Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Signs International Duo
August 06, 2014 | Cowboy Tennis
STILLWATER, Okla. -
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team cemented the start of its 2014-15 recruiting campaign on Wednesday by signing two student-athletes, head coach Jay Udwadia announced.
Joining the Cowboys are foreign standouts Jurence Mendoza (Olongapo City, Phillipines) and Trent Robert Botha (Cape Town, South Africa), who will team up with an OSU squad containing plenty of existing international talent.
Mendoza, a transfer student from the University of the Phillippines-Diliman, ventures to Stillwater after recently wrapping up a stellar junior career. At various spots of the 2013-14 season, he held the No. 1 ranking in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the ninth-place spot in all of Asia, while also reaching the No. 55 spot in the ITF Junior Circuit rankings, a career-high.
“He has a massive amount of playing experience against some of the best juniors in the world,” Udwadia said. “With him, we've got one of the world's best juniors in the world joining the team. He will be huge benefit to this team, and we're looking forward to having him join the Cowboy family.”
In February, the 18-year-old concluded a perfect 11-0 collegiate season in singles play, appearing primarily at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. During that run, Mendoza failed to lose a single set, earning Rookie of the Year honors and leading the UP Fighting Maroons to a second-place finish in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines standings.
Botha's resume comes with numerous accomplishments on the court, but is also bolstered by a spot in one of South Africa's most prominent tennis families.
His father, Dean, was a challenging competitor on the ATP World Tour during the late '80s, reaching as high as No. 186 in the world polls. He also made appearances for the South African national team in Davis Cup competition before ending his playing career in 1991.
On-court experience within the family lineage also extends to Botha's brother, Jarryd, a former star at Alabama. The elder Botha brother finished a successful career with the Crimson Tide in 2012, landing as high as No. 7 in the ITA doubles polls and No. 54 in singles play.
“Trent is one of the top juniors in all of South Africa, comes from a good tennis family and has a lot of potential in his game,” Udwadia said. “I believe he can be developed into a great player, so we're excited to have him.”
Botha's junior career is highlighted by a dominating performance in last October's SAS Junior ITF 2 tournament, where he grabbed event titles in both the singles and the doubles bracket. Overall, Botha compiled a 17-7 singles mark on the ITF Junior Circuit, helping him to a top-500 spot in the world junior rankings.
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