TOPEKA — International players dot the Washburn men’s tennis roster this season. Nine of the 12 roster spots are filled with players from outside the United States. Two of them earned one of the biggest victories of their young careers on Sunday, Oct. 13.
Tim Hammes and Matthew Earle teamed up to win the ITA Cup Doubles National Championship in Rome, Georgia.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup pits the best NCAA Division II, III, NAIA and Junior College players against each other in the fall season. Over 8,000 players featured in regional tournaments to qualify for the championship tournament of the ITA Cup.
“On the first day, we were a bit nervous. We had a tough enough first round and after that, we grew in confidence,” Earle said. “After the semifinal, we really believed that we were going to take the final.”
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Hammes is a senior from Krefeld, Germany while the redshirt junior Earle hails from Dublin, Ireland.
The Washburn duo faced Saint Leo University’s Luis Iriarte and Eduardo Cohen in the championship match. The Ichabods fell behind early, but were able to come out on top 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
“Matt put his arms up and was just standing there,” Hammes said when the pair won the title. “I didn’t know how to react so I just ran to him and hugged him because it was pretty exciting. The last points were really close and it was a huge relief.”
The two teammates leaned on Hammes experience from 2023. He won won the ITA Cup title with Santiago Rendon last year. Hammes has been a part of the both ITA Cup championships which are the only two titles in program history.
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Hammes and Earle have learned to play with each other excellently. They played together in doubles last spring during NCAA play and it translated to a strong fall. The two learned to trust one another and it has translated to the biggest win of their careers.
“We both know our strengths and weaknesses,” Hammes said. “Matt is definelty the one that shows up at the net. He’s very good at seeing his chances and I think I am very solid from the baseline.”
The title gives the pair and the entire team momentum going into the spring. According to Earle, the win gives the entire team a big boost and it should. The program is moving in the right direction with big wins under fifth year head coach Kirby Ronning. Players from across the globe are finding a home with Washburn tennis and they are thriving.
“Washburn has given us a lot of opportunities especially the coaches have instilled the confidence in us that we can beat everyone,” Earle said. “The program is only going to grow from now on.”
Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: How Washburn tennis doubles team won ITA Cup National Championship
