It's here, the fourth major* event of the 3.0 tour*, the Wooster Aspen Championships (or WAC for short)! While relatively new to the 3.0 tour, the WAC looks to become one of the major 2020 events of the 3.0 summer. Indeed, replacing the long-running Paramount Fall Championships (PFC) and the Perrysburg Open (PO), both of which are not being held this season, the WAC bookends the 3.0 tournament season as the fourth open 3.0 event of the 2020 year!
And while the WAC may not have the large field of entries that Paramount Winter Championships (PWC) boasts, or the history of the Akron Open (AO), or the outdoor hard court, blazing sun hotness of the Green Open Championships (GOC), what it does have is the newest and most state-of-the-art facility O-H-I-O has to offer AND one of the most important aspects of any 3.0 player's game - availability!
Only time will tell if the WAC will ultimately have what it takes to be considered a 3.0 Major* (literally time, because "time," i.e., "existing" for more than a year or so is pretty much the only requirement for a tournament to be considered a 3.0 Major*), but in 2020, that time is now!
So ... who is available? Who is playing? WHO WILL WIN THE FINAL EVENT OF 2020!?
Will Travis repeat his 2019 inaugural title run? MAYBE! He signed up ... again!
Will Benjamin repeat his 2019 inaugural consolation final run? NO! There are only three people even entered!
Will newcomer Jeffrey win his first ever match? Or set? Or ... game? Or will he continue to chase bagel perfection? WHO KNOWS!
What we DO know is that an event WILL be held, an event ... UNLIKE ANY OTHER!
Possibly.
3.0 Singles
(Players previewed by date they signed up, because, as we said above, "availability is sometimes the best ability")
Travis Haselswerdt ... Record: 64-32 overall, 50-24 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 3.00 ... 2019 Midwest Standing: #2 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Four titles ('18 AO, '19 WAC, '20 PWC, '20 GOC), two Vice-Championships (which is a fancy way to say "runner-up" ... '17 PFC '19 AO), two Consolation Titles ('18-19 PWC) ... Pros: Mobility and general overall consistency ... "pusher" mindset/ability/lack of ability ... solid backhand and net play ... such pedestrian ground strokes that he plays serve and volley more than most ... incredibly slow pace on most shots, especially his serve, often lulls opponents to sleep ... carries one of the largest tennis racquets on tour*, obviously compensating for deficiencies elsewhere ... loud and obnoxious outfits temporarily (and sometimes permanently) blind opponents... awkward post-match requests for selfies with opponents often puts opponents on their emotional heels...
Jeffrey Roach ... Record: 0-1 overall, 0-1 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: N/A ... 2019 Midwest Standing: N/A ... Singles Tournament/Experience: Sierra View Quarter-Finalist ... Pros: Hailing from parts unknown (i.e., Northern California), he brings a completely different West Coast style of tennis to the Heartland of O-H-I-O that will surely keep his opponents guessing ... very athletic, he displays court coverage skills that rival the field ... one of the fastest serves and one of the strongest forehands in the bracket, he can end points post-haste ... carpooling with Travis, he will endure endlessly mind-numbing tennis stories, tennis advice, and other pedantic tennis education that will either make him the most prepared, or most coma-induced, player in the entire event ... the only player in the bracket who has played a PERFECT match ... limited experience and nearly untraceable tennis lineage makes him, per 3.0 tennis custom, an immediate tournament favorite!
Benjamin Young ... 18-21 overall, 6-13 in singles ... TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.88 ... 2019 Midwest Standing: #10 ... Singles Tournament Experience/Highlights: Eight total 3.0 entries, including 2020 GOC finalist ... Pros: Overall record is deceptive as the first 20 matches of his career were at the much higher and almost professional 3.5 level ... in 2019, however, he played strictly 3.0, going an impressive 17-16 overall in all 3.0 level matches, mixed and otherwise, and 5-8 in singles ... consistent serve and consistent return consistently puts consistent pressure on opponents ... one of the strongest forehands around that can end points quickly ... generally aggressive player who goes for winners, he feeds off the pace of his opponents ... a renowned doubles player who has enjoyed league, playoff, and tournament success, he is also a Captain of his league team, showing he has the court and leadership skills necessary to problem-solve any on court conundrum ... playing in BOTH the 3.0 and 3.5 events in the same weekend, Benjamin's marathon man-like stamina will be put to the test; or will his tournament endurance put his opponents to the test?!
Conclusion
WHOA! What a worthy list of three 3.0 entries and what a Round Robin it will be! Only time will tell who shall emerge victorious in the second ever WAC!
Also ...
Good luck to current and former 3.0er's Abhishek Sreesaila and Joshua Grischow who will be playing in the 3.5 tournament ... as well as Benjamin who will be joining them as well! WHOA! Abhishek, the current PWC Consolation title holder, and Benjamin, the current GOC Vice-Champion, and Joshua, the '19 AO champion, will go at it on the big stage ... the nearly professional 3.5 stage! Good luck!
Also also...
And good luck to this year's AO 3.0 and AO and GOC 3.5 champion, H. Michael Wiant, who will be playing in the 4.0 event! WOW! How he's grown!
Good luck to all our current, former, and soon-to-be 3.0ers this weekend!
Comments