Torero defeats world no. 76

August Holmgren upsets former Olympian at the San Diego Open

Maria Watters / Managing Editor/ The USD Vista

Almost every young tennis player shares the same dream: to compete against a top-100 athlete on the Association for Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour. USD’s very own August Holmgren did just that.

This year, San Diego had the privilege of hosting the San Diego Open at the Barnes Tennis Center from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3. The ATP 250 event was set to showcase the highest caliber of talent from across the word. Players like Diego Schwartzman, the 29-year-old Argentinian ranked no. 15 in the world, who has been to the US Open quarterfinals twice and beaten the likes of Rafael Nadal, to legends of the sport like the notorious British player, Andy Murray, would be at the competition. 

Having signed up as an alternate for the event, USD redshirt senior, men’s tennis player, August Holmgren’s chances of receiving a spot in the qualifying round were slim. It would require a player to withdraw from the tournament and no one to be ranked higher than him to fill the vacancy. 

Ranked no. 901 in the world, he knew it was a long shot, but on Friday, Sept. 24, Holmgren found out he would have the opportunity of a lifetime. 

“I was at a meeting…and I got this text from one of the guys sitting at the tournament desk,” Holmgren said. “He said, ‘Are you in.’ I was like I think this is good news but I’m not sure. And so later he texted, ‘You are playing tomorrow at 11 a.m.’”

Shortly after finding out he would be playing in the tournament, Holmgren learned that his first-round opponent would be Jordan Thompson,   the 28-year-old Australian entered into the tournament ranked no. 76 in the world. He represented Australia in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and has amassed a total of over $3.5 million in prize money since going pro in 2013, making Thompson the clear favorite in the contest against Holmgren.

Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacle that Thompson presented, Holmgren didn’t let his opponent’s accolades affect his preparation for the match. 

“At the end of the day, a match is a match, and I prepare for every single match to the best of my ability,” Holmgren said. “What happens a lot of times playing against big names, good schools with top rankings, is that there is a tendency to play against the ranking rather than the player.”

After having less than 24 hours to prepare and a serious uphill battle ahead of him, Holmgren took the court against Thompson with one goal: to win. 

Despite Holmgren’s lack of experience playing against the best in the world, he quickly realized that he could compete at that level. 

“After the third game, I could see that this match was going to be on my racket,” Holmgren said. “I was going to have the chance to use my weapons in this match… it would come down to what was better, my forehand or his defending skills.”

In the face of overwhelming odds, and in front of Torero tennis players and fans alike, Holmgren defeated Thompson in two sets, 6-4, 7-6. After shaking hands with his opponent and thanking the umpire, Holmgren jumped into the arms of his electrified teammates and celebrated the biggest win of his career.

But the revelry could only last so long, as yet another top-ranked opponent stood between Holmgren and the main draw of the tournament. 28-year-old Italian, Salvatore Caruso, entered into the second-round contest ranked 126th in the world. Caruso won his first-round match in three sets against an American player ranked 178 in the world, Ernesto Escobedo, 7-5, 1-6, 6-4. 

On Saturday, Sept 26., Holmgren and Caruso stepped onto the stadium court at Barnes, knowing that one would move onto the main draw, and the other would go home. Once again, Holmgren could tell early in the battle that the match was going to be on his racket; another contest between his forehand and the defensive ability of his opponent.

In the first set, Holmgren’s forehand emerged victorious, but the second set went to Caruso. The third set saw a back-and-forth battle of wills to be decided in a seven-point tiebreaker. After getting down 3-6, Holmgren saved 4 match points to take the lead 7-6. However, it was Caruso who took the match, defeating the Torero 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8).

Despite the loss, Holmgren was satisfied with his performance and grateful for all the support he received from teammates, friends, and fans. 

“Being at a high stage is a different situation that I hadn’t experienced before,” Holmgren said. “I still have a lot of room to grow in a lot of aspects of my game so that I can consistently play at that level and hopefully surpass that level in the next couple of years.”

 Holmgren is eager to get back to the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center and improve his game. He and the rest of his teammates are hungry and ready to be a force in the men’s tennis competition in the 2022 season. 

“My goal this year is to win a national championship,” Holmgren said. “My goal for the team is to regain the WCC (West Coast Conference) title. We are going to make the sweet 16 in the NCAA (tournament). I’m going to try to win the NCAA singles title. We are going to have teams compete in the NCAA doubles tournament as well.”

Torero tennis fans will have to wait until the spring to see if Holmgren’s ambitions will be achieved, but they can rest assured that Holmgren and the rest of the men’s tennis team will be working tirelessly towards that end. 

Holmgren will be competing next as a collegiate athlete  in the International Tennis Association Men’s All Americans Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Oct. 6.