LGHL Former Ohio State tennis doubles pair will be in action at the French Open
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Former Ohio State tennis doubles pair will be in action at the French Open
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Last year’s men’s doubles NCAA champs will be making their first appearance as a team at historic Roland Garros.
Ohio State will be represented at the 124th French Open when former Buckeyes J.J. Tracy and Robert Cash will begin their quest for the men’s doubles title when they battle Rohan Bopanna and Adam Pavlasek in first round action. The scarlet and gray duo are just a year removed from winning a NCAA title.
Since kicking off their professional careers following their collegiate triumph, Tracy and Cash have won six doubles titles, while reaching two other finals. The first professional championship for Tracy and Cash came in August 2024 when they defeated Ariel Behar and Luke Johnson in the ATP Challenger tournament in Lincoln.
The pair would go on to win tournaments in Charlottesville and Drummondville before the end of 2024. This calendar year Tracy and Cash won in Cleveland before transitioning to clay court play with victories in Sarasota and earlier this month at Aix en Provence in France.
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Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
This marks the second appearance as a doubles team in a grand slam event. Last year the pair played in the U.S. Open, defeating Alexander Shevchekno and Sam Weissborn in straight sets. Unfortunately their run at Flushing Meadows wouldn’t last much longer, as the Ohio State duo were defeated in the second round by Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
Tracy and Cash will be looking to be the first American doubles team to win the French Open since Bob and Mike Bryan in 2013. American Austin Krajicek won in Paris two years ago when he teamed with Ivan Dodig of Croatia.
Tracy is looking like an emerging star in the sport, as he is currently ranked 67th, making him the youngest ranked doubles player in the Top 75. As a senior at Ohio State, Tracy compiled a 77-12 overall record. With 235 career victories as a Buckeye, Tracy amassed the fifth-most victories in program history.
Tracy’s career victory total at Ohio State was slightly ahead of his doubles partner. Robert Cash finished with 228 career wins, placing him in the top 10 in school history. The 148 doubles wins by Cash are currently the most ever at Ohio State.
While the duo of former Buckeyes are one of the younger pairs in the French Open doubles draw, they’ll be squaring off with one of the oldest players in this year’s field. 45-year-old Rohan Bopanna will team with 30-year-old Adam Pavlasek. Bopanna had a memorable fortnight in Paris last year, reaching the semifinals with Matthew Ebden of Australia.
Bopanna and Pavlasek will be playing in their third tournament together, but they haven’t found much success playing together so far. In Rome earlier this month the team made it to the second round before losing to Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski before being bounced in the first round in Geneva last week by Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler.
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Photo by Shi Tang/Getty Images
There was a chance Tracy and Cash wouldn’t be the only former Ohio State alums playing in Paris at the French Open. 2023 Division I doubles champ James Trotter was in the men’s singles qualifying field, beating Brandon Holt and Jason Kubler in the first two rounds before falling to Benjamin Hassan on Friday.
Since turning professional, Trotter has won two ATP Challenger singles titles and is 6-2 in doubles finals. Last year Trotter achieved singles glory in Tyler and Charlottesville, and in his return to Columbus in September, Trotter and Hans Hach Verdugo were able to earn the men’s doubles title.
The former Buckeyes will be playing in the final of four doubles matches on Court 5 today in Paris, with the start time depending on the length of the first three matches on the court. Those looking to watch the match will be able to stream the action on HBO Max.
The winner of Tracy and Cash’s battle with Bopanna and Pavlasek will move on to face the winner of the matchup between Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul, who will take on wild cards Adrian Mannarino and Gregoire Barrere.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Last year’s men’s doubles NCAA champs will be making their first appearance as a team at historic Roland Garros.
Ohio State will be represented at the 124th French Open when former Buckeyes J.J. Tracy and Robert Cash will begin their quest for the men’s doubles title when they battle Rohan Bopanna and Adam Pavlasek in first round action. The scarlet and gray duo are just a year removed from winning a NCAA title.
Since kicking off their professional careers following their collegiate triumph, Tracy and Cash have won six doubles titles, while reaching two other finals. The first professional championship for Tracy and Cash came in August 2024 when they defeated Ariel Behar and Luke Johnson in the ATP Challenger tournament in Lincoln.
The pair would go on to win tournaments in Charlottesville and Drummondville before the end of 2024. This calendar year Tracy and Cash won in Cleveland before transitioning to clay court play with victories in Sarasota and earlier this month at Aix en Provence in France.
This marks the second appearance as a doubles team in a grand slam event. Last year the pair played in the U.S. Open, defeating Alexander Shevchekno and Sam Weissborn in straight sets. Unfortunately their run at Flushing Meadows wouldn’t last much longer, as the Ohio State duo were defeated in the second round by Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
Tracy and Cash will be looking to be the first American doubles team to win the French Open since Bob and Mike Bryan in 2013. American Austin Krajicek won in Paris two years ago when he teamed with Ivan Dodig of Croatia.
Tracy is looking like an emerging star in the sport, as he is currently ranked 67th, making him the youngest ranked doubles player in the Top 75. As a senior at Ohio State, Tracy compiled a 77-12 overall record. With 235 career victories as a Buckeye, Tracy amassed the fifth-most victories in program history.
Tracy’s career victory total at Ohio State was slightly ahead of his doubles partner. Robert Cash finished with 228 career wins, placing him in the top 10 in school history. The 148 doubles wins by Cash are currently the most ever at Ohio State.
While the duo of former Buckeyes are one of the younger pairs in the French Open doubles draw, they’ll be squaring off with one of the oldest players in this year’s field. 45-year-old Rohan Bopanna will team with 30-year-old Adam Pavlasek. Bopanna had a memorable fortnight in Paris last year, reaching the semifinals with Matthew Ebden of Australia.
Bopanna and Pavlasek will be playing in their third tournament together, but they haven’t found much success playing together so far. In Rome earlier this month the team made it to the second round before losing to Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski before being bounced in the first round in Geneva last week by Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler.
There was a chance Tracy and Cash wouldn’t be the only former Ohio State alums playing in Paris at the French Open. 2023 Division I doubles champ James Trotter was in the men’s singles qualifying field, beating Brandon Holt and Jason Kubler in the first two rounds before falling to Benjamin Hassan on Friday.
Since turning professional, Trotter has won two ATP Challenger singles titles and is 6-2 in doubles finals. Last year Trotter achieved singles glory in Tyler and Charlottesville, and in his return to Columbus in September, Trotter and Hans Hach Verdugo were able to earn the men’s doubles title.
The former Buckeyes will be playing in the final of four doubles matches on Court 5 today in Paris, with the start time depending on the length of the first three matches on the court. Those looking to watch the match will be able to stream the action on HBO Max.
The winner of Tracy and Cash’s battle with Bopanna and Pavlasek will move on to face the winner of the matchup between Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul, who will take on wild cards Adrian Mannarino and Gregoire Barrere.
Continue reading...
