University of Tennessee Athletics
Rea Survives Scare at New Zealand National Championships
December 18, 2003 | Men's Tennis
Dec. 18, 2003
ALBANY, New Zealand - After breezing through a relatively easy opening match earlier in the week, Tennessee tennis player Simon Rea found himself fighting an uphill battle in third-round action Thursday at the Pascoe Jewellers New Zealand Residential Tennis Championships at More FM Tennis Park. The Vol senior escaped with a victory and preserved his chances of winning a third consecutive national singles championship in his native New Zealand.
Rea, playing as the No. 1 seed in the men's draw, overcame a 5-4 deficit to win the first set of his contest vs. Kevin Jay, a native of North Harbour, New Zealand. Jay exhibited slightly more determination in the second stanza, building a commanding 5-2 lead over the two-time defending champion Vol.
Battle-hardened by three grueling seasons of elite, American collegiate tennis, Rea used his experience to squelch the efforts of his upset-minded countryman, rallying to a 7-6, 7-5 win.
"Kevin played well," Rea said. "I didn't play my best, but I didn't play poorly. In situations like that you just want to make your opponent play their best to beat you. My (service) throw was a little bit all over the place, and I've got to work on that."
Rea, who is a native of Auckland, New Zealand, faces a familiar opponent in No. 7 seed Nick Lane in Friday's quarterfinals. The two players squared off in the round of 64 at the ITA Southeast Regional Indoor Championships in October, where Rea defeated the Auburn freshman in straight sets.
The Vols' top returning player, Rea currently holds an ITA national collegiate singles ranking of No. 12 and an ITA Southeast regional singles ranking of No. 10. In the latest ATP entry rankings, released Dec. 15, Rea garnered a world singles ranking of No. 823 (the second-highest ranking among all New Zealanders).
With a strong showing this week at the championships, Rea hopes to makes a case for his inclusion on the New Zealand Davis Cup team, which will be named next month.
