The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
05.09.2015 | Men's Tennis
The senior’s victory at No. 1 singles vaults Texas into the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships round of 16.
In four years with the Texas Men's Tennis team, all at No. 1 singles, senior Søren Hess-Olesen has been preparing to win matches in different ways.
Morning runs and extra afternoon sessions in the weight room provide confidence in his conditioning. Mental training and assertive strategy help Hess-Olesen dictate points without falling into the tempo of his opponent.
And, it turned out, on Saturday at Caswell Tennis Center, Hess-Olesen needed a little bit of everything to overcome Cal's Andre Goransson for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory that sealed a 4-1 match win to send No. 9 seed Texas into the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships round of 16.
"I was ready to battle and fight," Hess-Olesen said. "I told myself that even if I'm not playing well, there's no reason not to fight."
It was a physical battle for sure, but after four hours of tennis in heat and humidity, Hess-Olesen claimed he could have gone another set. Mostly, it was a mental battle. Once Goransson warmed up, he was returning winners off Hess-Olesen's pace-heavy serve, and then Hess-Olesen responded with some uncharacteristic errors.
"I got frustrated because I'm usually a little sharper. But that's also a credit to him, because he made me feel like I had to do something with the ball and hit winners," Hess-Olesen said.
But that also allowed Hess-Olesen to rely on the mental focus he's worked so diligently at sharpening. As the second set began, he started talking to himself and developing a Plan B. He relied on his forehand more and attacked with high spin, so Goransson was hitting out of his comfort zone. He started hitting his serves heavier and deeper, which limited Goransson's ability to return winners.
"He's much more equipped to handle matches like this now," head coach Michael Center said of Hess-Olesen. "He doesn't panic. He got a little frustrated maybe. Deep down, he believes in himself."
When Hess-Olesen woke up Saturday morning, he acknowledged the reality that this might be his last match as a Longhorn. The looming finality actually inspired him to be fearless when he needed it most.
"If I can say I fought my hardest out here in my last match, that's how I want to be remembered," Hess-Olesen said. "I know I can play better than I did today, but once I got over that stage, I said you might as well fight. There's no reason to hold back.
"I kept battling. I was waiting for the opportunity."
