|
Hawaii Pacific's Mikael Maatta will be the first to tell you he is not the best men's tennis player in the nation, and hardly the best on his team. But that is a big part of what makes him so good.
HPU's top player wins
by exploiting weaknessesBy Brandon Lee
blee@starbulletin.comNot that the sophomore from Lidkoping, Sweden, does not have a ton of ability -- he does. Last year's West Region Freshman of the Year plays No. 1 singles and doubles for the sixth-ranked Sea Warriors (17-4). Maatta is ranked No. 4 overall nationally in singles, and with primary partner Jan Tribler, No. 14 in doubles.
But Maatta is also humble, and he is a team player on a squad filled with talent. He is unlike many tennis studs who approach the game with a here's-my-game, see-if-you-can-stop-it attitude.
Instead, Maatta is a heady player who recognizes that while he may face opponents with better overall skills, he can still find ways to beat them.
|
"Even though I'm playing at the top (position), I don't think I'm the best player," Maatta, 25, said. "But I try to find the other guy's weakness when I play and use it against him -- that's my strength."His approach has been successful so far, as Maatta holds 11-6 singles and 8-3 doubles (with Tribler) records this season. Three of Maatta's singles losses were to Division I opponents, and the remaining three came against rival Brigham Young-Hawaii's top player, Jan Krejci, ranked No. 2 overall.
Still, with the postseason set to begin for HPU tomorrow at one of two West regionals being held at BYUH's Laie campus, both Maatta and his coach admit that he will have to raise his game to another level for the Sea Warriors to reach their ultimate goal.
After runner-up finishes for HPU at the NCAA tournament the last two years, Maatta knows he will likely have to be at his best for the Sea Warriors to win their first national tennis championship this time around.
"For the No. 1 (player), if he does well, it can give the other players an edge," Maatta said. "So it's a little like leading the way."
Said HPU coach Henry Somerville: "When the other players see (Maatta) playing well, it gives them confidence to play at their best. ... He's a really good athlete, and when it comes to big moments like the postseason, I think it brings out the best in him."
In the first round of today's HPU's regional, No. 20 UC San Diego was to meet Hawaii-Hilo. The winner takes on the Sea Warriors tomorrow, with a trip to the 16-team national tournament on the line. Nationals will be held Thursday through next Sunday at Kansas City, Mo.
The 10th-ranked HPU women also were to begin West Regional play today at Laie. They were set to take on No. 14 Cal Poly Pomona, with the victor to play the winner of today's BYUH-Sonoma State match tomorrow for a nationals berth.
Maatta believes that HPU's depth plus improved doubles play could be the keys this season that get the Sea Warriors the national title they covet. He said that while he has been battling the flu recently and has to shake off some rust, he sees no problem in elevating his game to lead the Sea Warriors' postseason run.
As for gearing up for the best player each team has to offer, Maatta's approach will remain the same: pinpoint his vulnerability and exploit it. And though another potential meeting against Krejci and BYUH would not come until nationals, Maatta would welcome another chance to go up against someone whom he acknowledges has definitely been better so far.
"We haven't played a lot of the top teams (yet), and (Krejci) has been the biggest challenge of the year for me," Maatta said. "He has a big game, and I just have to find a way to destroy it."
