Updated: March 17, 2024 with video of interview of Seggerman and Trhac by the Tennis Channel, Round of 16 Match Update.
Ryan Seggerman exuberantly threw his arms into the air and hugged his doubles tennis partner after winning their first-ever Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour match on Sunday afternoon, 3-6, 7-5, [10-8] in Indian Wells, California.
Seggerman, a graduate of Coronado High School, and doubles partner Patrik Trhac from Rancho Bernardo upset the sixth-seeded team of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the round of 32.
To get into the main draw, the duo earned a wildcard entry after winning Challenger Tournaments in January. “To be able to [win the first round] as wild cards, it felt like we had something to prove, not only to ourselves but to the tournament,” said Seggerman. “The tournament organizers took a chance on us, and we really wanted to show them that that we we deserved that spot.”
Playing the Big Points Well
The doubles format for ATP tournaments is the best two of three sets, no-ad scoring, and a third set 10-point tiebreaker instead of a traditional 6-game third set. With no-ad scoring, the game-winning point after deuce is critical.
“Some points are worth more than others, and fortunately we came out on the right end of some of those bigger ones down the stretch,” said Seggerman.
His assessment was spot on.
Seggerman and Trhac lost the first set 6-3, but won the second 7-5 precisely by winning the big points. Six of the 12 games in the second set went to deuce and, incredibly, Seggerman and Trhac won all six of them, to give them leads of 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-2, 6-5, and the set at 7-5.
“It’s a pretty unusual stat,” said Seggerman. “Maybe just riding the the excitement of playing on that stage. But yeah, we were fortunate to to get all those [points after deuce] to go our way because we needed every one of them.”
The pair won the third set 10-point tiebreak on Sunday, going up 8-5 only to have Gonzalez and Molteni tie it up at 8-8. Seggerman and Trhac won the next two points, including Trhac’s monster crosscourt backhand service-return winner at 9-8, to win the tiebreak and the match.
Ryan Seggerman & Patrik Trhac won both @ATPChallenger doubles titles this January at Indian Wells.
They received a wild card into the BNP Paribas Open as a result & just won their FIRST ATP Tour match, beating No. 6 seeds Gonzalez/Molteni 3-6 7-5 [10-8].#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/rYmSWnQKzC
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 10, 2024
Indian Wells 1000-Level Tournament
To put the win into perspective, many fans view the Indian Wells Tournament as the fifth most celebrated tournament after the four Grand Slams. This year’s overall tournament prize money comes in at just under $18 million.
With the win, the team’s doubles ranking could skyrocket as could their invitations into main draws of ATP tournaments. Seggerman and Trhac are each currently ranked around 170 in the world.
So far, they have made the most of their opportunity and are looking for more. “The crowd support is awesome here,” said Seggerman. “We’re just looking to soak up every moment, honestly. I mean, win or lose it’s the best week of our lives. So we’re just we’re just loving it. We’re going to enjoy every second.”
Tennis Duo of Ryan Seggerman and Patrik Trhac are interviewed in Indian Wells by Second Serve Commentator Tracy Austin, as well as Geoff Chizever, Jan-Michael Gambill, and Nick Monroe from @TennisChannel.
Round of 16 Match
Seggerman and Trhac came so very close in the Round of 16 but lost to eventual tournament champions Nikola Mektić and Wesley Koolhof, 6-4, 7-6 (6). In this match, the San Diegans went 2-2 on the big points after deuce, losing one at 4-5 in the first set that would have tied the set. In the second set, the pair lost the first point after deuce to start the set down 0-1, but won the next two opportunities. Both teams won all of their service games to take the second set to a tiebreaker at 6-6. Seggerman and Trhac had a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, but lost the next three points.
Given their success at one of the world’s biggest tournaments, be sure to keep an eye out for their future success. Follow the two on Instagram @seggerman.ryan and @patrik.trhac.
