Alabama Men’s Tennis Signs Three to its 2016 Class
7/5/2016 12:31:00 PM | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama men's tennis head coach George Husack announced the addition of Thibault Cancel, Alexey Nesterov and Ritchie Kruunenberg for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday.
"These three guys are very unique and will be embraced into our tennis family by our returners, staff and fans," said Husack. "They will immediately contribute towards our team's success in different ways with their competitiveness and passionate drive being consistent across the board. I can't wait to get started on the season ahead."
Cancel, an incoming freshman from Toulouse, France, held a top 5 French junior ranking in U19s. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of No. 1438 with wins over fellow ATP ranked opponents in ITF Futures events including Gregoire Barrere (#192), Jeremy Jahn (#307), Jaume Plamalfeito (#546) and Julien Demois (#660). In addition to tennis, Cancel enjoys kickboxing and has competed in bouts. He chose Alabama over Oklahoma.
"Thibault is a tremendous talent and competitor," Husack said. "He has trained and competed at a very high level while also studying full time in high school. He has a contagious personality and spirit that will impact those around him. We learned a lot about his goals and character during the recruiting process and his campus visit. It's a special fit for all of us and we are very excited to have him at Alabama."
Nesterov, an incoming freshman from Moscow, Russia, was ranked No. 1 in Boys 16s in Russia and represented his country on the Junior Davis Cup team. He reached a high of No. 150 in the ITF junior rankings before leaving Russia for the United States to train at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, Cali. Nesterov recently won the doubles title at the recent Ozerov Cup in Russia, the singles title at the Messika Open – Bat Yam in Israel and the ITF East African 18 & Under Junior Circuit in Kenya. He also was the singles winner of the La Habra Men's Open and a finalist at the Conejo Cup. Nesterov scored a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT on his first attempt and chose Alabama over UCLA, Wake Forest, Fresno State and Boise State.
"Alexey is a work horse and what I would call a gym rat," explained Husack. "He always gives 110 percent on the court and seeks to improve on a daily basis. He reminds me a lot of Daniil Proskura as he has made many sacrifices to seize opportunities to improve as a player and person. Leaving his family in Moscow to train and study in California was a big move. He was coached and mentored by outstanding people there, and now he's headed to another new territory. He fell in love with Alabama during his visit (over Auburn dual match weekend) and his intangibles spoke volumes. We are pumped to have him return to the Capstone as a member of our tennis program."
Kruunenberg, a senior transfer from Morehead State by way of Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands, is a two-time first team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection. He played No. 1 singles and doubles in both his seasons with the Eagles, winning a combined 47 matches. He began his collegiate career at Ohio Dominican, where he also played No. 1, racking up a team-best 22-6 overall record while ending the 2014 season on an eight match win streak.
"Ritchie is your quintessential student-athlete with exceptional athletic and academic talents," said Husack. "It was unfortunate to learn that Morehead State dropped their tennis program, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have him close out his college career at The University of Alabama. He made an impression on us two years ago when we competed against him, and now he's on campus. Strange how things work out, but it's all for good reason."
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