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SEASON RECAP: Men’s Tennis Grows With Young Squad

Rock Hill, S.C. – The Winthrop men's tennis faced some adversity in the 2020 season; however, plenty of young players got exposed to their first taste of collegiate tennis.
 
The Eagles got the chance to take on several regional foes in the early non-conference portion of the season in Davidson, Queens, East Carolina, UNC Greensboro, and Coastal Carolina.  Several underclassmen got a chance to hit the courts for the Eagles for the first time in the early season.
 
Of all the new faces for the garnet and gold, Abhimanyu Vannemreddy proved to be a difference maker from the start of the season.  The freshman was named Big South Player of the Week after the opening week of the season. Vannemreddy went on to star for the Eagles at No. 1 singles throughout the course of the season, and formed a solid duo at No. 2 doubles with Connor Williamson.
 
Heading into the Big South season, Winthrop could have been disappointed with their record, but the squad managed to win their Big South opener against Hampton, 6-1. For the first time in 2020, Winthrop won all three doubles matches. The Hampton match also marked the return of Gabriel Dias to the Eagles lineup. Dias served as a team Capitan in 2019 but missed almost the entire non-conference slate due to injury.
 
After the win over Hampton, Winthrop returned to non-conference action and after a loss to Appalachian State, the Eagles were able to defeat Wofford, 4-3. The match was highlighted by wins in the singles department from Vannemreddy, Williamson, Lluis Miralles, and James Hartson.  It was Hartson's second consecutive singles win, and the freshman appeared to be hitting his stride heading back in Big South play.
 
Winthrop's final match of the spring season came on March 8 when the Eagles fell to Georgia Southern, 5-2.  The match marked Vannemreddy's fifth straight victory at No. 1 singles, and also saw the 2020 debut of Rhys Jones in singles competition.
 
All in all, the future appears bright for Winthrop men's tennis.  Four freshmen saw immense playing time for the Eagles throughout the season and showed flashes of brilliance. Vannemreddy was one of the top freshmen in the Big South while finishing with a 9-3 record at No. 1 singles. Miha Velicki played all but one match at No.1 doubles with Lluis Miralles, while also gaining experience at both No. 3 and 4 singles.  
 
The Eagles finished the season with a 2-10 record but there were signs of growth from the squad as the season progressed.  Coach John Collins expects to have the majority of the team back for what should be an exciting 2020-21 season starting in the fall.
 
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