Oklahoma State University Athletics
Former Cowboy Netter Qualifies for U.S. Open
August 29, 2000 | Cowboy Tennis
Aug. 29, 2000
STILLWATER, Okla. - Former Oklahoma State tennis standout Pavel Kudrnac won two doubles qualifier matches to advance to the main draw of this year's U.S. Open.
In the first round of qualifying, Kudrnac and his partner, Petr Kovacka, defeated Noam Behr and Tuomas Ketola 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). They went on to defeat Alejandro Hernandez and Jocelyn Robichaud, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 in the second round.
Kudrnac is one of OSU's most decorated tennis players of all time. In 1998, Kudrnac was awarded ITA Senior Player of the Year, and he was twice named as the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. Kudrnac was the No. 1 seed at the 1998 NCAA Championships in singles and doubles.
During his two-year stint as a Cowboy, Kudrnac captured three national titles, winning the 1997 T. Rowe Price Clay Court Championships and the 1998 NCAA Indoor Singles and Doubles titles.
"I'm glad that he is finally breaking through," Oklahoma State Assistant Coach Brad Chiller said. "This is a step in the right direction."
Kudrnac and Kovacka will play Argentina,s Gaston Etlis and Sebastian Prieto in the first round of the main draw tomorrow.
"With his skills, there isn't any reason why he shouldn't be a top-20 doubles player," Chiller said. "You could really tell that he was much better than the rest of the field in college."
In 1997, Kudrnac led the Cowboys to an 18-6 record and a berth in the Regional Semifinals. The following year, the Cowboys went 17-6, advancing to the Regional Finals.
