Monday, September 18
Columbus, Ohio
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Trotter and Cash Win Doubles Title at Columbus Challenger
9/23/2023 6:29:00 PM | General, Men's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior Robert Cash and recent graduate James Trotter held serve on their home court, winning the doubles title at the ATP Columbus Challenger this week at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.
This was the fourth professional doubles title for Trotter and his second in Columbus. He also won the ITF event in 2022 Justin Boulais. Trotter turned professional this summer after a tremendous senior year for the Buckeyes. He was named the OSU Male Athlete of the Year after earning both singles and doubles All-America honors and winning the NCAA Doubles title.
For Cash, this was his first professional doubles title. He also reached the finals of the ITF event in Columbus in 2021 with teammate JJ Tracy. Cash is one of the best collegiate doubles players in the country. He won a school-record 45 doubles matches during his NCAA runner-up season in 2022. He also won the ITA All-American Doubles title as well as the ITA Fall National Doubles Championship. This past season, he returned from injury and went 23-8 in doubles and 17-1 in singles while earning first team All-Big Ten honors.
Cannon Kingsley
Kingsley received a wild card into the singles main draw and opened with an easy 6-1, 6-4 win over world No. 212 Alexander Ritschard on Wednesday. He then outlasted former teammate James Trotter in three set 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarters on Friday, he served tremendously well in knocking-off Christian Harrison in straight sets 7-5, 6-4. That earned him a spot in the semifinals where he eventually fell to Canadian Alexis Galarneau 6-4 7-6(2).
He also played doubles with Ezekiel Clark and they won an opening round match before falling 11-9 in a super-breaker to top-seeds Guido Andreozzi and Hans Hach Verdugo.
James Trotter
Trotter turned pro this summer and returned to familiar ground this week. He started his singles tournament in qualifying, beating former teammate Alexander Bernard (6-1, 6-4) in the opening round and then earned his spot in the main draw with a long, three-set win over Elmar Ejupovic 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(3).
In the opening round on Wednesday, he beat No. 3-seed and world No. 187 Emilio Gomez 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, setting up a match with Kingsley in the round of 16 on Thursday. He would drop the opening set against Kingsley 6-3 before rallying to win the second in a tiebreaker 7-2. Kingsley then got the first break and held the edge in the third, winning the set 6-3.
In doubles, he and Cash rolled into the semifinals with a pair of straight-set wins. In the semifinals, they faced Australians and Tristan Schoolkate and Adam Walton. Trotter and Cash dropped the opening set 6-4 and were down a late break in the second before rallying to win the set in a tiebreaker 7-5. In the super-breaker, they took an 11-9 victory and advanced to the finals.
In Saturday's championship match, they split the first two sets with top-seeds Guido Andreozzi and Hans Hach Verdugo and then were the more dominant pair in the super-breaker, winning 10-7.
Robert Cash
In addition to the doubles run with Trotter, Cash took down former Notre Dame and Florida standout Axel Nefve in the first round of singles qualifying 7-5, 6-2 before losing to Federico Agustin Gomez in the second round.
Jack Anthrop
Anthrop won a pair qualifying matches to reach the singles main draw. He beat Stefan Kozlov 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the opening round of qualifying and then dominated Radu Mihai Papoe 7-5, 6-4 in the second round. He then fell in the first round of the main draw on Wednesday to Laurent Lokoli.
In doubles, he and Alexander Bernard battled experienced vets Mitchell Krueger and Deni Kudla. The Buckeye duo dropped a hard-fought opening set tiebreaker 15-13 and then Krueger and Kudla rode that momentum to a 6-1 win in the second set.
Alexander Bernard
In addition to his doubles match with Anthrop, Bernard lost in the opening round of singles qualifying to Trotter 6-1, 6-4.
Preston Stearns
Stearns redshirted in his first collegiate season with the Buckeyes and looks poised for a good year. He collected his first ATP victory, beating Nathan Ponwith 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of qualifying. He then came up short in his bid for the main draw, falling to Aiden Mayo 6-4, 6-1.
