Blake Wins Slam, Keeps No. 1

On Sunday afternoon sophomore James Blake became the first Ivy League player in history to win back-to-back national singles titles by winning the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at the Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, Texas.

Blake defeated the University of Washington's Robert Kendrick in a grueling three-set match, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, to retain the No. 1 ranking in the nation and win one of college tennis' Grand Slams.

"We were definitely looking for big things for James going into the season, but you can never predict a national title," Coach Peter Mandeau said. "His great talent and athletic ability, combined with his work ethic and determination, have paid off."

With the victory, Blake became not only the first Harvard player in history to win this event, he became the first Crimson athlete to win two national tennis titles. Last October he won the ITA Men's All-American Championships in Austin, Texas.

The history-making victory did not come easy for Blake, though, as Kendrick proved to be up to the challenge of facing the nation's No. 1 player.

This came as no surprise to Blake, however, as he and Kendrick have a history of tough matches. The final was the third time Blake and Kendrick had taken each other on. The last time they met was on the same court at Brookhaven in the finals of the USTA Boys' 18 & Under Indoor Championship two years ago, when both players were still on the junior circuit. Blake won that match in five sets.

As a result Blake knew about Kendrick's powerful game, and what to expect in the match.

"I've played Kendrick before in juniors on the same court, so I knew his game," Blake said. "He's got a big serve and big game, so going in I knew I just had to keep in control and not let him take over with his big forehand."

The first set opened with both players showcasing their service power. Each easily held his serve to knot the score at three games apiece. In the seventh game of the set, however, Blake went up 40-love on Kendrick's serve, going on to win the game, before holding on to a 6-4 set victory.

The second set began in similar fashion, as Kendrick and Blake continued to trade powerful serves and groundstrokes. At 2-3, Blake faced two break points, but managed to save them to tie the set up at three games each. However, a short time later, trailing 5-6, Blake was not so fortunate. Kendrick capitalized on a weak service game to break Blake and take the set 7-5, sending the match to a deciding third set.

Despite dropping the second set, Blake managed to stay composed and immediately broke Kendrick back to take a 1-0 lead in the set. Blake could not take advantage with his serve, though, as Kendrick returned the favor, breaking Blake to even the set at 1-1.

After both players held serve, Blake broke through once again, taking another service game from Kendrick for a 3-2 lead. This time, the nation's No. 1 player did not let up, as Blake held his serve the rest of the way to win the set 6-4 and to take home his second consecutive national title.

Although in the end he emerged victorious, the road to the championship was far from easy for Blake. In fact, Blake survived a huge scare in the quarterfinals, before advancing in the tournament.

In the quarters, Blake took on the University of Florida's Jeff Morrison. After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, Blake found himself serving to stay alive trailing 4-5, 30-40 in the second set. Facing match point, Blake hit an incredible forehand passing shot to stay in the match. He managed to pull out the game, and eventually the set, winning in a tiebreaker, 7-5. Blake won the third set easily, 6-2

"A few year's ago I would have been tentative in that situation, but I felt like I had nothing to lose so I relaxed and went for it," Blake said. "I just wanted to play my game and not to try to change on match point, and I came up with a solid shot. Then I loosened up and played well."

Coach Mandeau was especially impressed with Blake's excellence under pressure.

"James was basically an inch away from being out of the tournament," Mandeau said. "He hit a passing shot that, had it been an inch more toward the sideline, would have taken him out.

"It just shows his excellent competitive skills. He refuses to go down to anybody," he added.

Blake also faced one of the strongest fields in the tournament's history, playing both singles and doubles with Crimson teammate and co-captain Kunj Majmudar. The two, who won the doubles competition at the All-American Championships in Texas in October, reached the semifinals before falling to the eventual champions in a tough three-set match.

Blake's play early on in the tournament was not his best, especially on his serve, but he managed to pull out the tough matches leading up to the title game. By that time, Blake managed to put it all together for the very tough Kendrick.

"I hadn't been serving well in the tournament," Blake said. "But it kind of clicked in for me in the final. It definitely made it a lot easier."

In the end Blake showed the heart and clutch play that defines a champion, and proved himself worthy of the national No. 1 ranking. Despite the obvious achievement, though, Blake maintains that the ranking has not affected his mindset and preparation going into matches.

"It's definitely nice, but it's a lot of pressure, especially with everyone reminding me all of the time,' Blake said. "I just don't think about the pressure. I never expect to win; that would be ridiculous."

Blake will attempt to win his third national title of the year in Indianapolis in late March at the NCAA Championships. But that is the furthest thing from his mind as he now focuses on the upcoming meets for the Crimson team.

"Lately everything has been singles, but we have a lot of tough meets ahead, and I want to contribute. In college tennis, the team is the most important thing," he said.

Harvard, which is ranked No. 16 in the country, has one of its toughest schedules in recent years on the horizon. The team will take on No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 26 Kentucky and No. 4 Mississippi at the National Team Indoors in Seattle this month. The Crimson will also compete in both the Blue-Gray National Championships and the Santa Barbara Invitational.

Although he is focused on the upcoming team events, Blake realizes the magnitude of his accomplishments and pressure that comes along with them. Despite this, he is confident the can keep up his strong performance.

"It feels great to be ranked No. 1, because I never expected these kind of things," Blake said. "I never thought about being No. 1 in college, and it's a lot of pressure, but I don't look at it as me being the best. I'm just going to keep working hard and stay focused."