While most new Quakers were activating their PennCards and settling into their first week of classes, one freshman was competing for a chance to qualify for one of the biggest tournaments in the junior tennis circuit.
Freshman tennis player Nischal Spurling, originally from Los Angeles, moved into his dorm about a week and a half before leaving for his final tournament of his junior career — the U.S. Open in New York. One of the four Grand Slam tournaments in professional tennis, the U.S. Open hosts a companion tournament for the junior circuit. Spurling was attempting to earn a spot in the main draw by playing in the qualifying tournament.
Just like in professional tennis, each junior tournament is categorized by how many “points” are awarded to the winner of said tournament. A junior Grand Slam win offers 1,000 points to the winner, followed by tournaments offering 750, 500, 300, and so on. The juniors at the top of the rankings automatically get a spot in the main draw of the U.S. Open Junior Championships, while the others compete in the qualifiers to earn one of the remaining spots.
Playing on the junior circuit is no new experience for Spurling. He began playing internationally in 10th grade, completing school online in order to train and travel to tournaments. Currently, he’s No. 101 in the International Tennis Federation’s ranking of juniors singles and has been ranked as high as No. 85 in his career.
Spurling’s first opponent in singles in the tournament was Spanish player Xavi Palomar, who was seeded eighth in the qualifiers. Though Spurling was unseeded, he was unfazed in the matchup, as he won decisively in straight sets (6-1, 6-2) last Wednesday.
“I went into it obviously having nothing to lose, because he was seeded and I wasn’t, but I was coming in with a lot of confidence,” Spurling told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
“The combination of those things, just let me play really free, but also, like, really smart, and with it, with a good game plan,” Spurling added.
Unfortunately, the day after, his second match didn’t go as smoothly. He faced 10th seed Tudor Batin, who won 6-1, 6-3.
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“My opponent just played really well. … It was like I had chances in the second set, but he was just better than me on the day, I think,” Spurling said.
Despite not going further, Spurling reflected positively on his singles experience at the tournament.
“It’s been really fun. It’s been a really cool experience. It’s always been my dream to play in a Grand Slam. That’s one of the reasons why I started playing international tournaments in the first place. I didn’t get the chance to play any of the other Grand Slams, so doing this was special.”
Spurling’s Grand Slam experience isn’t quite over yet. After another doubles team pulled out due to injury, Spurling and his doubles partner Ford McCollum were chosen from the alternates list to enter the doubles main draw. McCollum, a high school senior committed to Princeton, is a childhood friend of Spurling.
“It was also our dream, like singles aside, for us to play our last doubles match, at the U.S Open as well … so I feel like that’s also super special to play with him one last time,” Spurling said.
In the first round, the pair faced the most recent winners of the Wimbledon and French Open juniors, Oskari Paldanius of Finland and Alan Ważny of Poland. A tough draw, yes, but one that Spurling hoped to attack head-on.
“Going with a bunch of intensity, and just showing them that we’re not afraid to play our game, even though we know how good they are,” Spurling said, “Especially in doubles, if you’re having fun and your energy is good, you always play better.”
That mindset certainly worked, as the pair won 7-6, 6-4 on Tuesday. In round two, they are set to face Jamie Mackenzie and Dominick Mosejczuk.
As one chapter of his tennis career closes, another is opening. Trading the camaraderie of the juniors for the tight-knit friendship of a college team was certainly an adjustment, but not a totally unwelcome one for Spurling. Before focusing fully on tennis, he played soccer, where he loved the team dynamic.
“I like being on a team, and playing for something more than yourself is always really nice. And just the energy … especially college tennis, the atmosphere is super electric.”
Spurling will don the Red and Blue on Sept. 12 at the Orange and Blue Classic in Charlottesville, Va. with the rest of his teammates to kick off the tennis season.
