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BattierD12
08-27-2009, 07:01 PM
Mallory Cecil Turns Pro
(http://sports.chronicleblogs.com/2009/08/27/cecil-turns-pro/)

It's disappointing for sure from a Duke perspective after last year's great success with our tennis team, but I can't wait to see her in action in the U.S. Open and beyond. The Williams Sisters won't be representing the U.S. forever, so I wish her the best of luck.

FireOgilvie
08-27-2009, 07:13 PM
That's too bad, but I don't blame her. Two championships isn't a bad college career.

roywhite
08-27-2009, 07:23 PM
Go, Mallory!

And thanks for your contribution to Duke. We'll follow your career with interest.

JaMarcus Russell
08-27-2009, 07:25 PM
I can certainly understand why she wants to go pro. I knew a girl at Duke who had gone pro after her first or second year of college and had come to school after a few years playing tennis professionally.

There's clearly not much left for Cecil to accomplish in D-1 tennis. Best of luck to her in the pro tour.

BattierD12
08-27-2009, 08:56 PM
U.S. Open Seeding and Potential Matches for Cecil (http://www.goupstate.com/article/20090827/NEWS/908279955/1088/SPORTS06?Title=Spartanburg-s-Cecil-draws-world-s-58th-ranked-player-in-US-Open-debut)

jve666
08-28-2009, 08:06 PM
Unfortunately for the reigning National Champion Duke Womens Tennis Team, Mallory Cecil has decided to turn pro. Major loss for Duke, but all the best wishes for Mallory and her professional career.

4decadedukie
08-29-2009, 11:11 AM
I'm sorry she is doing so, but wish her well and hope that she will gradually complete her degree requirements.

SupaDave
08-29-2009, 03:43 PM
Three more years!!! LOL! :)

roywhite
09-01-2009, 04:46 PM
Mallory got smoked 6-0, 6-1 in the 1st round of the US Open by a player named Tathiana Garbin of Italy.

She may have had an off-day, or there's a really big jump from NCAA play to the pros. :(
Edit to add: I don't follow pro tennis very closely, but Garbin is a veteran who is ranked 58th in the world. Tough opener.

Good luck, Mallory.

arnie
09-01-2009, 04:54 PM
Mallory got smoked 6-0, 6-1 in the 1st round of the US Open by a player named Tathiana Garbin of Italy.

She may have had an off-day, or there's a really big jump from NCAA play to the pros. :(
Edit to add: I don't follow pro tennis very closely, but Garbin is a veteran who is ranked 58th in the world. Tough opener.

Good luck, Mallory.

I think you nailed it - the jump is huge. Most pro players and pro wannabees do not play in college; therefore NCAA competition is on a lower rung.

Bluedog
09-01-2009, 06:48 PM
I think you nailed it - the jump is huge. Most pro players and pro wannabees do not play in college; therefore NCAA competition is on a lower rung.

Yep, it is a huge gap. Usually, the NPOY in college basketball does all right in the NBA...Not so in tennis at all. Recent men's NCAA singles champions:

2007 and 2008 champion: Somdev Devvarman (India) - career ATP record of 9-11. Current ranking is 162.
2006: Benjamin Kohlloeffel (Germany) - Currently inactive. Career high ranking of 461.
2005: Benedikt Dorsch (Germany) - ATP record 0-3. Current ranking of 210 (due to wins in challengers, satellites, etc.)
2004: Benjamin Becker (Germany) - ATP record 53-70. Current ranking of 45. Career high of 38. By far the most successful recent champion.
2003: Amer Delic (born in Bosnia, now American) - 25-21. Current ranking of 220. Career high of 60.
2001 and 2002: Matias Boeker (USA) - ATP record of 1-4. Career high ranking of 216 back in 2004. Now inactive.
1999: Alex Kim (USA) - ATP record of 8-26. Career high ranking of 106 in 2002.
1998: Jeff Morrison (USA) - record of 32-58. Career high ranking of 85.

I'm sure you'd find something similar on the women's side.

I think you have to go back all the way to 1984 champion Mikael Pernfors to find an NCAA singles champion who got to the top 25 in the world singles. he got as high as #10 and made the French Open finals in '86. Most of the players try the tour for a year or two, but ultimately don't make a living from it. Bob Bryan and Alex O'Brien both excelled in doubles though (and were ranked #1). Here's an article (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2768534) about Duke's own Phillip King and his struggles on the tour, who was ranked as the #1 junior in the country was he was 17 and 18. (He has since left the ATP tour and is getting his MBA at Fuqua) He advised his sister to skip college and begin the tour.

In any event, Mallory is still super young and has ample time to ramp up her game. She certainly has a lot of potential and I'll be cheering for her!

SupaDave
09-01-2009, 09:33 PM
Not to mention Federer just smoked SOME dude that was the NCAA champion...

roywhite
09-01-2009, 11:13 PM
Yep, it is a huge gap. Usually, the NPOY in college basketball does all right in the NBA...Not so in tennis at all. Recent men's NCAA singles champions:

I'm sure you'd find something similar on the women's side.



Thanks for a great post, Bluedog. Didn't realize the difficulty that NCAA tennis champs have had in making it on the pro circuit.

Golf seems to be different---numerous college golfers have gone on to success on the pro tours, both men and women. Not all the top players have a college background, but many do.

Both are individual sports contested in the spring. I wonder why there is such a difference in the route to pro success? Just the shorter career span for tennis perhaps?

Bluedog
09-01-2009, 11:37 PM
Thanks for a great post, Bluedog. Didn't realize the difficulty that NCAA tennis champs have had in making it on the pro circuit.

Golf seems to be different---numerous college golfers have gone on to success on the pro tours, both men and women. Not all the top players have a college background, but many do.

Both are individual sports contested in the spring. I wonder why there is such a difference in the route to pro success? Just the shorter career span for tennis perhaps?

Yes, I think that the more physical nature of tennis leading to a shorter career span certainly is somewhat of a factor. But that can't explain it all...Golf is definitely an interesting comparison, though, since tennis and golf are somewhat unique in that players aren't drafted based on potential and there aren't pre-determined contracts. Your salary is completely based on performance. There are satellite tours, etc. that all players have to go through to get to the big stage. Playing mediocre golf definitely pays a LOT more than mediocre tennis. That is, the #100 ranked golfer in the world makes significantly more than the #100 ranked tennis player. Not sure if this pay difference affects decisions or not.

Perhaps another factor (I'm just theorizing though) that explains the tennis vs. golf difference is that tennis is overwhelmingly played outside the US. Golf is certainly a world-wide sport, but still has its most sizable contingent in the US, and quality US golf players are more likely to go to US colleges than international tennis players are to go to US colleges. (Although certainly some international tennis players go to colleges as evidenced by the above list; just not in the numbers US golfers go to college). Tennis is the second most popular sport is tons of countries, but certainly not the US.

Since 1988, the PGA tour has had between 31% and 60% of its top 100 ranked golfers from the US (the 31% low was in 2008, so there is certainly a trend downward; 60% was in 1991; it was 49% as recent as 2003). On the ATP tour, 9% of the top 100 is currently from the US. Looking at year end rankings, it has varied between 8% and 11% since 2000....


Not to mention Federer just smoked SOME dude that was the NCAA champion...

Yep, Devin Britton of Ole Miss got a wild card into the draw. I didn't include him since he just won this May. He currently has an 0-2 record on tour (he also lost to Rajeev Ram who incidentally destroyed me when I was a junior :) )

Sorry to stray slightly off topic...