Slesarev Records First Main Draw Entry at CCS Pro Invitational
April 25, 2008 | Men's Tennis
Gardner-Webb's own Evgeny Slesarev traveled to nearby Spartanburg, S.C. earlier this week to take part in the 20th annual Pro Invitational Tournament hosted by the Country Club of Spartanburg. As it turned out, Slesarev was one of four players who earned a spot in the main draw of the CCS Pro Invitational by posting three consecutive victories in the qualifying rounds.
The CCS Pro Invitational has attracted many up-and-coming players in the past and this year's was no different. Some of the top seeded players in this year's tournament include: Pat Cash (1987 Wimbledon Champion), Justin Gimlestob (1998 Australian Open Champion and French Open Mixed Doubles Champion), Jan-Michael Gambill (ranked 14th in the world in 2001), Taylor Dent (Four-time ATP singles champion), Ryler DeHeart (ranked 291 in the world), Victor Estrella (304 in the world), Todd Widom (311 world ranking), and Artem Sitak (342 world ranking).
Slesarev's first round match of the qualifier came against USC-Upstate head coach Alessandro De Marzo. The Gardner-Webb #1 wasted no time with the Spartan's head coach as he downed De Marzo in straight sets 6-4, 6-1.
In the second round Slesarev met up with Brad Pomeroy, a former #2 for the UNC Tarheels and current 1,219 ranked player in the world. After dropping the first set 1-6, Slesarev rallied back to stun the qualifying favorite with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 come-from-behind victory. Then, after a short intermission, he took down perennial CCS Pro Invitational contender Erik Graves (7-5, 6-3) to place into the Main Draw.
After his last qualifying match Slesarev was interviewed saying, "Those were some really tough matches for me, especially the first one. I lost the first set so easily, but then I just found extra energy inside of me and started doing pretty well. I realized that I could do better, and I started getting to every ball that I could and putting them back. I got into the match piece by piece and inch by inch."
Slesarev went on to credit Gardner-Webb's assistant coach Diego Sist for encouraging him to play in the CCS Pro Invitational. "Sist told me that there was this tournament in Spartanburg, and he asked if I would like to play in it. I told him, Yeah sure, I'd love it. And now I'm really glad that I came to play."
Slesarev's entry into the main draw marks the first time he has done so in a pro tournament. "This is a good opportunity for me, getting to play against really good guys and getting to watch players like Justin Gimelstob and Taylor Dent," said Slesarev. "I would really love to play against either of those guys, because you can learn so much from playing opponents who are better than. I'm going to try as much as I can, and maybe I'll get that opportunity."
Unfortunately, Slesarev did not get the opportunity to play either of those guys, but he did play Ryler DeHeart in the first round of the main draw. DeHeart, who was a member of the 2003 and 2004 Illinois team that won two US Indoor National Championships, is currently ranked #291 in the world.
In their match, Slesarsev dropped the first set 4-6, but rebounded in the second set for a 6-3 win. During the third set Slesarev began experiencing mild cramps and eventually fell to DeHeart 1-6.
Although Slesarev was defeated, the three-set loss was a great stepping stone for the Gardner-Webb #1. "This was a great experience for Evgeny," said Coach Griffith after Slesarev's match. "He has improved so much in several areas, mostly the mental aspect of his game. Being around these types of players always helps. Seeing how they practice, prepare, and play will help Evgeny so much. Watching Evgeny this past week has shown to me that he can play with players at the future's level. It is exciting because it is every kid's dream to make it in the big leagues in whatever sport and Evgeny can reach that dream if he continues to dream big and work hard."
