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PATRICK BESCH |
| SPORT: |
Men's Tennis |
EVENT (If Applicable): |
Singles |
| YEAR (S): |
2013, 14 |
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Deni Zmak became only the second student-athlete in ERAU men's tennis history to win back-to-back ITA/NAIA national singles titles, doing so in 2013 and 2014.
After breezing through the field on his way to the 2013 ITA Regional title, Zmak drew the top seed in the NAIA bracket and earned three two-set victories to win the national tournament crown. Zmak's opponent in the title match was third seeded Marco Carvajal of Oklahoma Baptist. Zmak got off to a slow start, falling behind 4-1, thanks in part to Carvajal's solid play from the baseline. Down 5-2, Zmak changed his tactics and won the next three games to tie the set 5-5. He continued to pressure Carvajal and behind the strength of his serve, won the first set 7-6 with a 7-2 decision in the tiebreaker.
The second set was more comfortable for Zmak who stuck with the strategy that got him the win in the first set. He went up a break early and stayed on serve the rest of the way to win 6-3 and come away with the championship. Zmak then beat West Florida's Bruno Savi (6-3, 6-4) and Mate Cutura (5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4) in the "Super Bowl" championship, joining Mislav Hizak as the only Eagles to claim such honors.
His “Super Bowl” title earned Zmak a berth in the USTA/ITA Indoor National Championships and he drew University of Oklahoma's Andrew Harris in the opening round. The match, which lasted two hours and 57 minutes, saw Harris edge Zmak 7-6 (5) in the first set. Zmak returned the favor, taking the second frame 7-6 with a 7-4 decision in the tiebreaker to force a decisive third set. Both players held serve through the first 10 game of the final frame, but in the next game, Harris registered a break and then served for the match, winning 7-5.
A year later, Zmak drew the top seed in the NAIA singles bracket again, but going into the title match his opponent, Georgia Gwinett's Jordan Cox was the favorite. Zmak, who was the top-ranked NAIA player for the entire 2013-14 season, showed he was worthy of both that ranking and his tournament seeding as he easily dispatched Cox in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, to claim the 2014 national crown.
Zmak's Career Highlights
- ITA/NAIA National Singles Champion (2013, 2014)
- ITA Small College "Super Bowl" Champion (2013)
- Two-time IT All-American (2013, 2014)
- Two-time NAIA All-American (2013, 2014)
- Three-time Sun Conference Player of the Year (2013, 2014)
- NAIA's Ward-Ballinger Award Winner (2013)
- Three-time first team All-Sun Conference (2013-14)
