Aggie Tennis Players Compete at U.S. Open
Sep 02, 2011 | Men's Tennis
"I couldn't be more proud of Jackson (Withrow), Austin (Krajicek) and Jeff (Dadamo)," Aggie head tennis coach Steve Denton said. "There are a lot of tennis players in America who dream of getting the opportunity to play in the U.S. Open and these three Aggies gave everything they had. It will keep them hungry and working toward getting back to this wonderful event."
Aggie freshman Jackson Withrow (Omaha, Nebraska) and his doubles partner, Jack Sock, had qualified for the U.S. Open by virtue of winning the USTA junior doubles national title in Kalamazoo, Michigan, earlier this summer. The Nebraska natives dropped the first set 6-3 before bouncing back to win the second set 7-6 (5) to force the third and deciding set. The tandem of Mark Knowles and Xavier Malisse is the No. 15 seed in the doubles field, and the professional duo survived with a 6-1 decision in the third set.
"This was a great experience playing in the U.S. Open," Withrow said. "Jack and I fought hard and never quit. This experience will help me to develop even more as a tennis player. I am anxious to get back to Aggieland and to continue to work with my teammates."
The reigning NCAA Doubles Championship duo from Texas A&M of Jeff Dadamo and Austin Krajicek faced off against the Colombian team of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the first round. The entire match was close as the Colombian team took the first set, 7-6 (2) and finished off the match with a 6-4 decision in the second set.
Withrow enrolled at Texas A&M in January of 2011 and redshirted while the senior players of Krajicek and Dadamo helped A&M win the Big 12 Championship and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 by leading the team to a school-record 29 dual match victories as A&M finished in the Top 10 for a second straight season.
