Austin Krajicek stopped short of admitting he’s all but mastered Futures events on the USTA Pro Circuit.
Those gathered at Pleasant Valley County Club in west Little Rock for the Tour de Paul tennis tournament this week might beg to differ.
The fourth-seeded Krajicek, a 22-year-old former Texas A&M star, beat Luke Saville 6-4, 6-2 in the singles final Sunday afternoon, needing 74 minutes to finish off the second-seeded Australian to lay claim to both the singles and doubles titles at this year’s event.
It was the fourth Futures title - a level considered to be the ground floor for those starting their professional tennis careers - in the past seven months and the second time in six weeks he’s won a singles and doubles title in the same tournament.
Krajieck, who only had one of his five singles matches go to a third set during the week-long tournament, fell behind 2-1 in the second set Sunday before rattling off five consecutive victories and dispose of Saville.
But Krajicek, who has his sights set on a qualifying draw in the U.S. Open at the end of the summer, insists on remaining cautious despite the quick transition to pro tennis’ first level.
“I don’t think there’s really a point when you master a level, because anything can happen any week,” said Krajicek, who is from Tampa Fla. “But I have a lot of confidence now. I’ll be trying for some Challenger [events] now, moving up a little bit. I take comfort in this.”
Krajicek, ranked No. 353 entering the week, won a Futures event in Canada in March. His first two victories came last fall - winning in October in Austin, Texas, after winning his first professional title last September in China.
His victory Sunday could have been considered a slight upset. Saville, his 19-year-old opponent who is No. 347 in the ATP rankings, came into the week as the tournament’s No. 2 and breezed through the first four rounds easier than even Krajicek had.
Saville, who made his U.S. debut two weeks ago in Oklahoma City, didn’t lose a set in his first four matches at Pleasant Valley and entered Sunday as the fresher of the two finalists. Krajicek, who teamed with Chase Buchanan to win the doubles title Saturday, endured four more matches than Saville, who did not play doubles.
Saville, who has won junior Wimbledon in 2011 and the junior Australian Open in 2012, looked every bit the fresher player to start Sunday, too - but it didn’t last long.
He served to a 1-0 lead in the first set, lost the next three games, drew back to 4-3 and 5-4 before Krajicek closed out the first set.
Saville led the second set 1-0 and 2-1 before Krajicek won the final five games to close the tournament.
“I’m a little bit disappointed,” said Saville, from Cobdogla, Australia. “I guess that’s what the finals brings, a few more nerves. I didn’t get myself going. I was a bit sluggish.”
But Saville was able to look at the big picture, knowing that winning four matches and finishing as the runner up will allow him to raise his world ranking - the object of desire for all players on the Pro Circuit.
The careers of Saville and Krajicek are similar in that both are transitioning to a higher level after dominating at lower levels. Krajicek was an all-American at Texas A&M while Saville was the top junior player in the world two years ago. Saville won Futures events in Thailand and Australia in his first year as a professional before venturing to the United States for the first time earlier this month.
“I was the big dog, almost,” Saville said of his junior career. “Now I’m [347] in the world now. I’ve got a lot of work to do on my game. It’s a long grind. There’s thousands and thousands of guys trying to make it. There’s not even 100 spots where people are making a living. It’s a pretty brutal sport.”
Krajicek, meanwhile, leaves Little Rock with two trophies and will most likely see a higher ranking when he rolls into Tallahassee, Fla., for a Challenger event that begins April 29.
“I’m playing well and this is one step toward getting my ranking up a little higher,” he said. “I’ll keep my momentum going next week. … That’s one thing about tennis - it starts again every week. So you just have to get back on the horse tomorrow and get back to work.”
Sports, Pages 13 on 04/22/2013