Can the year get any better for tennis player Daniel Nguyen?
The former Santa Barbara High standout has been on a roll in the last few months. In May, he helped USC win its 17th NCAA men’s team championship. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, he completed his juniors career in grand style, capturing a USTA National Hardcourt title in the Boys 18s doubles with partner JT Sundling of Thousand Oaks.
But wait, there’s more. As a reward for winning the USTA title in Kalamazoo, Mich., Nguyen and his partner received a wild-card berth into the main draw of the U.S. Open Championships in Flushing, N.Y. They’ll be playing in the Grand Slam event starting Monday.
“It’s definitely been a dream come true,” said Nguyen of the recent successes on the court.
UPDATED Aug. 31: Nguyen and Sundling got a break in the doubles draw released over weekend, avoiding an opening-round match against the Bryan brothers. They’ll instead face Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Juan Monaco. Those two reached the semifinals last year.
As a freshman starting in the No. 6 singles spot, Nguyen won his match 6-0, 6-2 to give the eighth-seeded Trojans a 2-0 lead that they would turn into a 4-1 triumph over Ohio State in the NCAA team final. Nguyen was the hottest player on the team, winning his last eight matches of the year to finish with a 33-9 overall singles record.
His winning ways carried over into the summer. The USTA title was Nguyen’s second in three years — in 2007, he and Sundling were champions in the boys 16s doubles. Their 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over eighth-seeded Sekou Coker Bangoura, of Bradenton, Fla., and Nathan Pasha of Atlanta, made them the eighth doubles team to win titles with the same partner in both divisions at Kalamazoo in the last 45 years. The most recent were Rajeev Ram and Jonathan Stokke, who won 16s in 2000 and 18s in 2001 and 2002.
The USTA title capped the juniors career for Nguyen, who turns 19 on Oct. 16.
“It’s always good to finish strong,” he said.
The USTA tournament also gave Nguyen and Sundling, an incoming freshman at USC, an opportunity to prepare for the U.S. Open. As the top-seeded team at the tournament, they were invited to play in a pro exhibition against Hall of Famer Michael Chang and Paul Goldstein.
They lost the match, but they picked up some valuable pointers that they’ll take to New York.
“We definitely have to serve a lot better,” Nguyen told the Kalamazoo Gazette. “It was such an honor to play against those legends. It’s so fun. You try to embrace it. … It was a great experience.”
Nguyen said he was thrilled to compete against Chang, a player he’s always admired and respected.
“To play a legend like that was an awesome experience. I’ve always looked up to him since I was a child. He’s been like a local hero to me.”
Nguyen said his game plan at the Open is to play one point at a time and not get too caught up in winning the match.
“I’m ecstatic,” he said about the chance to play in the Grand Slam tournament. “It’s just crazy. I remember just watching the Open as a little kid and telling my parents, ‘One day I’m going to go and compete in it.’ I’m very happy and grateful I’ll have an opportunity to play there.”
As a wild-card entry, there’s the strong possibility of drawing the top-seeded team in the tournament, which could mean a matchup with Bob and Mike Bryan of Camarillo.
“I can’t even imagine if we play someone like the Bryan brothers,” Sundling told the Kalamazoo Gazette after the USTA title.
Nguyen said he would prefer opening against a team they’d have a better chance at beating. But, if they got drawn to play the defending champions at the 23,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium center court in the first round, he’d be OK with it.
“That would be great,” he said.
It would be another wonderful moment in a year full of them.
