The second (now annual!) Midwest Independence Open (MIO for those in the know ... and now that's YOU who know!) is upon us! The newest 3.0 event on the 3.0 tour, it's the second singles and doubles event after the NTRP Championships in February, held at the posh Ravenna High School courts! So who is playing? What are the odds? And will the winner earn a college tennis scholarship like last year's winner (we are only half joking about this, btw)?! Read on to find out more. MORE!
Format
With six entries, there will be two groups of three, round robin format, with the group leaders playing for the MIO title on Sunday!
Singles Previews
Each entry will be broken down by TennisRecord.com rating (higher is better), World Tennis Number (lower is better), NTRP Northeast Ohio, Midwest, and National Rankings (which is actually a thing!), their home club, singles details, fun facts, and pros and cons! With this group, though, you know there will be way more pros than cons!
Group 1
Tim Clinton (2.63 & 28.0) ... Western Reserve F&RC ... First ever event! And while he's 0-2 in singles in his career, both matches were at the almost professional 3.5 level, showing he's no doubt ready for the 3.0 grind! ... Pros: Hails from Western Reserve, which is sorta hosting this event, giving him the ultimate in insider knowledge! Cons: Will the loud and boisterous home crowd that will be supporting him throw him off his game?!
Travis Haselswerdt (2.84 & 22.7) ... 983rd in the Nation, 28th in the Midwest, and 20th in Northeast Ohio ... Bay Village R.D. ... 160+ matches at the 3.0 level, he's an eight-time 3.0 tournament champion, with six titles coming in singles ... was demoted from 3.5 after one horrid 2022 season in which he didn't win a match, let alone a single set ... Pros: Most 3.0 tournament tennis experience of any human alive with over 25 tournaments to his name ... Cons: The fact he's been a 3.0 this long is both shocking and depressing ... plus he's seen a -.10 de-provement in his TennisRecord.com rating since February!
Mark Miller (2.61 & 28.9) ... 1251st in the Nation, 44th in the Midwest, and 33rd in Northeast Ohio ... Paramount Westlake ... 30+ career matches, with almost 25% of those coming in singles ... third event, and the only return participant from last year's MIO ... Pros: Court experience. As the only returning player, he knows these courts better than anyone! Cons: The tournament has been moved from Ravenna H.S. to Notre Dame Cathedral Latin School!
Group 2
Brandon Carrus (3.07 & 22.6) ... 927th in the Nation, 23rd in the Midwest, and 17th in Northeast Ohio ... Mayfield Village Racquet Club ... 130+ career matches including 6-5 in tournament singles ... a three-time Semi-Finalist, including the 2023 and 202118+ Midwest NTRP's as well as 2021 Wooster Aspen Championships ... fell to Travis in 2022 in three, but defeated Travis in doubles in three ... Pros: The hardest hitting player in the event, he brings a big serve and a monster forehand and as a result it's no surprise that he's seen a .10+ improvement in his TennisRecord.com rating since this February! ... Cons: Has been playing high level doubles all season long, will he forget how to play ... singles?!
Jeeho Chang (2.47 & 33.1) ... Mayfield Village Racquet Club ... 20+ league matches but this is his first ever event! Pros: Teammates with Brandon, who can help show him the ropes! Cons: What if he matches up against ... Brandon?!
Jay Lee (N/A & N/A) ... Parts Unknown ... first ever official USTA match, which immediately makes him the favorite! Pros: Like a ninja, he's stealthy and unknown! Cons: None!
Bracket
Here's a look at the bracket!
Predictions by D.F.O. Maths Expert Jeff
Crash Davis Longevity Edge - Travis
Ratings & Rankings Edge - Brandon
Unknown Mystery Edge - Jay
Court Experience Edge - Tim & Mark
Don't Have to Drive So Far Edge - Jay
Carpool Edge - Brandon & Jeeho
Clearly, Jay enjoys the advantages to take home his first ever 3.0 title! BUT:
Group 1 - T over Mark, T over Tim, Tim over Mark
Group 2 - Brandon over Jeeho, Brandon over Jay, Jehoo over Jay
Final - Brandon over T
Final Thoughts
Well that's that! This year's MIO is a lock to have a new champ as last year's champ is in college playing D3 and the vice-champ is now a 3.5. So exciting ... and maybe THIS year's champ will get a college scholarship, too!
Good luck all and check back next week for the MIO results!
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