Wildcard entrants Ryan Seggerman, a Coronado High School graduate, and Patrik Trhac lost in the first round of the US Open tennis tournament, 6-3, 6-4, to higher seeds Alberto Olivetti and Yuki Bhambri on Wednesday in Flushing Meadows, New York.
The loss disappointed the pair, both from San Diego, but there were positives to lean into as well. First, the team held serve seven times in their first-ever Gland Slam match. Maintaining poise in such an environment can be overwhelming, but the pair met the moment. They fended off three of five break points, saved one match point against them, had three opportunities to break their opponent’s serve, maintained positive communication throughout the match, and made a higher percentage of first serves, 62%, than their opponents 51%. One defining stat in the loss was that the pair’s serve was broken one time in each set.
Tennis is a sport where some points are more important than others, unlike, say, in soccer or basketball. A critical point here and there can make a difference in a match. In the first set, for example, Seggerman and Trhac were serving down 2-1, and had a game point at 40-30. They lost the next point to bring the score to deuce, won the following for Ad In, and lost the next. The game featured four deuce points. In that one game, the pair faced three break points and fended off two of them, but finally succumbed and lost that game to go down a break, 3-1.
In the next game, they came right back, leading 40-0 while Olivetti was serving. They were unable to capitalize on their break-point opportunities, however, as Olivetti and Bhambri won five straight points to get to 4-1 in the set.
If Seggerman and Trhac had won one of the critical points in either game, they could have stayed on serve, potentially leading to a tie breaker in the first set. If they had won critical points in both games, they would have been up a break, winning 3-2, instead of down a break and losing 4-1. Two points. Two very different game scores.
One takeaway: Seggerman and Trhac are competitive on the world’s biggest stage in tennis.
In the second set, again the pair held serve all but one time. Across two other service games, they faced seven deuce points, fended off one break point, and managed to win both games. In other words, they were resilient.
Twenty-five-year olds Seggerman and Trhac began their professional careers 14 months ago. Thirty-two year olds Olivetti and Bhambri have each been playing for more than a decade. The possibilities for the younger pair are extraordinary. “Ryan’s hard work and determination of playing pro is paying off!” said Emmanuel Mensah, a tennis professional in Coronado who also played on the professional tour. “Really happy for him and his team!”
Seggerman’s parents Pam and Scott are Coronado residents who traveled to watch the pair play. “Not the outcome we wanted but what an honor to just be here,” said Pam. “The boys struggled against more experienced players but hopefully they take the good with the bad, move on and be better.”
The pair was able to take the loss in stride, as evidenced when Ryan took the time to fist-bump a young fan after the match.
Next up, more travel. The pair will compete in Europe over the next few months. Be sure to keep up with their progress by following them on Instagram @ryanseggerman and @patrik.trhac.
