Sisko exits in second round of ITA All-American Tournament

UT senior tennis player Stjepan Sisko participated in the International Tennis Association’s All-American Invitational in Tulsa, Okla. this past weekend.

Sisko advanced to the second round before being knocked out by redshirt freshman Hugo Di Feo from Ohio State.

“He was pretty dominant in his first round match,” said UT’s Head Coach Al Werner. “Based on the mathematics, his performance puts him amongst the top 100 or 120 players in the country.”

Sisko faced off against Utah junior Parker McGuiness on Monday in the tournament’s opening round.

Sisko got off to a good start, winning the first set by a score of 6-3.

“I started the match out a little bit nervous,” Sisko said. “But as the match progressed I was able to relax more and find my game.”

He would finish McGuiness in straight sets (6-2, 6-3).

“Stjepan played a really solid match against a strong Utah player,” said Assistant Coach Jose Gutierrez. “He was able to find his rhythm early and capitalize on key points.”

Sisko was matched up with Di Feo in his second round match-up. As a high school junior, Di Feo, was the number 19th player in his age group.

The Buckeye’s highly-regarded redshirt freshman swept the first set from Sisko 6-0.

“His second round match was against a very tough opponent,” Gutierrez said. “He wasn’t able to stick to the game plan with a player that was able to neutralize all his weapons from the first point.”

Sisko would put up a better fight in the second set but would come up short 6-4, being eliminated from the tournament.

“The level at All-Americans is always very high,” Gutierrez said. “The best players in the country are playing in it. You are most likely to see the top players from every university.”

Next up for the Sisko and UT is the Rocket Invitational on Oct. 9-11. Sisko is expected to be a top seed in the event.

“The next step for [Stjepan] is having a good preparation for ITA Regionals, with the best players in the Midwest,” Gutierrez said. “After that is the MAC Indoor Invitational and the Future’s Invitational in Florida.

“Having a strong fall season is definitely going to help him come January.”