(Photo: Patricia Vicente/WCSN)
Growing up, Nathan Ponwith practiced his tennis at Arizona State’s tennis facility in Tempe. His home in Scottsdale, located just 20 minutes down the road, allowed him the ability to train at the Whiteman Tennis Center throughout his youth and into high school, where he played at Connections Academy in Glendale.
The arduous hours spent practicing on the Sun Devils’ courts culminated into Ponwith becoming the No. 1 recruit in the 2016 class according to Tennis Recruiting Network. When it came time for a decision on where he would play at the next level, however, his hometown school of ASU — which housed the facility where he trained as an emerging player — was not even a thought in Ponwith’s mind.
In fact, ASU did not even have a men’s tennis program for him to consider at the time.
So, he looked elsewhere.
A commitment to Georgia led to Ponwith setting a SEC record of five Freshman of the Week honors en route to the 2017 SEC Freshman of the Year award in his first collegiate campaign.
“I was very motivated going into my freshman year, wanting success,” Ponwith said. “I knew that the level at college was high. I was ready for the task and worked really hard and I played really well my freshman year.”
Meanwhile, back in his home state, ASU was making a resurgence to the Division I men’s tennis scene. After a $1 million kickstart from Ray Anderson, the school’s Athletic Director, and his wife Buffie — plus an additional $4 million pledged by Adidas, the university’s sponsor — the program was able to get back on its feet after a 10-year hiatus.
And it came back with a vengeance.
The Sun Devils climbed as high as No. 13 in the Oracle/ITA rankings last season and clinched a NCAA Championships berth in their inaugural year of play since the disbandment. It was an impressive feat that brought the team back to national relevance.
“It was a great accomplishment for the first year,” ASU coach Matt Hill said. “There’s tons of coaches that I have a high level of respect for that do a great job that didn’t make the tournament last year. I have to remind myself of that because I’m a pretty impatient person and I have really high expectations.
“I tend to forget that what we did last year was actually really special considering we had nothing the year before … All in all it was a good first year. We were happy with it at the end of the year (thinking) of what we accomplished and we’re excited to keep building.”
Hill recruited the No. 5 class in the nation in 2017 according to Tennis Recruiting Network to spearhead ASU’s resurgence to collegiate tennis. A majority of the players who entered the program were underclassmen and the team only lost one senior, Michaël Geerts, to graduation at the end of last year.
For what it lost though, it gained three-fold. Ponwith was one of three transfers to the program this season (along with graduate student Justin Roberts from South Florida and junior Dominik Kellovsky from the Czech Republic). Each of those players now make up ASU’s top-3 courts in singles.
“Huge,” Hill said of the impact the transfers have made this season. “They’re playing (on courts) one, two, three. They’re all playing in the doubles lineup. Two of them are playing (court one) doubles and they’re top-10 in the country. You can’t speak to their impact. There’s no words to it. There’s no way we’d be doing what we are now if we didn’t have those guys.”
Ponwith’s return though, means a little bit more from an emotional standpoint. It’s a return to the lifestyle he thrived in as a child. It’s a return to the familiarity of the environment. It’s a return to the sanctity of playing in front of his friends and family again.
“It’s incredible,” Ponwith said. “I grew up hitting at these courts, practicing here. It feels great that it has come full circle. I’m here, competing for Arizona State and playing for my city and having my friends and family come out. It’s really something special.”
Ponwith is truly a spark plug on ASU’s roster with qualities that Hill believes can take him to the top of the sport.
“He’s always been one of the best players in the United States,” Hill said. “… He has the ability, by far, to be one of the best players in college tennis. He’s on that path. It’ll be fun to see him continue to get to where we all know he’s capable of.”
Now in its second season since reinstatement, No. 31 ASU has maintained a predominately road-heavy schedule. In fact, the team has only played six home matches with a seventh, and final, scheduled for Saturday against No. 45 Utah. Despite not consistently playing in Tempe, the opportunity to represent his hometown school has afforded Ponwith a chance that he could not ascertain anywhere else.
“I’ve been an Arizona State fan my entire life,” Ponwith said. “I live 20 minutes down the road and I knew coach Hill had a tremendous program with great players already here. It didn’t even cross my mind to go anywhere else.”
Ponwith’s passion for the program has translated into his play on the court. He is the only ranked ASU singles player on the roster at No. 62 and is in the top-10 of the national doubles rankings along with his partner, Kellovsky, sitting at No. 8. They are the highest ranked ASU doubles tandem since Brian Gyetko and Dave Lomicky in 1991, a pair that finished that season No. 4.
“I’m thankful for the ranking which we’ve got right now,” Kellovsky said. “It’s the highest (ASU doubles pair) ranking since 1991 which means something here … It always feels great when you can give something back to the school.
“So far we are doing great. I think we have a great relationship on the court, out of the court, the chemistry is pretty great. So we’re going to try to do our best.”
Hill has instilled a set of virtues in his players that emanates throughout the program as a whole. Each individual on the roster is passionate and hungry, but they also maintain high levels of humbleness and character. Even so, it is hard not to indulge in certain specific accolades when program records are being etched into the history books.
“Me and Dominik have been doing well all year,” Ponwith said. “We’ve been continuing to get big wins for the team. Having a high ranking — the highest ranked pair since 1991 — that’s awesome that we can set records for the program and help the team out this year as much as we can.”
The tandem’s efforts cannot go unnoticed when it comes to ASU’s doubles play as a whole this season. The team has clinched 16 doubles points across 22 matches. It has played a big role in the success of the team overall this year. Securing a 1-0 advantage heading into singles play against any opponent is a huge momentum booster.
Even without the on-court success and the capabilities Ponwith displays as a tennis player both at practice and in matches, the strides he has made as a player, teammate and person overall has Hill excited for his future at large.
“He continues to be the best version of himself on a daily basis,” Hill said. “Block out a lot of the noise and stuff around him and just put his head down and go to work and do the things when no one’s watching that are the right things to do that can better himself in a situation.
“I have huge respect for that kid. I think he’s a really remarkable young man and it’s been fun to be a part of the process in his journey.”
