The RoundHouse | 11/22/2022 11:04:00 AM

 

 
Kristof Minarik's fall tennis season did not appear headed any place special as October moved along.
 
"The beginning wasn't optimal," he said.
 
Somewhere during a three-set win to open the ITA Central Region Championships, Minarik's game changed. He saved match-point five times during that win over North Dakota's Cian McDonnell in Fayetteville, Ark. He defeated Oklahoma's Alex Martinez, the top seed, Oklahoma State's Alessio Basile and Oklahoma's Baptiste Anselmo.
 
"All of a sudden, in the regionals in Arkansas. I started doing pretty well," he said. "Then I kept doing the same things."
 
Minarik, a sophomore from Boldog, Slovakia, reached the region final before losing to OU's Nathan Han. That earned Minarik a spot in the ITA National Fall Championships, the first for a Shocker since 1984 (Jeremy Grubi). At the national tournament in San Diego earlier this month, he defeated California's Ryder Jackson before losing to fourth-seeded Eliot Spizzirri of Texas in the round of 16.

He ended the fall No. 80 in the ITA singles rankings with an 8-4 singles record.
  
"He put his head down and kept working hard," coach Darragh Glavin said. "What we talked about quite a bit was hanging in there at practice, not giving up and playing right to the end. That's what he did – he fought to the end. Then he got more and more confident each match."
 
For Minarik, his success and growing confidence come from leaning on his forehand. After uncertainty early in the fall, the last month focused his strategy.
 
 

ON TO THE SEMIS! #watchus @KristofMinarik x @GoShockers s @American_Tenn pic.twitter.com/8JuRZEc9Vb

— Wichita State Men's Tennis (@GoShockersMTEN) October 16, 2022

 
 
"I'm looking for my forehand," he said. "It doesn't matter where on the court, I'm looking for my forehand. Solid backhand. Solid groundstrokes. Look for forehands."
 
Minarik's strong finish to the fall didn't come out of nowhere. He joined the Shockers in January and earned ITA Central Region Rookie of the Year honors after going 13-6 in singles, including 6-0 at No. 3 and 3-0 at No. 2. He went 4-6 at No. 1, including wins over Luc Hoeijmans of No. 62 Tulane and Adam Neff of No. 31 SMU.
 
In doubles, he paired up with Alex Richards for a 10-5 doubles record and climbed as high as No. 49 in the ITA national weekly doubles rankings.
 
Wichita State's focus switches to the spring season and Glavin, in his first season at coach, know he can enter each match with Minarik capable of winning at No. 1 singles.
 
"We know we're going to have a great chance at No. 1, which isn't always the case on some teams," Glavin said. "That's good for him to see that and to believe. We're going to play these top 25, top 30 teams in the country and he can go out there and get us a point."
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.