A strong showing on clay from a DULTC selection wasn’t quite good enough to bring home the trophy, but the experience will stand to all the players involved, writes Cilian J White.
A strong showing on clay from a DULTC selection wasn’t quite good enough to bring home the trophy, but the experience will stand to all the players involved, writes Cilian J White.
There it stood, so tantalizingly close. As Trinity tried to solve Bocconi, an Italian University, in the HEC European Clay Court Tournament final, the finalists’ silver sparkled in the sun behind a baseline, 10 feet overhead. Superb against their opponents in the preliminary rounds, Trinity succumbed to Bocconi at Paris, one win short of a Roland Garros title, but our players did not go down without a battle.
The 3rd HEC European Clay Court Tournament, organised by École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) de Paris, hosted six European Universities at this year’s September event. Those invited to fight it out with two local French clubs on the courts of Roland Garros were University of Zurich (Swizerland), Esade Business School (Spain), Bocconi University (Italy), and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland).
The team from Trinity College Dublin for this two-day event was made up of 6 dedicated players, Mark Crowley (Men’s Singles), Kellie O’Flynn (Ladies Singles), Hannah Kirk & Kei Fujiwara (Mixed Doubles) and Joanna Smyth & Cilian White. At the tournament’s opening ceremony, the six University teams were divided into two pools, dubbed “Federer” and “Nadal”. If the intention was to provide the players with some inspiration, it certainly worked for the Irish side. Drawn against Esade and HEC, the Trinity players fearlessly fought off the challenges of both teams, making their way to a spot in the final. Meanwhile, the identity of their opponents was being resolved in the other pool, as the Italians from Bocconi stealthily made their way to the showdown.
Courts were swept and watered, and the nets inspected and adjusted – finals day at Roland Garros, Paris. The sun shone from blue skies overhead, the setting was idyllic – it doesn’t come much better than this in University tennis. Umpires from Roland Garros oversaw each of the final games, with Hannah and Kei taking on the mixed doubles first. After two wins from the preliminary rounds, they felt confident of a strong performance. On the day though, the Italian pairing of came out on top after an epic battle of top-class tennis.
“This was amazing. I still didn’t believe it could happen. I think we both played well, had lots of chances and I am just happy I kept my composure throughout.”
Following this, the Men’s and Ladies finalists took to the courts. In the Men’s Singles final, Crowley faced a difficult match-up against an experienced opponent. It was evident from the start that the Italian was a seasoned clay court player, and on this occasion got the better of Trinity’s No. 1. It was a steep learning curve for the Senior Freshman, who commented that “it was tough, but I’ve been strong, and I made my way there…that gives me a great feeling, you know, a great satisfaction”.
Kellie O’Flynn, a Trinity Sports Scholar, took on the challenge of the Ladies Singles. Composing herself well, Kellie started off the stronger player and never looked back, posting a 6-1, 6-1 win in her match. “This was amazing. I still didn’t believe it could happen,” O’Flynn said in a courtside interview. “I think we both played well, had lots of chances and I am just happy I kept my composure throughout.”
The event was an aberration of sorts, not because Trinity is demonstrably playing surprisingly good tennis, but because the players are doing it in the 16th arrondissement on clay, a surface that rarely has been graced by the feet of these players. This showing will further drive the already strong vision for the development of tennis in Trinity. To partake in such a high-quality tournament was fantastic, but to reach the final was the icing on the cake.
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