This week’s devastator is Jake Cohen `25 of men’s tennis. Cohen participated in The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Regional over the weekend, defeating two top-five seeds in the singles main draw, before falling in the semifinals to the eventual champion.
The tournament featured many of the best players from the northeast region and Cohen did not disappoint.
In the round of 64, Cohen began his run versus a first-year from Bowdoin. Coming into the match, having no information about his opponent, Cohen got off to a slow start and played the first set safely, winning 6-4. After the first, Cohen felt more confident in his shots and began to play more aggressively. He found his groove and pumped himself up to close out the second set quickly, winning 6-1.
One hour later, Cohen played one of the longest tiebreakers in the tournament’s history. Saving seven set points and lasting 30-plus minutes in this tiebreaker alone, Cohen narrowly squeaked by a tricky lefty from Amherst, 23-21. By winning this brutal first set, Cohen had already mentally won the match and finished the second 6-2.
In the next round, Cohen faced a familiar foe. He stood face to face with number four seed Javier Gonzalez of Tufts, one of the better players in the conference who had beaten Cohen in last year’s spring. Cohen actively sought out Gonzalez’s backhand in the first set and looked to remain aggressive with his forehands. Taking the ball early and often, Cohen won the first set 7-6, winning seven out of the eight points played in the tiebreaker. Gonzalez responded quickly, bouncing back in the second set, winning it 6-3. Cohen took his time to regroup and stay mentally positive to finish the match with a commanding 6-2 set.
After the round of 16, Cohen’s fatigue began to affect his game as he was given little time to rest after matches. An hour after facing Gonzalez, he began his match against the fifth seed of the draw, Noah Laber of Middlebury. Like Cohen’s last opponent, Laber had also previously beaten Cohen when the two played each other three years ago. Cohen, however, was not fazed and continued his revenge tour defeating Laber in three sets. Cohen was aggressive from the start, controlling the rallies and mixing up the points with an array of drop shots, flat shots, and methodical strategies to come to the net. Cohen served well and maintained his footwork to attack the balls at advantageous angles.
However, it was not all smooth sailing. In the third set, Cohen’s back was against the wall. Laber was serving for the set, up 5-4. Despite being on the brink of elimination, Jake stayed positive, pumped himself up, and used the support of his teammates and Colby alumni supporting him in the stands to rally back and win three games in a row.
After his thrilling victory, Cohen was in the semifinals where he faced the one seed, Vuk Vuksanovic of Tufts who also had a winning record versus Cohen. Unfortunately, Cohen’s run ended here as he lost steam from his previous extensive battles and Vuksanovic played a solid, complete game. The first set was over quickly, as Cohen lost 0-6. He responded well in the second, claiming three games and losing three big deuce points that could have won him the set. Vuksanoivic went on to win in the finals convincingly after defeating Cohen. In total, Cohen logged 15 hours of play over the four-day tournament.
Failing to make the finals makes Cohen’s chances of competing in the Division III ITA Cup slim.
Q: Walk me through your performance in this tournament
A: Going into the tournament, I felt confident. I had a strong end to my season last year, where I picked up some big wins, so coming in I felt like I could beat anyone.
Reaching the semifinals of such a big tournament that I wanted to do well in, I’m overall really proud of my performance which I couldn’t have done without my teammates’ support. It was a great experience and weekend overall.
Q: 23-21. Have you ever played a tiebreak that long? What did it take to come out on top of that set?
A: I’ve never played a tiebreak nearly that long. Mentally and physically, it took a lot out of me. To get out on top, I tried to stay as present as I could. I was down eight or nine set points and could have easily gotten tight and nervous, but I tried to play my game and go for my shots. Some of it was luck because, honestly, you need some in a situation that close.
My mindset helped carry me through. I was very positive after my opponent saved the set points that I had. I was determined to track every ball down and stay in the moment as much as I could. I did my best to be as mentally present as possible.
Q: In this tournament, you faced three players you had previously lost to. What’s your mindset before playing against opponents who you haven’t had success against in the past?
A: I view playing someone again as an advantage, even if I have lost to them because I have a clearer game plan going into the match. I’m aware of their strengths and things I need to do differently. In the round of 16, I played a kid from Tufts who had beaten me just last spring, so it was pretty fresh in my mind. I had some takeaways from that match tactically that going into this match, I really wanted to change.
My quarterfinal match was different because I hadn’t played that opponent since my freshman year. It was hard to evaluate him because, obviously, I was a different player then as well as he was. So, I asked my coach and teammates for advice and once I started the match, I made adjustments based on what he gave me. Ultimately, a big part of my success was worrying about what was on my side of the net and not worrying about what he was doing. Honestly, it’s exciting playing someone who has beaten you previously because they have all the pressure, they’re expecting to win since they’ve already beaten me. I try to embrace that underdog mentality.
Q: What was your favorite moment this weekend?
A: My quarterfinal match against my Middlebury opponent: It came down to the last point where if he won it, it would go to a third-set tiebreak, where really anything could happen. I was fortunate enough to win that point, so I broke him and won the match 7-5. Hearing all my teammates to the left of me shouting as loud as they could and seeing fellow Colby alumni on the right with parents shouting as loud as they could was pretty amazing.
~ Julian Cangieter-Hernandez `25
Be First to Comment