SMU tennis player Alexander Skrypko played world No. 2 AndyRoddick over the weekend in semifinal Davis Cup action inCharleston, S.C. The match was part of Belarus’ tie with theUnited States team.
Skrypko, a sophomore, was named WAC freshman of the year lastseason. Although he lost the match 4-6, 2-6, ESPN tenniscommentator MaliVai Washington called the 18-year-old “thefuture of Belarus’ Davis Cup team.”
The U.S. Davis Cup team — Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, MikeBryan and Bob Bryan — defeated the Belarusian team comprisedof Max Mirnyi, Vladmir Voltchkov, Skrypko and Andrei Karatchenia4-0.
On Friday, Roddick defeated Voltchkov 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the firstmatch. Fish followed, beating Mirnyi 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
On Saturday, the Bryan twin tandem clinched the tie beatingMirnyi and Voltchkov in doubles 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
On Sunday, Skrypko, a native of Minsk, Belarus, took the courtagainst Roddick.
He won his first service game and played competitively in thefirst set, but Roddick got a break, which was all he needed tocapture the first set 6-4.
Roddick used his world-renowned serve to take the second set 6-2for the match. He even pumped in a serve at 151 mph.
In his first Davis Cup match of the weekend, Roddick broke hisown world record for fastest serve with one of 155 mph.
It was the first time a team from Belarus made it to thesemifinals of the Davis Cup and the first time the U.S. and Belarushave played in a Davis Cup tie.
The U.S. team will play Spain in the Davis Cup final Dec. 3 -Dec. 5 in Seville, Spain. The U.S. has not been to a Davis Cupfinal since 1997 and has not won the Davis Cup since 1995.
Skrypko’s match against Roddick should provide him with alot of experience heading into the collegiate tennis season.
Skrypko joined Belarus’ Davis Cup team in 2001 when he wasonly 15.
In a press release, SMU Tennis Coach Carl Neufeld said,”This will be a great experience for him.
“It is such a fantastic opportunity for an 18-year-old,and this will be something that he remembers for the rest of hislife.”
Skrypko amassed a 21-5 record in singles and went 10-6 indoubles in his first season as a Mustang. As a tennis junior, hewon the prestigious Eddie Herr International Tournament in Florida,one of the top international tournaments for juniors. He also wonthe under-16 European Championships in 2001. He is the firstEuropean Champion to ever play collegiately in the U.S.
The Davis Cup is named after Dwight Filley Davis, a tennisplayer from Harvard. The cup started as a team competition betweenthe U.S. and Great Britain. Eventually more nations joined thecompetition, and now, according to the Davis Cup’s Web site,teams from more than 130 nations compete. For more informationabout Davis Cup competition and results, visitdaviscup.com.
