Alabama mens' tennis aims to be better despite losing its ace

Although there's uncertainty as the the top of the lineup, Crimson Tide's depth could make it a more dangerous opponent

Alabama Athletics

It’s not very often that the University of Alabama tennis teams will go into a season with nearly the same exact situation, but this fall the Crimson Tide men mirror what the women are dealing with in one very big way.

Alabama is coming off a memorable postseason, returns most of the key players and the roster boasts a high number of seniors with Edson Ortiz, Alexey Nesterov and Zhe Zhou.

But the Crimson Tide no longer has the one player it relied upon the most.

Last May, Mazen Osama and Patrick Kaukovalta made an amazing run at the NCAA Championships, reaching the finals in doubles. It was the first time in program history that Alabama played for a national title, in singles or doubles, and the All-Americans finished ranked No. 4 in the final ITA/Oracle Doubles Rankings, trying a Crimson Tide record.

The year before, Osama became the first Alabama men's player to make it to the quarterfinals of the tournament in singles. He played in the No. 1 slot and during the 2018-19 season notched eight wins over nationally-ranked opponents.

“He’s the only guy that we’ve lost in the last two years, to graduation, expiring eligibility,” Crimson Tide coach George Husack said. “He was the No. 1 singles and doubles player for the last four years. It’s kind of like big daddy retiring and the kids are ready to take over.

“He’s a big loss, but he’s kind of one guy, and counted for one point. We’ve got a good group. We have basically eight upperclassmen and two freshmen. We don’t have any sophomores. I know that the three seniors that we do have are very eager to not only show each other, but show everyone that we can do better. That’s a good thing.”

Heading into the fall part of the schedule, Husack isn’t sure who might end up playing No. 1 singles. There isn’t a talent who is head-and-shoulders better than everyone else, so he’s content to let things play out a little.

Nevertheless, Ortiz is a top contender.

“Ortiz has been steadily moving up the lineup in singles and doubles the past few years, starting off at No. 5 his freshman year,” the coach said. “Then was at No. 4 his sophomore year, and last year played No. 2 as a junior. I’m sure he wants that No. 1 spot, but I think there’s a number of guys who could emerge.”

MOOD all season. 😎😎#RollTide #ThatsBama pic.twitter.com/kyA8sGri0i

— Alabama Men's Tennis (@AlabamaMTN) September 16, 2019

Among the other returning players, Zhou, from Tianjin, China, finished second on the team with a 19-9 singles record, including a 14-6 mark during the dual match season. He was 6-3 at No. 5 singles.

Jeremy Gschwendtner from England finished with a 13-3 singles record, including 7-2 in SEC play in his first year playing collegiate tennis. He primarily played in the No. 6 singles slot, where he went 10-3.

Italian Riccardo Roberto finished 2018-19 with a 17-9 singles record and an 11-6 mark in dual match play, while Grant Stuckey was sidelined after undergoing hip surgery.

Kaukovalta, from Finland, notched 17 singles wins, but was obviously a bigger factor in doubles.

“On doubles we have to make some huge changes,” Husack said. “Patrick is a huge asset for us having played with Mazen, he’s got a big game. We have to find the right person that may not be equivalent player in singles, but the right fit with him. He’s a big, powerful person, so we need a person who’s able to clean up the shots.

“It’s kind of like a setter and an outside hitter [in volleyball].”

Looking to find their places in the lineup are two freshmen, Avi Shugar and Marcelo Sepulveda Garza

“[Shugar] is from Eugene, Oregon. He was coached by a very good friend of mine,” Husack said. “He’s a big, strong kid. Big forehand, big serve. Very smart guy who in the honors college here. He had a great national, the U.S. boys’ national just a couple of weeks ago and did very well there. He’s going to challenge for a spot in the starting lineup.

“The other guy is Marcello. Very gifted freshman from Mexico. He was the number-one ranked player in Mexico. He has a lot of skill and has some really good results the past few years. He’s very good.”

Two other newcomers to the program are on the coaching staff. Dimitar Kutrovsky was named the Crimson Tide’s assistant coach in June after spending the past four years with the University of Texas San Antonio, where he developed a reputation for signing international talent. He finished his collegiate career as Texas' all-time winningest player with 230 combined victories in singles and doubles.

The other name is a little more familiar to Alabama fans as former Crimson Tide player Andrew Goodwin (2014-15) has returned as the volunteer coach. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Mississippi State.

📸😏🔥#RollTide #ThatsBama pic.twitter.com/jksEYxI7tn

— Alabama Men's Tennis (@AlabamaMTN) September 5, 2019

Regardless, Alabama’s goals haven’t changed and the depth in the bottom half of the lineup could be the key to the season. There’s an old adage in collegiate tennis that most matches aren’t decided at the top, and in that respect Husack likes his team very much.

“A couple of years ago we made the Round of 16, which a lot of people thought was a surprise but we thought we had the ability” Husack said. “Last year we were basically top-20 all year. We reached No. 6 and were in the teens for a long time only to falter a little at the end, but I expect us to be better this year than we were last year.”

A total of 12 teams that were in the 2019 NCAA Tournament are on the Crimson Tide’s 2020 dual match schedule in the spring, including Dartmouth, Drake, Minnesota, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

The 2020 SEC Men’s Tennis Championships will be held from April 15-19 in Fayetteville, Ark. From there the postseason will eventually end with the NCAA Championships from May 14-23 in Stillwater, Okla.

“I want to have a response from our opponents, when they see us on the schedule it’s like, ‘All right, we have to play Alabama. It’s going to be a long night or a long day.’” Husack said. “We do that then the results will be fun.”