2022 Midwest Independence Open!

The first ever Midwest Independence Open is here ... FOR THE FIRST TIME!

For the first time ever, Hudson's own Western Reserve Academy will be hosting the first ever Midwest Independence Open! The MIO, as those in the know (like you!) call it, will be the second tourney of the 3.0 calendar year, and already has a plethora of 3.0 greats getting ready to show their 3.0 skills in search of 3.0 glory! So who are these amazing athletes? Some are former tournament champions. Some are former NTRP champions. AND SOME ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Who will play? Who will win? Who will win but choose not to play?! Find out ... here! Singles

Nicholas Fasola (3.04, 23.8) Singles Record - 17-6 Overall Record - 30-18 Tournament Highlights - Third event! 2021 Wooster Aspen Champion! Notes - One of the hardest hitting players in the event, he's also the sole singles title holder in the event, as he proudly hoisted the WAC title last fall! Adding to his accolades is that he's the #1 rated player in Northeast Ohio (really, check it out!), meaning that Nicholas looks to be the odds on fav to make a super deep, and super successful, tournament run! Fun Fact - He's played Benjamin about 30 times! Or three. And he's played Erik once. AND HE'S WON THEM ALL!

Jeff Gardner (2.57, 27.0) Singles Record - 1-8 Overall Record - 1-6 Tournament Highlights - First event! Notes - While he's relatively new to the tennis scene and the singles scene, Jeff enjoyed his first 3.0 singles win this very year, meaning he's got some solid 3.0 momentum on his side! Fun Fact - He owns the second highest ITF ranking in the entire tournament, making one wonder ... WHAT IS THE ITF?!

Matthew Johnston (2.91, 25.3) Singles Record - 1-0 Overall Record - 43-19 Tournament Highlights - First (singles) event! Notes - One of the most successful doubles players in 2021, finishing as Vice-Champion in the NTRP Doubles Championships and then hoisting the Akron Open Doubles title just a week later, Matthew is looking to take his fantastic doubles acumen to the singles courts! Fun Fact - He's played FOR Benjamin on Team NCRC ... how's that for a moral dilemma if these two face?!

Stephen Karagiozis (TennisRecord.Com Rating: 2.50; ITF Rating: N/A) Singles Record - 0-0 Overall Record - 3-2 Tournament Highlights - First event! Notes - A first year player, Stephen has focused his early league career upon the courts o' doubles, meaning he most likely will bring a stellar net-game to his first ever tournament! Fun Fact - Has only played doubles, but 7.5 doubles, with is ALMOST twice as hard as 3.0 doubles!

Mark Miller (2.75, 28.6) Singles Record - 1-2 Overall Record - 1-6 Tournament Highlights - First event! Notes - While this may be Mark's first ever 3.0 event, it's not his first ever tournament event, as he played in the nigh-professional 3.5 division in the 2021 Akron Open! Fun Fact - Will the 3.5 experience give Mark the experience necessary to make this tournament a great, ahem, experience?!

Jeff Scafaro (2.41, 24.8) Singles Record - 1-3 Overall Record - 2-8 Tournament Highlights - First event! Notes - Typically a doubles player, the Green Tennis Club native is looking to expand his game on one of the biggest stages, the MIO! Fun Fact - Half of Jeff's career wins have come in singles, including his first ever career victory THIS VERY YEAR! STREAKING!!!

John Schuld (2.73, 23.3) Singles Record - 4-4 Overall Record - 8-9 Tournament Highlights - Third event! 2020 Paramount Winter Quarter Finalist! Notes - With some of the most experience in the bracket, John's all-around game, combined with his all-around experience, make him a dark horse to look out for! Fun Fact - Played, and won, versus fellow MIO participant Benjamin Young en route to his 2020 Paramount Winter Consolation Finals appearance!

Erik Wasowski (2.63, 26.8) Singles Record - 9-17 Overall Record - 20-24 Tournament Highlights - Second event! 2021 Akron Open 3rd Place! Notes - Singles or doubles, Erik can do it all! With his powerful strokes from the baseline and his consistent topspin serve, look for Erik to be one of the top 3.0 dogs when this horse race finally reaches the barn (farm analogies!)!

Fun Fact - Has played with and against fellow MIO'er Benjamin Young ... will their tennis friendship be put to the 3.0 test?!

Benjamin Young (2.99, 25.4)

Singles Record - 18-55 Overall Record - 69-103 Tournament Highlights - 173rd (give or take) event! Finished as Vice-Champion three times in 2021, including at Akron Open, Green, and WAC! Notes - THE no-holds-barred most experienced tournament player in the field, he's also played against many of his potential competitors as well. Not only that, but the 2022 version of Benjamin is a sleeker, slimmer, and angrier version of the earlier versions, so look for his cross court shots to take him deep into the event when all is said and done! Fun Fact - Benjamin never gets angry (we just needed a third adjective to describe one of the most chill guys around)!

Newbies

Names - Ryan Brahler, Leo Brenninkmeyer, Tyler Cargould, Aadil Khan, Kyle Schneider, and Florencio Marquinez

Overall Records - 0-0

Tournament Highlights - First Event!

Notes - Nothing. We've got nothing!

Fun Facts - Which means that it's highly probably that one of these unknowns will walk out of Western Reserve INCREDIBLY WELL-KNOWN after they 3.0 their way to an improbable (though highly probable) trophy ceremony!

Predictions

Without brackets, this is tough to predict, but that's why you're reading this ... because you want to know what we don't know. AND WE DON'T KNOW MUCH!

Especially since 20% of the field is completely unknown.

Be that as it may, of the knowns, Nicholas looks to have the upper hand as he has a singles title and thus singles experience, has the highest TennisRecord.com rating, is the #1 ranked player in Northeast-freaking-Ohio (!), and has gone undefeated (7-0) in league play this season! WOW!

That being said, Benjamin, the 3.0 tournament tested veteran of the 3.0 scene, has more experience than the entire field combined, and that experience could pay 3.0 dividends depending on how the draw shakes out.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

Erik, benjamin's on-again, off-again tennis partner, and Matthew, both have the tournament experience and the 3.0 skills (which sounds like it's not a compliment BUT IT IS!) to upset the 3.0 apple cart with their big big shots and their big big play!

Or one of the newbies will win it all because we have no idea what we are talking about.

WHO KNOWS?!

Good luck to all the participants and check back later for the bracket reveal!