Knoxville Tennessee. The 2019 Challenger tennis tournament. Aleksander Kovacevich is coming off his very first challenger win on Monday. He's ranked # 688 in the world. Looming in his path is Bradley Klahn, age 29, winner of eight Challenger titles, and ranked at # 105. Back in July, in the Winnetka, Illinois Challenger, Kovacevich bounced out in the first round of qualifiers. Klahn won the title in both singles and doubles. These two players are from different coasts in other ways, too. Kovacevich is from New York City. Brad Klahn is from California.
Klahn was steady to start. With a hold at love, it is 1-0. Kovacevich bangs two aces and holds at love, for 1-1. Klahn returns the favor with an ace and holds at love himself. At 14 points into the match, Kovacevich is up 30-love and no one has won a point on return. Klahn decides to take a service point, but it’s just one, and we go to 2-2.
The crowd noise is deafening, but that's from the doubles match on the next court featuring University of Tennessee alumni Hunter Reese. This tournament is held at the Goodfriend Tennis Center on the UT campus.
Klahn holds for a 3-2 lead, but now Kovacevich has earned his first return point. Parity. And on it goes, Klahn sending backhand slices to the Kovacevich forehand, earning two break points. With Kovacevich serving at 3-4 in a fierce rally, he tries a drop shot that lands out wide and goes down 3-5. Klahn’s superior experience beats Kovacevich’s firepower. Klahn serves out the set to 6-3.
Kovacevich is mostly cool and steady as he starts the second set, but he shows his frustration when he misses a first serve or loses a point. He serves to take a 1-0 lead. Later in the match, at crucial moments, he shows frustration too, but shakes it off within seconds.
Klahn serves, with a nervous look that started midway through the first set. His nerves hold out and he ties it at one all. Kovacevich has not lost his nerve, either. At 2-2, Kovacevic holds at love again, and he is holding his own against the winner of eight Challenger titles.
The stats are incredible. Midway in the second set, Kovacevich has won 19 of 20 first serve points. Klahn has won 20 of 22. What else can we do? A second set breaker. Klahn has the edge: age and experience under fire. That takes him to a 3-0 lead, and gets him to a 7-7 score, where he falters. Kovacevich takes the tiebreak 9-7. All even, one set piece.
Now, the tide has turned. Kovacevich breaks early in the set. Serving at 4-3, he fails to convert a game point, then has to save a breakpoint. But he powers through to go ahead 5-3 and eventually win, 6-4.
After the match, we talked at length about the experience. He had several thoughts to share:
“I have never handled that kind of serve. I have never seen anything like it.” He has seen it now, and handled it.
“I had to give it everything. I could not wait for things to happen.” This was a whole new level, and he stepped up to meet it.
“I want to be able to beat anybody, not just the # 105 player in the world.” Keep working. Stay confident.
With his steady nerves, he goes on to the third round with a wealth of new experience. He faces veteran Sekou Bangoura in the third round.
Photos and article: Karl Corbett, (c) Tennis Acumen 2019
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