Kevin Kim (USA), No. 2 seed
"I kept my head in it today", said the $50k Honolulu Challenger's No. 2 seed and world ranked 108, Kevin Kim after disposing of UH Warrior, Leo Rosenberg 6-2, 6-4 in the 2nd round. It was a calm day, favorable conditions for Kim who prefers a still environment where he can unleash flat forehand putaways. "Leo's got a good game, but I outpaced him and he pulled the trigger early." "My weapon is either there or it's not." Today, Kim's forehand was fully loaded, managing to tame an avid crowd of local Leo and UH Warrior supporters who otherwise cheered proudly across a spectrum of exotic languages from Russian to French and Hawaiian.
All this effort and variety to fuel the spirit of Leo Rosenberg, a "hanai tennis son" of Hawaii. The affable intellectual has a captivating presence on court and a growing band of friends. Sitting in the crowd was Rosenberg's girlfriend, Ekatarina Voropaeva, a native of Moscow who here from NYC where she recently completed a degree in Social Justice. The crowd listened then echoed expressions more commonly found in Saint Petersberg than 'lulu. "Vpered!" pronounced "Spirodt!" means "Go!" in Russian. "Da vai!" translates to an innocent "Let's do it," and "Maladiuts!" is "Very good!".
Leo Rosenberg plays an inspiring game, draws a crowd
Back to the match...
"He hits deep and heavy, and he can take pace off the ball as well," commented Rosenberg of Kevin Kim. "Kim is very consistent with what he does. College players, they break down. Kim is a pro tour player. These players have better fitness and are mentally tough. After 2-all in the first I started to do too much, go for too much or too little."
At 31 years, Kim's game was seasoned, but preferences emerged as well, like his dislike of wind, an inclination to hit flat, and to ease up on the backhand, a potential vulnerability. Rosenberg found the backhand, but not enough and forewent opportunities to punish his opponent's short balls and lofted backhands. From the stands, one couldn't help think how Kim's passing shots off the backhand would have faired had Rosenberg attacked and moved in. Rosenberg was less solid when stretched, popping up a fair share of his own shots which Kim took advantage of, warping and stealing time from his opponent, sending darts to the sidelines. Kim didn't hit his serve terrifically hard but it was effectively placed and often took Rosenberg out wide and left him thin on the return.
Tour experience is a big plus for Kim. The former All-American at UCLA standout won the $50,000 Challenger in Charlottesville last year for his ninth career singles title on the USTA Pro Circuit. Rosenberg has been ranked as high as No. 84 in ITA singles rankings (last year). Last November he racked up a win over ITA No. 66 Richard Wire of Stanford.
Semis on Saturday, 1/30 and finals on Sunday, 1/31 start at 11am.
