Tennis: Bay's Rowe cracks top five on national rankings

Dan Rowe has jumped nine places in as many months on the national under-19 tennis rankings. Photo/File

Plenty of international play has contributed to Hawke's Bay tennis player Dan Rowe's national under-19 ranking jump nine places in nine months.

The 18-year-old Hawke's Bay residentials champion who is ranked fifth recently returned from playing tournaments in Vietnam, Fiji and New Caledonia and from August 11-18 will play in another Fiji under-19 tournament.

"These tournaments are all aimed at enhancing my chances of securing a United States College scholarship for next year. I'm on track and I've got heaps of time. I've got an agency which will start doing some looking for me when I get back from Fiji," Rowe explained.

"In Fiji the goal will be to qualify for the main event in singles play and at least reach the semifinals in doubles.

"I'll be going a couple of days early to adjust to the heat. During my last trips it was tough getting used to the heat particularly in Vietnam where it was muggy as well."

A Napier Boys' High School Year 13 student, Rowe played with Canterbury's Will Schneideman during doubles play at his last tournaments and will play with Schneideman again in Fiji.

"We have a good rapport ," he said.

During their first tournament in New Caledonia they recorded three consecutive wins before losing in the semifinals to a Japanese pair. Rowe reached the last 32 in singles play at the same tournament where he was beaten by a Japanese opponent.

Schneideman and Hawke's Bay Lawn's Rowe reached the quarter-finals at their second tournament in New Caledonia where they lost to the same Japanese pair who beat them 10 days earlier. After two wins in singles play at the same event Rowe was eliminated in the quarter-finals by an Australian opponent.

Four days after leaving Noumea, Rowe and Schneideman were playing in the first of two tournaments in Lautoka. They reached the quarter-finals in doubles play and Rowe reached the quarterfinals in singles where he lost to regular New Caledonia opponent Clement Mainguy.

After two wins in doubles play at their second Lautoka tournament, Rowe and Schneideman were beaten in the semifinals by an Aussie combination. Rowe again had two singles wins before losing to a Hong Kong opponent in the quarter-finals.

In Vietnam, Rowe played with another Cantabrian, Reece Falk, in the doubles and after three wins they were beaten by a Chinese pair in the final. Rowe lost to a Vietnam opponent in the last 32 of the singles.

Rowe has been coached by Havelock North-based former New Zealand Davis Cup representative and Kiwi No 1 Dan Willman since August last year and he said Willman's input has also been influential in his climb up the national rankings.

"I train for about 18 hours each week. Like all young players, I want my serve to get better and I'm always working on my transition into the net during singles play ... picking the right time to approach the net."

Willman said he simulates tournament play in a lot of his training sessions with Rowe.

"It's all about getting experience and we try to pick up the intensity in each training as that happens in each tournament."

"Dan is making great progress with his serve. We want to get his second serve up to world class level as that will help him at college level and beyond in the United States. There's also a big emphasis on his first serve percentages and strength.

"Dan is doing well when it comes to coming into the net on the right shots," Willman added.

Before heading overseas in June Rowe won the Hawke's Bay Residentials singles title in May. He beat Hastings player Rynold Timothy 6-4, 6-2. Timothy had beaten Rowe in last year's final.