FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mikael Maatta has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, finishing second behind Brigham Young-Hawaii's Jan Krejci last year.
CIRCUMSTANCES can take the breath from Mikael Maatta's lungs, but they can't take the tennis out of his heart. Mind over Maatta
HPU's ace, who picks apart his opponents
Division II stats
with his brain, stayed tough despite ailmentBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comMaatta, ranked No. 7 in the nation and the anchor for the Hawaii Pacific men's tennis team, won an opening-round match in the professional tennis challenger on the Big Island in December and was playing the best tennis of his life. He was playing so well, it made him sick afterwards. He continued his great play in the collegiate season, but his body broke down three times in three months and he knew that something was wrong.
He was still winning, outlasting each opponent except his nemesis Jan Krejci of Brigham Young-Hawaii, but things weren't coming as easily as they always had.
Then he found out he had a chronic case of asthma and had been playing with only 68 percent of his lung capacity. It never came close to killing him, except in the sense that life without tennis is death enough.
"Even if they didn't give me any inhalers, I'd still play," Maatta said after learning the cause of his fatigue. "Tennis is a passion and I am used to doing more than anybody else. It hasn't killed me yet after all these years."
Maatta needs the oxygen more than any of his opponents because his game is built on it. He is as skilled as an elite tennis player needs to be, but he wins because of his ability to outlast anyone who dares stand across a net from him long enough for him to find their weakness.
His goal is to hang around as long as it takes for him to figure out a way to win.
"I would say he's a real physical player," Hawaii Pacific coach Henry Sommerville said. "He covers the court and has a slightly unorthodox style that most people aren't used to. He plays shots most people wouldn't think of hitting and makes maximum use of his physical talent."
Maatta grinds his way through matches because deep down inside, he doesn't like his game. For him, tennis is more than a contest of wills; it is a work of art. While those around him get to use the finest paints and brushes to express themselves, Maatta must make due with grape juice and a roller.
"I don't play beautiful tennis," Maatta said. "Someone like Matey (Pampulov, his teammate) plays beautiful tennis. His swing is so nice. I wish I could play like him."
But Maatta can't play like Pampulov because his job is to win matches, and his grinding style is part of how he does it. It is too late in life to overhaul his game, which began almost by accident.
"The first tournament I played in Sweden I beat the No. 1 guy," Maatta said. "Since I didn't have a good racket, they didn't believe it. People began telling my father that I had to go to Gothenberg for training and he was, 'No way.' He broke down a couple of cars, but he liked it as much as I did."
The Sea Warriors will play the Pacific West Conference tournament in Billings, Mont., next week, where Maatta will meet Krejci for the third time this season. That will set him up for the national tournament, where he could meet Krejci again if both teams make it to the championship. That would be a fitting end to a two-year span in which both men have brought the culmination of all of their training to the court seven times in the past year.
Maatta is a junior and Krejci is only a sophomore, suggesting that the rivalry has only just begun.
"When I play Krejci I get goose bumps," Maatta said. "It is a challenge. I like his style, the way he serves and volleys. Every time I play him it is like playing in a big tournament and I think he feels the same way. He doesn't play around."
Krejci beat Maatta both times they have played this year, once before he figured out he had asthma and once after he took his first hit off an inhaler. He took 10 games off Krejci the second time, and feels that the time to beat him again is coming up fast. He has beaten him once in six tries in his career -- the upset coming in last year's national tournament -- so the No. 1 player in the nation is not in Maatta's head. And it is a good thing, because that is where Maatta has the edge over Krejci.
"My biggest strength is that I think a lot," Maatta said. "I look for my opponent's weaknesses and try to manipulate the other guy. I have to make them work to bring them down to my level."
Although they are their teams' respective anchors, Krejci and Maatta play at the same time as the rest of their teammates. But everyone becomes a spectator during service breaks and after their duties are completed. Everyone wants to see Krejci-Maatta, see the kind of dance that usually happens only occasionally on the professional tours. When two players of that caliber get together, what results is something far above your usual collegiate tennis, it is almost a celebration of the sport at its most pure.
In college, there are no officials. Each player is supposed to make the calls on their side of the court like a common pickup game. This setup extends as far as the national championship, and has turned a tennis match into a fight more than once.
What makes Krejci vs. Maatta so appealing is that both players give away calls so as not to ruin the rhythm of the game. Winning seems almost secondary as the players go through the movements that combine to create magic.
"It is really hard to judge, so I give away every close call," Maatta said. "I'd rather play the ball and let the game go on. I think Krejci is the same. He is the most honest guy I've played, even when I beat him he played honest."
Not surprisingly, Brigham Young-Hawaii coach Dave Porter says the same thing about Maatta, believing that if their last collegiate match this year is for the national championship, it will be decided on which player has the better day.
"When he is playing his best, there is nothing you can do to beat him," Maatta said. "But there are some things I can do to make him not play his best. If I feel like I played my best and left my blood, hate and tears on the court, I can walk away satisfied with a loss. It is going to be fun."
HPU Sports
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>> Amy Sun, Brigham Young-Hawaii tennis: The junior from Beijing, China, stayed unbeaten this year with a 3-0 record on the team's current road trip. Sun, No. 16 in the nation, beat No. 48 Eva Papastratides 6-2, 6-3 to give the Seasiders a narrow 5-4 win over No. 5 West Florida. She is also unbeaten in doubles this year. [ TOP PERFORMERS ]
>> Wendy Layton, Hawaii-Hilo softball: Layton started off her team's road trip through California right, getting three hits in six chances while driving in five runs including a grand slam. She cooled off the next day, though, going 0-for-5 in a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Dominguez Hills.
