FAIRFIELD, October 12, 2018 (Press Release)
One of the top collegiate singles players in the United States has proven to be just as capable of going serve-for-serve with the best in the professional ATP Challenger Series.
Ohio State University junior Jeffrey John Wolf moved into the quarterfinals of the NorthBay Healthcare Men’s Pro Championship in Fairfield with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 win over third-seed Noah Rubin of Long Island, N.Y. Wolf arrived at the Solano Community College courts just hours after winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Singles Championship in Tulsa, Okla.
Wolf is the first Buckeye in history to win the singles title, beating Nuno Borges of Mississippi State 6-0, 7-6(3), despite entering as the 17th seed. The 19-year-old came in ranked 499th professionally and is currently the youngest player to be in the top-500.
Against Rubin, Wolf displayed a powerful serve that resulted in six aces and strong court coverage. He entered the NorthBay tournament as a wildcard and picked up a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over qualifier Evan King of Chicago in his first match.
On playing collegiately and professionally, Wolf said, “that’s my plan for the fall. I’m looking to take some online classes that will free up my schedule. I’ll be traveling a bit more for some pro tournaments. My college coaches have been very supportive.”
Rubin, ranked 125th, had been having a strong 2018 season. He beat top-American John Isner this summer to reach the third round of the Citi Open ATP 500 in Washington, D.C. and earned a wild card into the U.S. Open before a quick ouster.
Fratangelo, Menendez and Thompson advance
Bjorn Fratangelo (photo: Cornelia Grimes)
Bjorn Fratangelo, a 25-year-old resident of Orlando, defeated German Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3 in straight sets. He is making a comeback from a knee injury that he suffered earlier this year in Madrid. It sidelined him a month. Fratangelo won ATP matches at the New York Open, Houston and Barcelona before the injury. He won one match at the U.S. Open before falling in the second round.
“I don’t think I forced any break points throughout the match, so I served very well,” Fratangelo said. “I was consistent and played controlled, so I’m happy. I just tried to keep calm and played some good tennis out there.”
Fratangelo outlasted John-Patrick Smith of Australia in his first match of the NorthBay tournament 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Koepfer, who currently lives in Tampa, Fla., came in ranked 180.
Fifth-seed Adrian Menendez-Maceiras of Spain rolled to a 6-4, 6-3 win over Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands. Menendez-Maceiras is currently ranked 132nd. He has reached the finals of fourteen Futures tournaments, winning nine of them. He has also won four Challenger tournaments.
De Bakker is a court veteran, currently ranked 232. The 30-year-old has reached as high as 40 in 2010 and has over $1.7 million in career earnings.
American Robert Galloway and Roberto Maytine of Venezuela teamed up for a 7-5, 6-4 win over South Africans Lloyd Harris and Dean O’Brien in an afternoon doubles match.
The evening session featured tournament top seeds. Tournament favorite Jordan Thompson of Australia started slow but roared back for a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-0 win over Maxime Janvier of France. Doubles top seed Sanchai Ratiwatana of Thailand and Christopher Rungkat of Indonesia took down Texas twins Hunter and Yates Johnson 6-4, 5-7, 10-6.
Action continues on Friday
Friday’s schedule will all be on the Chris Cammisa Court beginning at 11 a.m. Galloway-Maytin face Americans Alex Lawson and Hunter Reese in a quarterfinal. That’s followed by singles quarterfinal matches between Sebastian Fanselow of Germany and Casper Ruud of Norway, and top seed Jordan Thompson and American Bjorn Fratangelo. The day session ends with Menendez-Maceiras against Wolf.
Friday’s evening session features Ratiwatana and Rungkat against Marc-Andrea Huesler of Switzerland and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands in the first doubles semifinals. The second will be played Saturday.
Eighth-seed Alex Bolt of Australia meets South Africa’s Lloyd Harris, the No. 2 seed, in the final of the quarterfinals.
Tournament action continues through Sunday. Friday is Kids Day where children get free entry into the tournament and children from The Leaven will participate in the USTA’s Next Generation program, learning all about the game of tennis.
Tickets are $5 Friday night. The price over the weekend increases to $15 for all day viewing when the tournament reaches the semifinals and finals.
