The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN Justin Roberts and his American partner Oliver Pramming saw their impressive run through the NCAA Doubles Championship come to an end in the round of 16 after they dropped a 7-6 (0), 6-4 loss to Michigan State’s Harry Jadun-John and Patrick Mullane at the Hurd Tennis Center on Friday.

“The team performance was eye opening,” Roberts told The Tribune over the weekend. “We saw that we are able to compete with the best teams in college on the biggest stage.”

The big stage came as the USF’s 28th-ranked doubles pair served up a three-set win over Harvard opponents on Thursday but could not slow down Michigan State’s 18th-ranked team that knocked off Virginia’s second-ranked duo in the opening round.

“The difference was experience,” said Roberts on his appearance in the two matches. “We had never been there before as a programme and Baylor is in that position every year. They also had homecourt advantage.”

Freshman Roberts and Pramming, a senior from Denmark, went 18-11 this season and won nine of their final 12 matches. The international duo helped No. 18 USF reach its first-ever NCAA Championship Sweet 16 after the Bulls won their second consecutive American Athletic Conference title.

Despite their exit, Roberts, who has been on a whirlwind tour during his junior career before he enrolled at USF in August, said the experience he gained was priceless.

“I will take confidence and some more experience from a higher level than I’ve played before,” he said.

Roberts and Pramming advanced to the NCAA Doubles Championship Round of 16 with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win over Harvard’s Denis Nguyen and Brian Yeung on Thursday afternoon. Roberts and Pramming cruised through the first set and responded in the decisive third set to improve to 18-10 this season. The 28th-ranked duo have won nine of their past 11 matches.

USF’s head coach Matt Hill was more than pleased with Roberts’ performance.

“Yes I was really impressed with Justin this past weekend at National Championships. He competed like a senior in terms of his composure and toughness even though he is only a freshman,” Hill told The Tribune. “This is definitely not the only time you are going to see this young man playing this tournament. His plans now are to prepare for his pro tournament schedule this summer to continue improving his game and his professional ranking.”

Justin, 18, will now prepare to travel this summer to put his skills to the test when he participates in a series of tournaments to help him improve his game. Now that his collegiate season is completed, Roberts intends to participate in his next tournament in New York in June.

In the meantime, if there is any concern about his appearance in the Bahamas where he has rarely competed against the local talent, Roberts assured the Bahamian public that if there is something (tournament) for me to play in to help my progress and develop further as a player,” he will make the trek home.