Bryce Nakashima
The freshman battled Toby Samual in the first round of qualifying before falling 6-3, 7-6(4)
This was the fourth professional doubles title for Trotter and his second in Columbus. He also won the ITF event in 2022 Justin Boulais. Trotter turned professional this summer after a tremendous senior year for the Buckeyes. He was named the OSU Male Athlete of the Year after earning both singles and doubles All-America honors and winning the NCAA Doubles title.
For Cash, this was his first professional doubles title. He also reached the finals of the ITF event in Columbus in 2021 with teammate JJ Tracy. Cash is one of the best collegiate doubles players in the country. He won a school-record 45 doubles matches during his NCAA runner-up season in 2022. He also won the ITA All-American Doubles title as well as the ITA Fall National Doubles Championship. This past season, he returned from injury and went 23-8 in doubles and 17-1 in singles while earning first team All-Big Ten honors.
Cannon Kingsley
Kingsley received a wild card into the singles main draw and opened with an easy 6-1, 6-4 win over world No. 212 Alexander Ritschard on Wednesday. He then outlasted former teammate James Trotter in three set 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarters on Friday, he served tremendously well in knocking-off Christian Harrison in straight sets 7-5, 6-4. That earned him a spot in the semifinals where he eventually fell to Canadian Alexis Galarneau 6-4 7-6(2).
He also played doubles with Ezekiel Clark and they won an opening round match before falling 11-9 in a super-breaker to top-seeds Guido Andreozzi and Hans Hach Verdugo.
James Trotter
Trotter turned pro this summer and returned to familiar ground this week. He started his singles tournament in qualifying, beating former teammate Alexander Bernard (6-1, 6-4) in the opening round and then earned his spot in the main draw with a long, three-set win over Elmar Ejupovic 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(3).
In the opening round on Wednesday, he beat No. 3-seed and world No. 187 Emilio Gomez 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, setting up a match with Kingsley in the round of 16 on Thursday. He would drop the opening set against Kingsley 6-3 before rallying to win the second in a tiebreaker 7-2. Kingsley then got the first break and held the edge in the third, winning the set 6-3.
In doubles, he and Cash rolled into the semifinals with a pair of straight-set wins. In the semifinals, they faced Australians and Tristan Schoolkate and Adam Walton. Trotter and Cash dropped the opening set 6-4 and were down a late break in the second before rallying to win the set in a tiebreaker 7-5. In the super-breaker, they took an 11-9 victory and advanced to the finals.
In Saturday's championship match, they split the first two sets with top-seeds Guido Andreozzi and Hans Hach Verdugo and then were the more dominant pair in the super-breaker, winning 10-7.
Robert Cash
In addition to the doubles run with Trotter, Cash took down former Notre Dame and Florida standout Axel Nefve in the first round of singles qualifying 7-5, 6-2 before losing to Federico Agustin Gomez in the second round.
Jack Anthrop
Anthrop won a pair qualifying matches to reach the singles main draw. He beat Stefan Kozlov 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the opening round of qualifying and then dominated Radu Mihai Papoe 7-5, 6-4 in the second round. He then fell in the first round of the main draw on Wednesday to Laurent Lokoli.
In doubles, he and Alexander Bernard battled experienced vets Mitchell Krueger and Deni Kudla. The Buckeye duo dropped a hard-fought opening set tiebreaker 15-13 and then Krueger and Kudla rode that momentum to a 6-1 win in the second set.
Alexander Bernard
In addition to his doubles match with Anthrop, Bernard lost in the opening round of singles qualifying to Trotter 6-1, 6-4.
Preston Stearns
Stearns redshirted in his first collegiate season with the Buckeyes and looks poised for a good year. He collected his first ATP victory, beating Nathan Ponwith 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of qualifying. He then came up short in his bid for the main draw, falling to Aiden Mayo 6-4, 6-1.
Bryce Nakashima
The freshman battled Toby Samual in the first round of qualifying before falling 6-3, 7-6(4)
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