Giraldo Gains Experience in Top-Level Tournaments
8/16/2019 11:16:00 AM | Men's Tennis
For Kansas City tennis player Diego Giraldo, this summer was anything but a break. The incoming junior took it upon himself to continue improving his game the past two months, playing in the UTR Mission Bay Open Summer Series #1 in Florida and the Copa Fricar in Medellin, Colombia.
Giraldo found great success, starting his summer in Mission Bay from June 15-20. He worked his way to the singles championship, taking down three American nationals along the way. In the finals, he was pitted against Jake Stefanik, a recent graduate from the University of Kentucky's tennis program. The two split the first two sets, paving the road for a championship-deciding third set. Giraldo was able to force a tiebreaker in the third, but eventually fell to Stefanik and brought home silver.
“I played in this series open in order to raise my level in the summer and to start the fall semester at an ideal level and ready to compete,” Giraldo said.
Then, from July 31-August 4, he competed in Copa Fricar, the most competitive professional tournament in Colombia. Only Colombian players are allowed in the field, which was comprised of multiple Division One and ATP top 500 players. Giraldo competed in the doubles bracket, pairing up with Sergio Hernandez, a member of the Louisville tennis squad. The duo was able to run through the competition, emerging victorious in the final match, 7-6, 6-2. Beyond the tennis experience, Giraldo was also able to gain experience in dealing with the media, participating in a press conference prior to the tournament.
“They asked us about our universities: How was the level there? How was the program? And so on,” he said. “This was a perfect chance to talk about UMKC and how great these two years have been for me and my tennis level.”
Giraldo has been a catalyst to the Roos squad each of the past two years, posting a career record of 28-15. He has been next to flawless in conference play, posting a 4-1 record each year in singles competition. Against Western Athletic Conference doubles opponents, he has shown no faults, compiling a perfect 10-0 record. Giraldo believes he can continue to push himself to a higher level, and head coach Kendell Hale believes his commitment and dedication will take him to the top.
“Diego again is proving that hard work pays off,” Hale said. “He has trained hard this past year and is determined to be one of the best players in Kansas City history. To have success in these prestigious tournaments is a testament to that hard work and the level of college tennis in the United States.”
Players Mentioned
