Buckeyes Having Good Runs On The Pro Circuit – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
June 16, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State head coach Ty Tucker has made a habit of churning out some of the top tennis talent and his latest batch certainly fits the mold. Blaz Rola, Chase Buchanan and Connor Smith are all ranked in the top 200 in the world while recent graduate Peter Kobelt has fared well in his first year out on tour.
This week’s ATP rankings have Rola at 95, Buchanan at 194 and Smith at a career-best 200, giving the Buckeyes three former players in the top-200. That is the most of any school in the country and no one is more proud than Tucker.
”It’s pretty exciting to see Rola, Buchanan, Smith and Kobelt make their way as young guys out there on the pro tour,” said Tucker. “I think we’re the only program in the country right now that has three guys in the top 200 in the world. I wish those guys the best of luck. They gave everything they had at Ohio State and I know they’re still a part of the program. They offer advice and encouragement to the current guys throughout the year. It was great playing with those guys, great to coach those guys and now to see them make their move it fantastic.”
Rola had a tremendous year in 2014 and jumped into the top-100 for the first time in his career. He is currently ranked 95 and is coming off a couple of victories in April. He won the singles title at the Challenger event in Santos, Brazil and then one week later, he teamed with Buchanan to take the doubles title at the Sao Paulo event. Last year, he won his first Challenger title in Ghuangzhou and had a couple of other runner-up finishes. He advanced to the main draw of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon and even won an opening round match in London.
“Blaz is two years into his career and he’s already had a super career,” Tucker said. “To be in the second round of two Grand Slam tournaments and to make into the top-100 in the world in just a year’s time and then staying there, is unbelievable. He’s hit a little snag as of late but I look for him to turn it around and have a big summer.”
Rola has 19 professional victories to his credit, including four singles and doubles wins in 2012. In addition to his runs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, he also advanced to the main draw at the US Open in 2014.
Buchanan has had a solid pro career which includes four US Open main draw appearances and 16 professional victories. This year, he made it to the final round of qualifying at the Australian Open and advanced to the semis of the Challenger event in Sarasota, Fla., in mid-April. That was followed two weeks later by his doubles win with Rola in Sau Paulo. Earlier in the year, he finished runner-up in a doubles Challenger event in Maui with partner Rhyne Williams.
“Chase may be the best player to ever play tennis at Ohio State,” Tucker lamented. “He’s a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and a five-time All-American. Chase has the game and right now, he’s trying to figure out some strategy. I’ve got no doubt Chase will be there in the end because he is committed to playing. He plays all over the world and unless he’s injured, he’s playing.”
In addition to his Challenger and Futures Tour events, Buchanan was recently drafted by the Boston Lobsters of the Mylan World TeamTennis league. The league features some of tennis’ biggest names playing together with young stars as well as local pros in an innovative team format. Matches run the entire month of July.
Smith had back-to-back good weeks and has risen to a career-best No. 200 in the world rankings. He finished runner-up in a Futures event in Korea at the end of May and then runner-up two weeks ago in a Challenger event in South Korea. In doubles action this year, Smith has posted a pair of runner-up finishes at Futures stops. In his first full year as a pro in 2014, Smith advanced to the singles finals of four Futures Tour events and won three titles. He also claimed five doubles titles in 2014.
“Connor has surprised some folks from here at Ohio State but his combination of serve with first serve power is very good,” Tucker said. “His combination of returning serve with first serve power is very good at that level. When you start the point as well as Connor does, anything can happen. He’s also highly competitive so it’s great to see him make the top-200. There were a lot of people that didn’t think he would get there and I don’t think he’s done yet. He has the potential to climb up into the top-100 in the world.”
The Buckeye’s most recent graduate to hit the pro circuit is Peter Kobelt. He has mainly played Futures Tour events this year and has notched a pair of runner-up finishes in Turkey and Israel. He’s advanced to the semis in a couple of doubles draws on the Futures Tour and is currently ranked No. 474. The 2014 NCAA doubles runner-up continued his dominance on the pro circuit as he won six doubles titles last summer and earned a spot in the main doubles draw at the US Open.
“Peter has been a bit up and down and he would obviously like to do more but his commitment is there to be the best he can be,” said Tucker. “He has played in Israel, Turkey and Europe for five or six months and is trying to figure out what game-style he wants to be. It’s a tough call for him because the service game is so big and you want to add something to it. He’s got the type of power in his service game that he could be in a tie-breaker every match. He’s in that stage of his career that he’s figuring out how he can be the most successful.”
