Two student athletes from Hofstra University had the experience of a lifetime when they got a wildcard bid to the New York Open, a yearly Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) event featuring some of the world’s most elite professional players.

The Hofstra men’s doubles team of Shawn Jackson and Ostap Kovalenko took to center court at the NYCB LIVE, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday, Feb. 11, when they faced off against Tennys Sandgren and Robert Lindstedt. 

Sandgren has a career-high singles ranking of No. 41 in the world, while Lindstedt has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world for doubles. Though Sandgren and Lindstedt won by a large margin with set scores of 6-0 and 6-1, many of the individual games nearly went in Jackson and Kovalenko’s favor as the pair struggled to convert multiple sudden-death deuce points. Regardless of the score, though, the opportunity to compete at the professional level marked a milestone for the Hofstra men’s tennis program. 

“When they found out they got the wildcard it was on a Saturday, a Saturday afternoon, I’ll never forget it,” said head coach Jason Pasion. “When I called up [Jackson] and [Kovalenko], they didn’t believe it. They thought I was joking.”

This is Pasion’s fourth year as head coach for the Pride. The men’s team has won 32 matches under his direction and their win total has increased with every season. “Through the match, I thought that they had their game faces on. They looked confident, but from what they were telling me they were definitely nervous,” Pasion said.

“Playing at the New York Open was absolutely amazing, especially because it was my first [professional] tournament,” said Hofstra sophomore and team captain Shawn Jackson. A New York state native from Staten Island, Jackson posted a 27-11 singles record and 23-11 doubles record in 2019. “I had a lot of nerves before and in the beginning of the match, but my nerves settled after the first few games.”

As competitors in the event, Jackson and Kovalenko were treated to the full professional experience, including massages, sessions with physiotherapists and trainings multiple times a day. “We spent four days being professionals,” said Kovalenko, a freshman from Bashkortostan, Russia. “It was truly incredible.”

Reflecting on their goals moving forward after their professional debut, both Jackson and Kovalenko have high hopes for the remainder of the spring competition season. “I want to give all [of] myself to help get my team a [win] every match and try to win [the] conference at the end of the season,” Kovalenko said.

Jackson hopes to improve upon his freshman year results and win matches against schools that he lost to in 2019. Kovalenko is hopeful that the team’s steady success will allow the tennis program to enjoy more funding and respect.

For Pasion, the importance of Jackson and Kovalenko’s success stretches beyond the current squad and into the future of Hofstra tennis. “From a recruiting standpoint, just seeing two of our players get a wildcard into a main draw of an ATP 250 event, recruits will see that and be like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a chance of getting that sometime in the future,’” he said.

“The New York Open has been great, not only for the wildcard but for the opportunities we’ve had to hit on their courts, to attend their events and to even be practice partners. Jonathan [Mahrt Guyou] and [Jackson] and [Kovalenko] and a few others were selected as practice partners, and that’s a great opportunity,” Pasion said.

In the meantime, the team looks to continue improving the program and building upon the successes of the past few years. “The culture has gone in the right direction in terms of the players working hard and being more motivated,” Pasion said. “The strength of schedule has changed too. We’re playing more difficult matches, we’re playing more matches in general.” 

For young tennis players trying to make it at the collegiate or professional level, Jackson had this advice: “Never think that you might not play in a professional tournament, because it could happen when you least expect it. To be successful you need to put in hard work on and off the court every single day. Always stay positive and keep your head up because good things will happen.”

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics