Men's Tennis in Preseason Rankings
September 08, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Sept. 8, 2009
Junior Austen Childs achieved the highest singles ranking in U of L history at No. 12 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason rankings. He is joined by juniors Viktor Maksimcuk and Simon Childs among the nation's top 75 singles players. Child and Childs also made their 2009-10 debut at No. 10 in the ITA doubles rankings.
"We definitely were shown a lot of respect in the rankings," said U of L head coach Rex Ecarma. "This is the first time we've had three singles players nationally and the first doubles teams in the top 10 in preseason rankings. Austen is ranked twelfth, which is the highest singles ranking ever in our program eclipsing Michael Mather at #13 in 1998."
"Michael came by practice last season and asked Austen if he was the guy that would break all of his records. If Austen can do what Michael did it will be a fun year for him. Michael was 23-0 in the dual match season, undefeated in the team tournament, round of 16 in the NCAA singles (losing to eventual runner-up and future top 75 ATP pro Paul Goldstein while being up 6-5 4-2, 40-15) and became an All-American. One of the many things I loved about Michael Mather is that he played his best tennis in the biggest dual matches and biggest tournaments. We are trying to prepare Austen to be a mental giant like this."
Austen Childs (Mt. Maunganui, New Zealand) finished his sophomore campaign at No. 26 in the ITA singles rankings. Childs posted a 28-13 overall record and went 19-4 playing mostly as the Cards' top seed. The 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year was also a first team all-league selection and earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors three times. Childs also earned his second straight trip to the NCAA Singles Championship in 2009.
Viktor Maksimcuk (Subotica, Serbia) closed his sophomore season with a team-best 31-10 overall record and went 21-7 in dual matches, playing mostly at No. 2. The All-BIG EAST Conference selection appeared in seven different ranking periods reaching as high as No. 74 and finishing the season at No. 109.
Simon Childs (Hillington, England) finished the 2009 season at No. 121. He registered a 24-13 mark and went 19-9 while playing mostly at No. 3. Simon Childs was also a BIG EAST selection and a two time league player of the week.
The duo of Austen Childs and Simon Childs (no relation) finished 2009 at No. 29 in the ITA doubles rankings after peaking at No. 6 for the highest ranking in program history earlier in the season. Childs and Childs teamed for a 26-9 overall record in 2009 and were at 13-5 at the No. 1 position and earned their second consecutive NCAA Doubles Championship bid.
"There are close to 3,000 Division 1 tennis players - so to be among the top 75 is an accomplishment," said Ecarma. "They have rankings to defend but I hope these guys look at it like, `I am this many spots away from number one.'"
