Men's Tennis Alum Dominik Koepfer Inches Closer to ATP Stardom
Nov 21, 2018 | Men's Tennis
If Dominik Koepfer's second full season on the ATP Tour showed one thing, it is that he will be around for a very long time. His ascent in the world rankings during the 2018 calendar year showed that he will soon have the chance to break into some of tennis's biggest draws, perhaps even as soon as 2019.
Koepfer spent most of the year ranked in the mid-200's, holding a No. 248 listing in May. That was when he reached the final round of qualifying for perhaps the world's most prestigious tournament, falling just one victory shy of a bid into the main draw at Wimbledon.
"It's great to see one of our own see success on the pro tour," Tulane director of tennis Mark Booras said. "Dominik's hard work and drive have complemented his talent and ability to get him to this level. I'm excited about his future because I know he is not even close to his ceiling."
Among his best victories during the summer, he defeated the top seed in the Geneva Open's qualifying draw and 137th-ranked Pablo Andujar from Spain in straight sets. Andujar had been ranked as high as 32nd in the world and won an ATP World Tour event - the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco – in April. The win made Koepfer the first Tulane men's tennis alum in the modern era to qualify for the main draw of an ATP singles event.
"Dominik personifies what we teach our student-athletes at Tulane," Booras said. "He's showing us that great things are possible to those who believe and are willing to work to create those opportunities for success."
Kopefer enjoyed a strong finish to 2018 after reaching the round of 16 of the ATP Challenger event in Knoxville, Tennessee in the fall. Following that showing, he defeated world No. 102 Ivo Karlovic for the second time in one month, advancing to the semifinals of the Oracle Challenger Series event in Houston.
Karlovic is one of the most veteran active players in all of professional tennis. He has won eight ATP titles during his career and has made several impressive runs at Grand Slam events, which includes a quarterfinals appearance at Wimbledon in 2009, as well as a pair runs to the fourth round of the 2010 Australian Open and the 2016 U.S. Open.
Those results boosted Koepfer's profile even more, as he ends the year on a high note with a career-high world ranking of 156 in his pocket. The experience he has gathered in this short amount of time against some of the world's top players has him on the fast track to reaching Grand Slam tournaments of his own.
Up next for Koepfer, he has his eyes set on cracking the top 100, and his vision is locked on preparing to play in the 2019 Australian Open qualifying in January.
Koepfer spent most of the year ranked in the mid-200's, holding a No. 248 listing in May. That was when he reached the final round of qualifying for perhaps the world's most prestigious tournament, falling just one victory shy of a bid into the main draw at Wimbledon.
"It's great to see one of our own see success on the pro tour," Tulane director of tennis Mark Booras said. "Dominik's hard work and drive have complemented his talent and ability to get him to this level. I'm excited about his future because I know he is not even close to his ceiling."
Among his best victories during the summer, he defeated the top seed in the Geneva Open's qualifying draw and 137th-ranked Pablo Andujar from Spain in straight sets. Andujar had been ranked as high as 32nd in the world and won an ATP World Tour event - the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco – in April. The win made Koepfer the first Tulane men's tennis alum in the modern era to qualify for the main draw of an ATP singles event.
"Dominik personifies what we teach our student-athletes at Tulane," Booras said. "He's showing us that great things are possible to those who believe and are willing to work to create those opportunities for success."
Kopefer enjoyed a strong finish to 2018 after reaching the round of 16 of the ATP Challenger event in Knoxville, Tennessee in the fall. Following that showing, he defeated world No. 102 Ivo Karlovic for the second time in one month, advancing to the semifinals of the Oracle Challenger Series event in Houston.
Karlovic is one of the most veteran active players in all of professional tennis. He has won eight ATP titles during his career and has made several impressive runs at Grand Slam events, which includes a quarterfinals appearance at Wimbledon in 2009, as well as a pair runs to the fourth round of the 2010 Australian Open and the 2016 U.S. Open.
Those results boosted Koepfer's profile even more, as he ends the year on a high note with a career-high world ranking of 156 in his pocket. The experience he has gathered in this short amount of time against some of the world's top players has him on the fast track to reaching Grand Slam tournaments of his own.
Up next for Koepfer, he has his eyes set on cracking the top 100, and his vision is locked on preparing to play in the 2019 Australian Open qualifying in January.
Postgame MTEN: HC Mark Booras - 4/11/25
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