[ SCOREBOARD ]
TODAY Coming up
Softball: Chaminade at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Hawaii-Hilo at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Hawaii Pacific at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Western New Mexico at Stanislaus Tournament
Tennis: BYU-Hawaii vs. UC San Diego at Pensacola, Fla.
Tennis: UH-Hilo men at Idaho
TOMORROW
Softball: Chaminade at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Hawaii-Hilo at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Hawaii Pacific at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Western New Mexico at Stanislaus Tournament
Tennis: BYU-Hawaii vs. North Florida at pensacola, Fla.
Tennis: Hawaii Hilo men at Lewis-Clark State
SUNDAY, APRIL 6
Softball: Chaminade at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Hawaii-Hilo at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Hawaii Pacific at Stanislaus Tournament
Softball: Western New Mexico at Stanislaus Tournament
Tennis: Hawaii Pacific at Sacramento State
Tennis: Hawaii-Hilo at Montana
MONDAY, APRIL 7
Tennis: Hawaii Pacific at UC Davis
Tennis: Hawaii-Hilo women at Montana State-Bozeman
TUESDAY, APRIL 8
Tennis: Hawaii-Hilo at Montana State-Billings
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
Softball: Chaminade at Western New Mexico
Tennis: BYU-Hawaii vs. Montana State at Billings, Mont.
Tennis: Hawaii-Hilo at Western New Mexico
THURSDAY, APRIL 10
Softball: BYU-Hawaii at Hawaii Pacific
Softball: Chaminade at Western New Mexico
Tennis: PacWest championships at Billings, Mont.
SOFTBALL
PacWest Overall W-L Ptc. W-L Ptc. Western New Mexico 7-1 .875 32-3 .914 Hawaii-Hilo 10-2 .833 22-9 .710 BYU-Hawaii 8-10 .444 20-22 .476 Hawaii Pacific 6-8 .429 18-16 .529 Chaminade 2-10 .167 6-18 .250 Mont. St.-Billings 1-7 .125 8-13 .381 BATTING LEADERS
Batting avg
Ashley Perry, WNMU .545 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU .482 Shellie Broyles, WNMU .475 Stephanie Cochrun, MSUB .462 Angela Slaugh, WNMU .462 Slugging pct
Ashley Perry, WNMU 1.000 Shellie Broyles, WNMU .750 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU .727 Erin Castillo, Hilo .640 Pua Reis, Chaminade .583 On base pct
Ashley Perry, WNMU .615 Angela Slaugh, WNMU .533 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU .508 Shellie Broyles, WNMU .500 Stephanie Cochrun, MSUB .500 Runs scored
Shellie Broyles, WNMU 37 Jessie Garcia, WNMU 29 Bethany Harris, WNMU 26 Lori Browning, WNMU 26 4 tied at 21 Hits
Shellie Broyles, WNMU 57 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU 53 Jessica Garcia, WNMU 41 Crystal Elton, BYUH 38 3 tied at 36 Runs batted in
Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU 46 Shellie Broyles, WNMU 34 Wendy Layton, Hilo 25 Jessica Garcia, WNMU 24 Debbie Yescas, WNMU 23 Home runs
Debbie Yescas, WNMU 5 Shellie Broyles, WNMU 5 Pua Reis, Chaminade 5 Erin Castillo, Hilo 4 Wendy Layton, Hilo 4 Sac bunts
Rachel Lacar, HPU 9 Anuhea Diamond, HPU 7 Diana Kim, Hilo 7 Claresa Asuncion, Hilo 7 Tascha Berinobis, HPU 6 Stolen bases
Danielle Harmon, WNMU 9 Brandy Choy Foo, HPU 7 Lori Browning, WNMU 7 Jamie Reyes, HPU 5 Anuhea Diamond, HPU 5 PITCHING LEADERS
Earned run avg
Angela Slaugh, WNMU 0.38 Leo Sing Chow, Hilo 0.77 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU 0.79 Tara Martinez, Hilo 1.40 Sarah Steele, Hilo 1.54 Opposing bat avg
Angela Slaugh, WNMU .130 Leo Sing Chow, Hilo .165 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU .171 Megan McCrae, MSUB .210 Sarah Steele, Hilo .214 Innings pitched
Lisa Hansen, BYUH 121.1 Angela Slaugh, WNMU 109.2 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU 106.2 Jessica Parra, HPU 88.0 Malia Sullivan, HPU 87.1 Strikeouts
Angela Slaugh, WNMU 164 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU 112 Megan McCrae, MSUB 56 Lisa Hansen, BYUH 42 Leo Sing Chow, Hilo 41 Wins
Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU 16-1 Angela Slaugh, WNMU 16-1 Leo Sing Chow, Hilo 10-1 Echo Hatch, BYUH 9-2 Lisa Hansen, BYUH 7-12 Appearances
Lisa Hansen, Lisa, BYUH 21 Tiffany Mondhink, WNMU 18 Jessica Parra, HPU 18 Angela Slaugh, WNMU 18 Echo Hatch, BYUH 17
