Each November, 32 of the finest singles players in men’s college tennis fight for the ITA Indoor Intercollegiate Championship title. The tournament takes place at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the same courts graced by the likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams at the summer’s U.S. Open.
Emerging from the competitive draw requires winning a daunting five matches in four days, so when Virginia senior Jarmere Jenkins steamrolled Pepperdine senior Sebastian Fanselow in the tournament final 6-2, 6-1 this Sunday, coach Brian Boland effused praise.
“I believe the biggest reason that Jarmere was successful was that he went into the tournament with the right mentality,” Boland said. “[He was] really focusing on making each match physical, playing within himself, and managing his expectations. He really did a great job of improving with each and every match and really tried to do the best job that he could to prepare and to focus on each point and give everything he had.”
The big-serving Jenkins earned ACC Player of the Year and ITA All-American honors last season after posting a 30-6 singles record and 22-11 doubles mark with then-senior Drew Courtney. Despite all his past accomplishments, Jenkins did not have a major singles championship to his name — until Sunday.
He now joins junior Alex Domijan, sophomore Mitchell Frank and former Virginia standout and professional player Somdev Devvarman as the only Cavaliers to claim a major singles title.
“It feels really good to be in the same category as those guys,” Jenkins said. “Somdev obviously went on to do really good things in tennis and in life … Domijan and Mitchell Frank, I’m sure are going to go on to do really incredible things here for U.Va., so you know to be a part of this group — it means a lot to me.”
Like Boland, Jenkins attributed his tournament win to his readiness to play. To Jenkins, the tournament’s sixth seed, that preparation was more than just a physical task. Especially in the final against Fanselow, an experienced player voted No. 3 in the ITA preseason rankings, observation proved crucial.
“I felt like I did a really good job leading up to the tournament of taking care of what I needed to take care of as far as fitness-wise [and] as far as preparing for my opponent — studying them,” Jenkins said. “I think the final was just me knowing his tendencies. We played in [an] NCAA semifinal against Pepperdine and I kind of knew a little bit about where he liked to serve and where he liked to go with certain balls, so I was prepared for him. And, you know, seeing him play Domijan the day before really helped out a lot.”
The top-seeded Domijan’s 6-4, 3-6,7-5 semifinal loss to Fanselow prevented a second straight all-Virginia ITA tournament championship match. Jenkins and freshman Harrison Richmond met in the finals of the ITA Atlantic Regional this October, where Richmond prevailed 6-4, 7-5.
Despite his defeat, Domijan contributed to the Cavaliers’ impressive fall season in a significant way. The junior won the ITA All-American Championship last month, the fall campaign’s first major singles tournament. With Domijan’s victory and Jenkins’ win at the ITA Indoors, the Cavaliers have won eight major singles titles since 2006, by far the best mark in the NCAA.
“We’re just very fortunate to be in the position we are,” Boland said. “I think the best is in front of us, not behind us, and hopefully we’ll use the momentum we have to move forward with the future of the program. I’m so proud, though, of the success that we’ve had in terms of the development of players and the success that they’ve had not only in their time at Virginia but, more importantly, how well they’ve done since they’ve left.”
Jenkins and his teammates hope to prove their coach right this year. The senior understands what Virginia must do to continue its strong play in the winter and spring: more of the same.
“I think the key factor for us is going to be, you know, just staying on the path that we’re on,” Jenkins said. “We’ve got a really good group of guys — a good group of hardworking guys who really are willing to get after it and do what they need to do … these guys are on a whole different level as far as their work ethic and what they’re willing to bring.”
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