worked a lot on my forehand, and I've gotten an extra crack to it, extra whip." 

Although Bennett has seen his fair share of successes, he said he understands there is always room for improvement in his game. 

"There's always a lot of stuff to work on in the course of a game," Bennett said. "My main thing is to work on the backhand; it doesn't hold up at times, and I may need to improve impacts. There are aspects of every single shot that need to be made good." 

Ustundag said that what characterizes Bennett best is that he never gives up. Ustundag said that as a coach, he cannot ask for more.

"[He's a] fighter," Ustundag said. "He's certainly the type of tennis player that plays with a lot of heart. He does everything within his power and within the rules of the game to make sure he doesn't lose. He pours everything out on the court." 

Ustundag is now in his second year as the head coach of the men's tennis team and said he has seen Bennett develop into the type of player determined to stay in matches. Ustundag said Bennett does not give up until it is game, set and match. 

"His ability to basically never go away stands out," Ustundag said. "He finds a way to crawl back into matches, and if he is down, [he] finds a way to exploit a weakness. [Bennett] plays our longest matches, and even when things are not going well for him, [he] finds a way to hang around until that moment is available to crack things open for his benefit."

Ustundag said he is excited to see what Bennett has to show in this upcoming tournament. He said the tournament should be exciting to watch  for both players and fans of the sport alike.

"[It's] great tennis for tennis fans to see," Ustundag said. "[It's also] a chance to come see our college players succeed and to root them on in not just a college environment, but [also] a tennis environment." 

---