Tasic reaches Big Ten singles championship final

The IU men’s tennis team traveled to West Lafayette during the weekend to compete in the Big Ten singles championships.

IU senior Dimitrije Tasic came into the weekend looking to excel and make a deep run in the tournament, and he did just that. Tasic advanced to the finals where he will play fellow senior Mark Kovacs from Purdue.

Monday will be the first time Kovacs and Tasic will play one another.

“There’s a lot of good players. You have to be resilient,” IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “You are not going to be at your best every match, but overall, he played really solid.”

In the semifinals Tasic defeated Northwestern freshman Strong Kirchheimer, one of the best talents in the Big Ten, according to Bloemendaal.

Bloemendaal praised the effort from both players.

“That was a really good match for both players. The other guy did not lose the match. Dimitrije won it,” he said.

Bloemendaal also praised Tasic’s ability to keep fighting.

“He was down a set in the semis against Kirchheimer, who was playing as well as you can play, and Dimitrije would just not let him win that second set,” Bloemendaal said.

Tasic said there was never a moment in the match in which he felt that he was going to lose. He also tried to not focus on the possibility of playing for a Big Ten championship at all.

“I completely tried not to think about that,” Tasic said. “One of the worst things to do in tennis is to think about the future.”

Tasic lost the first set 4-6, the first time he lost the opening set all weekend.

“He’s been very, very tough when the pressure’s on and really played big,” Bloemendaal said.

Tasic will need to continue to play well under pressure, as the environment Monday morning will most likely be a lively one.

“Tomorrow is going to be very tough because we are at Purdue, so it will be like an away match,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s very tough when everybody’s cheering right on top of you.”

Bloemendaal said Kovacs is one of the most talented players in the Big Ten.

“He’s played at the top of their line up since he was a freshman,” Bloemendaal said. “He’s got a lot of experience, and he’s really playing well right now.”

Despite all of this, Bloemendaal is still expecting a lot out of his star senior.

“Indiana’s won 25 national championship,” he said. ”That’s what we do at this University, so we expect him to go out and win. That’s the deal when you’re playing with our uniform on.”

Follow reporter Michael Hughes on Twitter @MichaelHughes94.