Sophomores Jeremiah Braswell and Mariano Dedura-Palomero represented Texas men’s tennis at Baylor last weekend in the Waco Invite, gaining match experience and strengthening their resumes ahead of major fall tournaments. The two played together in doubles and individually in singles on all three days, facing schools such as Abilene Christian, Baylor and UTSA.
The Waco Invite, which featured one doubles and one singles session per day, is situated between the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Texas Regional Championships in early October and the ITA Central Sectional Championships in November. This makes it an important weekend to focus on game development, doubles chemistry and areas for improvement — an extremely crucial three days for Braswell and Dedura-Palomero, although it is not a national tournament.
Teaming up for the first time in a tournament this season, the sophomore pair brought down sophomore Jonas Keck and senior Griffin Lovern of ACU in a decisive 8-5 victory on Friday, allowing them to advance to the doubles East Semifinals on Saturday, where they were defeated by Baylor sophomores Drew Hedgecoe and Calvin Baierl 8-2. Despite the loss, the duo proved they could put up points against more experienced players.
On the singles side, Dedura-Palomero went undefeated over the weekend, most notably beating Baylor senior Louis Bowden 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5). Braswell struggled on days one and two, losing to Baylor’s Hedgecoe and ACU’s senior Alejandro Verdasco, but ended the tournament with a 6-3, 6-1 win over prior doubles opponent Lovern.
Last weekend’s wins and losses frame how athletes will likely perform in upcoming competition, contributing to the broader fall tennis season evaluation.
Texas will look to improve over the next few weeks before the ITA Central Sectional Championships on Nov. 5 to 8. As the final opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships, sectionals will be important for players seeking national recognition before the start of the spring team season.
For Braswell and Dedura-Palomero, this means paying attention to their performances in smaller tournaments such as the Waco Invite. If they hope to establish themselves as viable contenders against higher-rated opponents, their top priority in the coming weeks will be working out flaws and overcoming common mistakes. But after the matches in Waco, the sophomores have gained valuable experience that will prove useful as the season heats up.
